Multiple field and battle themes throughout Octopath Traveler II reuse these motifs. The character themes, in point of fact, may be the most critical part of the entire soundtrack. Toto’haha, an area where the beastlings live in harmony with nature, is musically represented with a song where the human voice is present but *not* dominant. The instruments are mixed slightly louder than the vocals, which works surprisingly well. This is especially notable in a track like “Toto’haha,” which works as a variant on the “Ochette” character theme. There is a noticeable difference in how these songs were recorded and mastered: not better or worse, but more open-space - resonant - than the Tokyo studio recordings. The specific pieces of music recorded at Ocean Way include the opening theme (day and night variants), the end credits music, and the eight main field themes (day and night variants). And, may I say, Square Enix Music and Yasunori Nishiki struck gold when they decided to do these Ocean Way recordings. In addition to being a great recording space for chamber orchestra and choir, Ocean Way tends to contract with some great studio musicians. I have a personal connection to, and fondness for, Ocean Way, having had opportunity to see it and play demo tracks on a baby grand piano there during my brief stint living there in the early ’00s. While not quite as famous as, say, Abbey Road in London, this studio is well-known and celebrated in the spaces of pop, rock, country, and classical music. Of particular note, I learned early in my study of this soundtrack (via the album’s English language liner notes!) that a substantial portion of the soundtrack was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at Ocean Way Studios. I shared some of my initial thoughts about this soundtrack on our Retro Encounter podcast ( Episode 373 – Octopath Traveler II Spoilercast). That and, of course, just enjoying the on-loop listen of a seven-hour opus. I have taken an inordinate amount of time analyzing this soundtrack. Somehow, Octopath Traveler II Original Soundtrack is stronger than its predecessor. Yasunori Nishiki has won my heart with a follow-up soundtrack that I honestly did not believe could top his first foray into game music. Yes, I’m seriously giving it a personal “Music of the Year” stamp of approval without having heard Tears of the Kingdom or Final Fantasy XVI or any number of serious contenders. I’m calling it early: Octopath Traveler II sports the best soundtrack of 2023. 20 – Without Hope, Without Warmth -Night-ġ9 – Ku, Land of the Scarlet Sunset -Night-Ġ5 – Roque Island, Full Steam Ahead -Night-Ģ1 – Scarlet Folk Song -By the Light of the Heart.
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