Final Fantasy Music

One of the greatest parts about the FF games is the music. Uematsu's scores for these games are masterful. The music is intricate, emotional, and pleasing to listen to. Everything a score should be.

So what pieces are your favorites?

Of all the games, I think VII has the best score overall. Most notably from that, are One Winged Angel, Cid's Theme, the main theme, and the Cosmo Canyon theme. I'm especially fond of Cosmo Canyon. I love the tribal feel of it. And Great Warrior, the version that plays when you learn of Red XIII's father, Seto, is very moving.

FFIX has my next favorite overall score. In fact, it is very close to FFVII for that. The thing that I really like about FFIX is how much the score is written to seem like a movie. FFVII had some good pieces, but there were very few places where it really felt like and organic part of the game. FFIX had some really well scored scenes. Places where even though you weren't watching a cutscene, the music flowed in a way that felt like one. The best example of this is the Assault of the Silver Dragons, just as the party enters Memoria. I love that scene, and the music is a big part of that. Other great pieces include Loss of Me, Melodies of life, Immoral Melody, The Dark Messenger, the final boss music, and You're Not Alone. The You're Not Alone scene is actually one of my favorite parts of the game just to hear the song.

While FFX does not have my favorite soundtrack, it does have two songs that I'm quite fond of. To Zanarkand (the piano piece from the opening) and Someday the Dream Will End (the song that plays when you reach Zanarkand). Both songs have a very surreal and relaxing feel to them. They almost beckon you to listen. You can get lost in them. I love that.

Another random piece to include is Gilgamesh's theme. I love the parts in FFV when Gilgamesh shows up. I'm excited to get to the Big Bridge section cause I know I'll get to listen to the theme. It's a fun piece of music and I really get into it. It's not much of a villain theme, but it suits Gilgamesh perfectly. And I loved how they used it during his fights in FFXII. That was one of the best parts about that mark.

But all in all, the best single piece of FF music is, without question, The Dream Oath, the opera from FFVI. This is a full 20 minute opera composed for an SNES game. A system that can only produce generic tones for sound. And it's incredible. It's intricate. It's moving. The music is interesting down to every last note. Concidering what it is alone it's an incredible piece, but the quality of the music stands up. Especially the Aria de Mezzo Caraterre, the part that Celes performs. It's just an amazing piece of work.

So what are your favorites?