RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > Actraiser Symphonic Suite
Reviewed by: Zeugma 440
Actraiser Symphonic Suite is a very successful orchestration of the Super NES "Actraiser" game. It is quite short but very interesting, since it has great arrangements of various pieces of music (the game being divided between arcade and god-simulation, the tunes are rather different).
Here are my comments, track by track:
01: The first track of the album is the Opening fanfare of the game, which is masterfully and enthusiastically interpreted. The following part of the track is the "Sky Palace" theme, orchestrated for slow strings and brass (much more pleasant than the massive organ from the Nintendo version). In the third part comes the "Bloodpool" theme (the first arcade sequence one has to pass to save the people). This one is faster, but the orchestra keeps the beat and plays it without any flaw. (9/10)
02: This is a 20-seconds introduction of the famous "Birth of People" theme, played by pizzicato strings. Nice.
03: Maybe this track should be brisker, like an arcade track should normally be. The goal was a good scoring, and is surely reached, but I think "Fillmore" needs more speed to become as aggressive as its original version. (7/10)
04: The second Intermezzo: "Birth of People" with a harp. Nice too (could be a good startup tune for your PC
)
05: Listening to track 5 is like being in the game: it starts with the beautiful and dark piece of music taken from Aitos. Then the "Descent" theme is played, as the hero enters the Demon's Lair. The third part of this track is the Star Wars-esque "Northwall" theme, an excellent and rousing action sequence (is it a Holy Knight or a Jedi Knight I'm playing with ??) (8,5/10)
06: The Third and last Intermezzo, this time with a brass section...
07: This piece of music has been very well catched by the orchestra: one can almost feel uneased and suspicious by hearing this music. The atmosphere is very calm, almost appealing, but corresponds to the very situation when one is thinking "This place is quiet, really TOO quiet to be harmless.." The second part would be more convenient for a shrine, although it is taken from the first stage of the Northwall sequence: it is very cool, soft, with harp chords in the background. (8/10)
08: At last, he whole "Birth of People" theme! The main tune from the city view is absolutely great! A good transition introduces another city tune: the wonderful "Music Gift" theme, played by real strings. Hearing this track for the first time has been a pure moment of delight for me! (10/10)
09: The classic "Demon Theme" from Actraiser. It was not my favourite tune while playing the game but I must admit that it has gained power and efficiency in this soundtrack. The dramatic atmosphere is very well rendered through the orchestration and the result is... great. (8/10)
10: The Ending Theme is really merry and beautiful, more studied than the boring strings loop from the game (thanks to instrumental variations while repeating the theme). The second part is the fanfare from the "Credits" sequence. It reminds me of some Hollywood war movie "End Titles", but it isn't bad or ridiculous at all: smart until the final chord ! (9,5/10)
In a word, I would just say that because of its brilliant scoring, this album is really worth listening to, especially if you already know Actraiser and you remember how it sounds on your Nintendo
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
Actraiser Symphonic Suite Published by: G.M.O. Records, Alfa Records Release Date: September 21st 1991 Composed by: Yuzo Koshiro Arranged by: Yuzo Koshiro, Kaoru Wada 1 Disc, 10 Tracks Catalog: ALCA-182 |
86 |
Reviewed by: Zeugma 440
Actraiser Symphonic Suite is a very successful orchestration of the Super NES "Actraiser" game. It is quite short but very interesting, since it has great arrangements of various pieces of music (the game being divided between arcade and god-simulation, the tunes are rather different).
Here are my comments, track by track:
01: The first track of the album is the Opening fanfare of the game, which is masterfully and enthusiastically interpreted. The following part of the track is the "Sky Palace" theme, orchestrated for slow strings and brass (much more pleasant than the massive organ from the Nintendo version). In the third part comes the "Bloodpool" theme (the first arcade sequence one has to pass to save the people). This one is faster, but the orchestra keeps the beat and plays it without any flaw. (9/10)
02: This is a 20-seconds introduction of the famous "Birth of People" theme, played by pizzicato strings. Nice.
03: Maybe this track should be brisker, like an arcade track should normally be. The goal was a good scoring, and is surely reached, but I think "Fillmore" needs more speed to become as aggressive as its original version. (7/10)
04: The second Intermezzo: "Birth of People" with a harp. Nice too (could be a good startup tune for your PC
)05: Listening to track 5 is like being in the game: it starts with the beautiful and dark piece of music taken from Aitos. Then the "Descent" theme is played, as the hero enters the Demon's Lair. The third part of this track is the Star Wars-esque "Northwall" theme, an excellent and rousing action sequence (is it a Holy Knight or a Jedi Knight I'm playing with ??) (8,5/10)
06: The Third and last Intermezzo, this time with a brass section...
07: This piece of music has been very well catched by the orchestra: one can almost feel uneased and suspicious by hearing this music. The atmosphere is very calm, almost appealing, but corresponds to the very situation when one is thinking "This place is quiet, really TOO quiet to be harmless.." The second part would be more convenient for a shrine, although it is taken from the first stage of the Northwall sequence: it is very cool, soft, with harp chords in the background. (8/10)
08: At last, he whole "Birth of People" theme! The main tune from the city view is absolutely great! A good transition introduces another city tune: the wonderful "Music Gift" theme, played by real strings. Hearing this track for the first time has been a pure moment of delight for me! (10/10)
09: The classic "Demon Theme" from Actraiser. It was not my favourite tune while playing the game but I must admit that it has gained power and efficiency in this soundtrack. The dramatic atmosphere is very well rendered through the orchestration and the result is... great. (8/10)
10: The Ending Theme is really merry and beautiful, more studied than the boring strings loop from the game (thanks to instrumental variations while repeating the theme). The second part is the fanfare from the "Credits" sequence. It reminds me of some Hollywood war movie "End Titles", but it isn't bad or ridiculous at all: smart until the final chord ! (9,5/10)
In a word, I would just say that because of its brilliant scoring, this album is really worth listening to, especially if you already know Actraiser and you remember how it sounds on your Nintendo
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