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20 Dec 2021
74 - It's Elemental, My Dear Watts
02:15:04
Long ago, the two podcasts of RPGFan lived in harmony. But then, everything changed when the Rhythm Nation attacked. Actually, that's not true. Rhythm Encounter was actually around before Retro Encounter, but Janet Jackson didn't record a song called Retro Nation, did she? (Did she?)
Today we are getting elemental. Any RPG fan knows how important the elements often are in our games, whether they're core to the plot like in the Mana series, or important in battle like in the MegaTen games. We have chosen four songs for some of the classical elements — with mild influence from Avatar: The Last Airbender — then things get interesting in the second half. What elements resonate with you? Let us know.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Alana Hagues, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:03:29 - WATER - The Floating Imperial City (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of the Abyss OST 0:06:53 - EARTH - Few Paths Forbidden (Hiroki Kikuta) - Trials of Mana / Seiken Densetsu 3 OST 0:28:57 - FIRE - 96-:rip, or Cauldros' Day Theme (Hiroyuki Sawano) - Xenoblade Chronicles X OST 0:31:53 - AIR - Eternal Wind (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Rei Yamashita, YUTAKA) - FINAL FANTASY III -Four Souls- 0:56:04 - MOON - V. Moon (Norihiko Yamanuki arr. Sebastian Freij) - Seven Songs for Seventh Saga 0:58:35 - LIGHT - Flowers Blooming in the Church (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VII Remake OST 1:31:17 - DRAGON - (Reo Uratani) - Monster Hunter Generations: Ultimate OST 1:35:31 - TIME - The Tragic Prince (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night OST 2:10:46 - Alana's Bonus Track!
You don't need to couple up for this square dance, since today we talk about strategy RPG music. Strategy RPGs don't always set their battles on a square-based grid, but since there's only so many that use circles, hexagons, and other non-square shapes, we felt the name was apt. Our four panelists brought a diverse range of music from some strategic games, so there's sure to be something for everyone. You may be surprised by some selections, too! So sit back and listen to us discuss strategy RPG music and the sorrows of the common man.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Niki Fakhoori; Edited by Mark Mahler
Tracklist 0:04:00 - Desert Land (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Final Fantasy Tactics OST 0:06:42 - Allies of Fate (Noriyuki Iwadare) - Langrisser I & II OST 0:28:28 - Honki no Uso (Ver. true heart) (Vocals: Kaori Oda, Lyrics: Michiko Naruke, Composer: Noriyasu Agematsu) - Wild ARMs XF OST 0:33:03 - True Courage (Tenpei Sato, vocals by Sara Thomas & Jody Fleischer) - Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure OST 0:55:19 - Running Fire (Tenpei Sato) - Disgaea: Hour of Darkness OST 0:59:05 - Battle 1 (Atsushi Fukase and/or Tatsuya Fujiwara) - Rondo of Swords 1:21:49 - Kiss Twice (Hiroki Kikuta) - Koudelka 1:28:18 - Leif's Army, Seeking Victory - Base (from "Fire Emblem: Thracia 776") (Yuka Tsujiyoko) - Shippuujinrai Sounds of Fire Emblem from Cipher Festival 1:55:50 - Sollosi's bonus track!
In summer of 2014, Rhythm Encounter episode 18 was all about town themes. Today, a coincidentally exact 100 episodes later, we finally revisit the topic with more favorite RPG town theme music. This time around, we have games that span quite a range, from the early 90s to just last month, with four new-to-Rhythm Encounter games making their debut, like opoona and Sea of Stars. These town themes range from chill listens, exciting bops, and many things in between. All of us agreed that we all discovered something new from each other, and we hope the same is true for you! Tell us some of your favorite town themes!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel, Audra Bowling; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:07:40 - Forgotten Days (Miki Higashino) - Suikoden 0:10:56 - Sultana Dreaming (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn 0:33:56 - The Village Without Memories (Noriyuki Kamikura) - opoona 0:37:42 - Village Theme (Khrumble Dun) (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest Builders 2 0:56:38 - Black Mage Village (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IX 0:58:31 - Mabe Village (Kozue Ishikawa, arr by Dj CUTMAN, Spamtron) - MeowMeow & BowWow: A Tribute to Link's Awakening 1:11:30 - Seiran - The Blue Reflection (Hayata Takeda, Masato Nakamura) - Scarlet Nexus 1:16:05 - Port Town (Day) (Eric W. Brown, Vincent Jones) - Sea of Stars 1:38:32 - Gio's Bonus Track!
At Rhythm Encounter, we've created episodes around seasons in the past — Episode 6 was about summer, while Episode 23, Winter Warmer, was popular enough that we revisited winter in Episode 59. And yet, we've somehow never had episodes about spring or fall/autumn. Well, today we address one of those missing seasons, with four panelists and eight songs about springtime! Or rather, songs that we feel have a "spring feel," and in some cases, what some people who have never experienced "spring" imagine what its soundtrack should be. Our cast turned out to approach this fun topic from more directions than we knew going in, and it made for some great discussion about wonderful RPG music.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Gio Castillo, Audra Bowling, Tin Manuel; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:09:14 - Dawn of Mana - opening theme (Ryuichi Sakamoto) - Dawn of Mana OST 0:14:06 - Rainbow Butterfly Woods (Tomohito Nishiura) - Dark Cloud 2 OST 0:34:42 - Gazing Over the Great Plain (Yasunori Nishiki) - Octopath Traveler OST 0:38:00 - The Plain and the Sky ~Citro Plain BGM~ (Yoshino Aoki, Norikazu Miura, Masaharu Iwata, Kaori Komuro and Hiroaki Tomuno) - Suikoden Tierkreis OST 0:51:15 - A Moment of Calm (Genso Suikoden Music Team) - Suikoden V OST 0:54:18 - Spring (Wild Horseradish Jam) (ConcernedApe) - Stardew Valley OST 1:15:36 - Have You Ever Seen Me? (Nobuo Uematsu; arr. Yuichiro Goto, based on “Tozas, The Dwarves’ Village” from FFIII) - Final Fantasy Vocal Collections II “Love Will Grow” 1:18:20 - Breeze With U (Barry "Epoch" Topping) - Paradise Killer OST 1:38:51 - Tin's Bonus Track!
While our friends at Retro Encounter just wrapped a month of graphic adventures — and by extension, a month of games featuring wolves — we wanted to record a Halloween-appropriate episode. The gothic halls of Dracula's Castle are a popular spot for spooky adventure, and the Castlevania series is known for its excellent music. The Castlevania titles that RPGFan covers began with the legendary Symphony of the Night, and in many of our choices today, are scored by the talented Michiru Yamane. Join us for some vampire killing tunes, and we promise, no tricks are in store for you today; only treats.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:13:47 - Dracula's Castle (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night OST 0:15:31 - Invitation of a Crazed Moon (Yuzo Koshiro) - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin OST 0:31:10 - A Town Called Cordova (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness OST 0:35:30 - Wandering the Crystal Blue (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia OST 0:56:55 - Anti-Soul Mysteries Lab (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence OST 1:00:58 - Ebony Wings (comp. Yasuhiro Ichihashi, arr. Atsushi Sato) - Castlevania: Harmony of Despair OST (orig. Order of Ecclesia) 1:27:05 - Sollosi's Bonus Track!
Chill out with Rhythm Encounter! This is not the first time we've presented a chillout or relaxing topic—though the last time was seven years ago (!) in Episode 6: Summer Chill—but if there's one thing we could all use right about now is some damn fine coffee... er, relaxation, but coffee may also make an appearance. Who can say? Since Rhythm Encounter's return earlier this season, one of the team's most wanted topics was relaxing music. In fact, it was such a popular topic, we are doing two back-to-back episodes! Today, Mike is joined by two star members of our review team, and chats relaxing music with Alana and Jono.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Alana Hagues, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:04:11 - Chill - Town Theme [Makai Tōshi Sa・Ga (1989)] (Composed by Nobuo Uematsu; Arranged by Namiko Mori) - SQUARE ENIX Chill Out Arrangement Tracks - AROUND 80's MIX 0:08:34 - Scene VII - FFII Rebel Army's Theme (Nobuo Uematsu) - Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy 0:32:14 - Temple of the Lake (Deniz Akbulut) - CrossCode OST 0:34:40 - Riverstone Reprieve (Town Theme) (Andrew Aversa) - Tangledeep OST 0:54:03 - Sunrise in Limbo (Kevin Penkin & Jeremy Lin) - Necrobarista 0:55:42 - Godot - The Fragrance of Dark Coffee (Noriyuki Iwadare) - Gyakuten Saiban Meets Jazz 1:29:31 - Jono's Bonus Track!
Gyakuten Saiban Jazz Album ~Gyakuten Meets Jazz Soul~ Our Review VGMdb
21 Sep 2020
52 - Undertale Turns Five
01:16:15
We featured Undertale across all three parts of our Music of the Year 2015 podcast trio (see links below), but the indie darling didn't often make Rhythm Encounter appearances afterwards, so we thought it was time to change that. Because this month marks exactly 5 years since Undertale released in 2015, we knew we had little choice but to make our second comeback episode about Toby Fox's masterful soundscape. Mike, Alana, and Jo bring some of their favorite selections from not only the original Undertale soundtrack, but a sampling of some of the many stunning arrangements that have appeared in the last five years.
So get some nice cream and settle in for some choice Undertale tunes. And above all, stay determined.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Alana Hagues, Jo Padilla; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:05:10 - Once Upon A Time by Toby Fox - Undertale Soundtrack 0:06:30 - ASGORE by Laura Platt - Undertale - Fragments of a Heart 0:10:34 - Inner Monologue of a Bird Waiting on the Edge by Bonnie Bogovich - FALLEN: An Undertale Tribute 0:36:10 - His Theme by (千π (SenPi)) - Straight from the Underground 0:41:16 - MEGALOVANIA by Toby Fox - Undertale Soundtrack 0:43:51 - Waterfall by Jonas Munk Lindbo - Undertale & Chill 1:14:00 - Jo's Bonus Track
Bonus background track 1:07:24 - Quiet Winds by Damian Nguyen - FALLEN: An Undertale Tribute
Once upon a time, an RPGFan editor remarked that Chrono Cross (where’s that remaster?) smelled like a piña colada. This little side comment sparked an idea with our own Michael Sollosi about what other RPG and drink pairings might sound and taste like. Over a year later, four panelists have chosen some RPG music and drink pairings that are sure to delight.
Of course, you don’t have to drink to enjoy this music, and we obviously recommend NOT trying all 8 of these pairings in one (or even three) sittings, so if you drink at all, please drink your sidecars and warm milk responsibly.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi, Quinon O’Connor; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:06:54 - Grandport, City of Commerce (Yasunori Nishiki) - Octopath Traveler OST (pairing: Sangria Ala Felicia) 0:10:35 - Zelda's Lullaby (Milk Bar) & Hilda's Theme (Milk Bar) (Koji Kondo, Ryo Nagamatsu) - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Sound Selection (pairing: Warm Milk) 0:29:32 - Gothic Neclord (Miki Higashino) - Suikoden II OST (pairing: Bloody Mary) 0:33:46 - Draw! (Ryan Ike) - West of Loathing Original Soundtrack (pairing: A shot of bourbon) 0:53:21 - 04:42 Still Free (Danger) - Haven Original Soundtrack (pairing: Stormalong's "Red Skies at Night" cider) 0:56:30 - Crossroads (Atsushi Kitajoh) - Persona 5 OST (pairing: Sidecar) 1:17:16 - Chrysanthemum In Winter (Motoi Sakuraba) - Star Ocean: Till the End of Time OST (pairing: Bailey's Sundae) 1:20:00 - Lonely Space (Andrew Jeremy) - Coffee Talk OST (pairing: Espresso Martini) 1:47:45 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
Everything's better with the right soundtrack backing it up, whether that's studying, working, or household tasks — most notably for today's discussion, cooking! Whether our panel on this episode was channeling energy for a flavorful Spanish chicken dish or some chill tunes to prepare cozy desserts, we got to showcase the diverse range of music that each of us likes to accompany our time in the kitchen.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Audra Bowling, Tin Manuel, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Jonathan Logan
Tracklist 0:05:20 - Balamb Garden (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VIII 0:08:48 - vital signs (universa’s theme) (Milk & Bone) - Invincible Presents: Atom Eve 0:23:09 - Challenging a Queen (Tripod & Austin Wintory) - Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical 0:28:39 - 10:27 Appledew Stew (Danger) - Haven 0:48:58 - Dance of 1,000 Suns (Eric W. Brown) - Sea of Stars 0:51:16 - Crimson Valley -Night- (Daisuke Achiwa) - Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book 1:05:39 - Life at Garreg Mach Monastery - Piano Arrangement (Takeru Kanazaki, arr. PurpleSchala) - Fire Emblem Three Houses for Solo Piano 1:09:50 - Farm Boy (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Shotaro Shima) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 1:31:34 - Mike's Bonus Track!
In farming games, typically the slowest part of the year is winter. So why did we record our farming music episode when it's winter for many of our listeners? Hey, I don't have all the answers... unless it's about work/life balance and the best Stardew Valley partner. But I digress. Today's panel is only three people, but we still have a full slate of music to share from some of our favorite farming and sim games. Some are more RPG than others, but what they have in common are great lineups of music to set a mood for every season. Grab your watering can and your straw hat and let's go visit the farm!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Tin Manuel; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist Winter 0:07:38 - Quiet Winter (Dai Nakajima) - Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life 0:10:55 - Winter (Nocturne of Ice) (ConcernedApe, arr. Matthew Bridgham, perf. Augustine Mayuga Gonzales) - Stardew Valley Piano Collections
Spring 0:30:56 - Spring (Town) (Manual of Errors) - Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland 0:33:46 - Bird’s Eye Brae (Day) (Go Shiina) - Harvestella
Summer 1:00:35 - Summer Day 4 (Yugo Pratomo) - Coral Island 1:03:57 - New Life in the Desert (Claude Ruelle) - My Time at Sandrock
We're knee-deep in fall leaves in some parts of the world, though much like our spring themes episode earlier this year, what autumn (or fall) means to each of our panelists varies. Some of us chose songs based on cozy evenings with a hot drink, and some of us used our imaginations since not everyone lives in parts of the world with the typical four seasons. So enjoy eight different musical approaches to autumn, and let us know which of these sound like autumn in your part of the world!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:08:35 - 日常 (Everyday) (Ayako Minami, Makoto Asai) - DAEDALUS: The Awakening of Golden Jazz 0:14:10 - Fall (The Smell of Mushroom) (ConcernedApe, arr. by GENTLE LOVE) - Prescription for Sleep: Stardew Valley 0:31:32 - Old Familiar Scent of Iselia (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of Symphonia 0:34:18 - Thank You (Jason Chen) - Autumn’s Journey 0:45:30 - Mages In Their Chantry (Inon Zur) - Dragon Age: Origins 0:47:13 - Works and Ways Unseen (Ryan Ike) - Shadows Over Loathing 1:00:11 - Branch-Colored Past (Time) ~First Chapter - One Hundred Years Ago~ (SOLIDTUNE [Seiichi Takamoto]) - Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Century 1:02:55 - National Park (Go Ichinose) - Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver 1:18:02 - Audra's (and Jimmy's) Bonus Track!
Today we're getting cozy and seasonally appropriate as the two Mikes and Alana discuss some excellent wintery tracks. It's amazing how various instruments can come together to convey a wide variety of winter atmospheres; that and the abundance of good winter/snow themed music make this a topic worth revisiting. Get your mittens and hats ready, because we're discussing tumultuous wintery tracks as well as some more peaceful favorites! We can all enjoy them with the knowledge that listening to these songs will NOT result in having to shovel the driveway.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Alana Hagues, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Mike Salbato
It's spring, and I suppose that means wedding season is beginning soon? In any case, it's the perfect time to debut a new series of episodes here on Rhythm Encounter: VGM for life events. Especially with the increased capacity for intricate instrumental music within soundtracks, RPGs are able to convey a variety of moods, emotions, and tones throughout your adventures. This gives fans a great opportunity to be thoughtful about how to use VGM in their daily lives and for major life events. As teased above, we're starting this series with a monumental life milestone–weddings. RPG music has always held a special place for Dr. Justin Lyn, so he and his wife incorporated it throughout their special day. Today, he's here to discuss and guide us through their process for this lovely life event.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Dr. Justin Lyn
Tracklist
BLOCK 1: THE CEREMONY! 0:14:43 - Wedding Ceremony Entrances: Faraway Promise - Xenogears – Shattered Memories 0:15:42 - Terra's Theme - Distant Worlds II: more music from FINAL FANTASY 0:17:21 - Eternity - Memory of Lightwaves - Final Fantasy X-2 OST 0:25:25 - Wedding Ceremony exit - Final Fantasy IV (Distant Worlds ver.)
BLOCK 2: THE RECEPTION 0:36:18 - First Dance: Melodies of Life - Final Fantasy IX OST 0:42:22 - Terra in Black - Final Fantasy VI / OC Remix
BLOCK 3: PERIPHERALS 0:57:40 - Highlight video: Don't Think Twice - Kingdom Hearts III OST 1:02:14 - Slideshow: Simple and Clean - Kingdom Hearts OST 1:05:34 - Face my Fears - Kingdom Hearts III OST
Do we at RPGFan like Final Fantasy VII? Off course! That's why we're ready for…a reunion of tracks from across the expansive (and still growing) FFVII universe. The timing here is intentional to celebrate the fantastic music associated with FFVII as we all get ready to enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Join our panel of savvy veterans and one newcomer SOLDIER: First Class news editor as we celebrate our favorite music from this (sub-)series in all its iterations and, of course, fight against Shinra. We hope these tracks will get you ready to battle on!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Kyle Cantelon; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:07:40 - Those Who Fight (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Shiro Hamaguchi) - Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII 0:11:33 - Judgement Funkadelic (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Sean Schafianski) - MATERIA: Final Fantasy VII Remixed 0:31:49 - Crazy Motorcycle (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VII 0:35:23 - Dear to the Heart (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VII 0:54:29 - Why (Yoshihiko Nishio & Ayaka) - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII 0:58:52 - AVALANCHE (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Mega Ran) - Black Materia 1:24:56 - Bombing Mission - Infiltration (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VII Remake OST Plus 1:31:43 - Advent: One-Winged Angel (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children 2:04:01 - Mike's Bonus Track!
It's finally time to celebrate the music of the (last) year! As you know by now, a great deal of incredible games released in 2023, and with them, many notable soundtracks. Our panel today brought some of their favorite songs of 2023, featuring music from some Square Enix heavy hitters to some lovely indie titles and others in between.
As usual for Music of the Year, this episode is longer than usual, as each of us picked one more song than usual, giving us a total of 12, plus two special bonus tracks from Rhythm Encounter's co-founders. It still isn't enough to cover it all, but we packed in as much musical greatness as possible! What are some of your favorite songs and soundtracks from 2023?
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi, Patrick Gann; Edited by Jono Logan
Pat's Picks 0:05:05 - Toto’haha (Yasunori Nishiki) - Octopath Traveler II 0:08:38 - The Apotheosis (Brandon Boone) - Slay the Princess 0:11:21 - Celestial (Toby Fox Remix) (comp Ed Sheeran, arr Toby Fox) - Pokémon Scarlet & Violet - The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC
Mike Salbato's Picks 0:38:00 - Dedicated to Moonlight (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 0:43:44 - World Map (Reo Uratani) - Meg's Monster 0:45:53 - Colgera Battle (Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui) - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Bonus Track 1: Stephen Meyerink 1:11:33 - Normal Battle I (Yasunori Nishiki) - Octopath Traveler II
Michael Sollosi's Picks 1:17:30 - Preserved Realm (D’Anthoni Wooten) - Dave the Diver 1:20:56 - Ascension (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XVI 1:25:04 - Mr. Top Player (Shigeyuki Kameda) - Street Fighter 6
Hilary's Picks 1:48:14 - The Way I See (Andrew Jeremy) - Coffee Talk Episode 2 - Hibiscus and Butterfly 1:54:46 - Down by the River (Borislav Slavov) - Baldur’s Gate III 1:57:05 - Lux Tizer (Norihiko Yamanuki) - The 7th Saga Soundtrack Composer’s Edition
Bonus Track 2: Derek Heemsbergen 2:33:17 - Main Theme (Tsutomu Narita?) - Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
With eight mainline entries, six side stories, and an entire spin-off series, Yakuza/Like a Dragon has an incredible history behind it. And what’s even more incredible is the stunning quality of music that comes with each new title. Since 2005, Yakuza has been gifting us pulse-pounding boss tracks, jaw-dropping series themes, and some of the best toe-tapping karaoke songs in video game history. On this week’s episode of Rhythm Encounter, our panel will finally be taking a deep dive into the musical legacy of this incredible RPG series! (And if you ever want to get into Yakuza, check out our series primer!)
Featuring: Jono Logan, Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo; Edited by Jono Logan
Look out, you podcasters! It’s an extended ROBERT FROST REFERENCE. But at least it describes this episode.
Several games in an afternoon, And sorry I could not play them all And be one gamer, long I paused And stared one down, to start it soon Noting its lauded soundtrack’s call;
Then took the other, music less represented And having perhaps the better claim Because it’s novel and less frequently mentioned; As for inspiring podcast discourse Both are worthy, one a less familiar refrain,
This quandary before our panel lay Each panelist with the SNES catalogue in full display Oh, keep Chrono and FFVI for another day! Yet knowing how each episode has its life, We step boldly onward without looking back.
We’ll be fielding questions with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Yes, there is excellent music that is not here, and we– We’re taking the road SNES traveled by, And for this episode, that has made all the difference.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:06:13 - Title Theme (Charles Deenen) - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I 0:08:32 - Be Absentminded (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of Phantasia OST 0:29:45 - Theme of Onett (Keiichi Suzuki) - EarthBound OST 0:32:18 - Still, the Road is Full of Dangers (Yoko Shimomura) - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars OST 0:51:02 - Powell (Hiroki Kikuta) - Trials of Mana OST 0:55:13 - Underground Castle (or The Mines) (Yukihide Takekawa) - Soul Blazer OST 1:14:54 - Impregnable Defense (Masaharu Iwata) - Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen OST 1:17:16 - For the Savior (Yasunori Shiono) - Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals OST 1:42:35 - Greg's bonus track!
It's time for another composer spotlight on Rhythm Encounter, and this time we're celebrating the works of Hiroki Kikuta. Many RPG fans know his work on the Mana series — particularly Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana — but there's much more to Kikuta than many people know.
From a PSone game that never left Japan to his contributions to many indie games today, today's episode digs into the many hats Hiroki Kikuta has worn over the years. We hope you discover new facets to his work as some of us did on this episode!
If you want more composer episodes when you are done, check out episodes 108 and 61, where we spotlighted Hitoshi Sakimoto and Yoko Shimomura, respectively.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, Greg Delmage; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Fiji Block 0:08:13 - Where Angel Fear to Tread (Hiroki Kikuta, arr. Sachiko Miyano) - Trials of Mana (2020) 0:10:54 - Into the Thick of It (GENTLE LOVE) - Prescription for Sleep: Lullabies of Mana
We're back with a panel of four this time, and how else could we follow up our primer to female game composers than to discuss the inimitable Yoko Shimomura and her many contributions to RPG music? We've got Live A Live, Kingdom Hearts, Mario RPGs, and more...not to mention a large amount of Legend of Mana. Shimomura has been a force helping game music gain recognition as an art form, so join Hilary, Pat, Peter, and Greg as they delve into her legacy, performances, interpretations of her work, and her many years in the industry as well! This episode also features several notable related links below, all of which come up in the episode. Don't forget to take a peek!
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Greg Delmage, Patrick Gann, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:10:13 - MEGALOMANIA - Live A Live OST 0:11:47 - APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS Jazz Arrangement (Arr. Eijiro Nakagawa) - SQUARE ENIX JAZZ Vol. 2 0:33:39 - Colored Earth - Legend of Mana OST 0:38:05 - Arise Within You - Parasite Eve OST 0:54:30 - Sad Song - Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version 0:55:27 - Nachtflügel - Kingdom Hearts - III, II.8, Unchained χ & Union χ - Original Soundtrack 1:17:22 - Going Through the Flame ~Seiken Densetsu Legend of MANA Dragon Killer Medley~ (arr. Sachiko Miyano) - Memória! - The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura 1:23:21 - Elegie (Front Mission) (arr. Sachiko Miyano) - Memória! - The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura 1:58:18 - Bonus Track!
Between our recent milestone of 150 episodes and the start of a new year, we will have some fun changes coming to Rhythm Encounter, starting with this episode. New games and music release all the time that don't always fit with our episode themes. Starting today, we will release a "new music" episode every few months to spotlight the latest in RPG music. These episodes will typically be a shorter listen with a smaller panel, featuring 6–8 songs each. Today, Mike and Hilary highlight Metaphor: ReFantazio, Ys X: Nordics, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, and more!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Jonathan Logan
We interrupt your regularly scheduled Rhythm broadcast to bring you some exciting new music that is worth listening to with some urgency! While the transportation episode is making its journey here and the Xeno episode is leveling up to handle its high-level composers effectively, we decided to bring a selection of music that's come out over the past year, with an emphasis on more recent releases in the last few months. We're covering a wide range of game types/series, and more than one series may be making its Rhythm debut. I'll stop trying to make WRPG Radio happen, though...as important as public radio is and however tempting the semi-ironic station name is for a site that primarily covers JRPGs. Please enjoy!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:06:28 - Frog's Theme Jazz Arrangement (Yasunori Mitsuda, arr. by Ryu Kawamura) - Square Enix Jazz -Chrono Trigger- 0:10:41 - Character Theme Sample Medley (Yasunori Nishiki) - Octopath Traveler II OST 0:27:28 - Shadow Hunter (Robert Holmes, arr. Troels Pleimert) - Gabriel Knight: Synths of the Father 0:35:51 - Song of Storms and Flame (Koji Kondo, arr. by ROZEN) - Shadows of Hyrule 0:49:43 - Nemea Town (Day) (Go Shiina) - Harvestella OST 0:52:57 - Freya's Theme (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. by Super Guitar Bros.) - Gentle Video Game Guitar Covers For Relaxation 1:13:23 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
Once upon a time, the idea of going to a theater or other venue to see video game music performed live was unheard of. But as gaming grew in popularity, live performances have become more frequent, and fans have had the opportunities to hear the likes of The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy performed in various forms over the years. Add in music cons like MAGFest, and the proliferation of online concerts in the last couple years (such as last fall's Undertale Live), and there's no shortage of options to hear some of our favorite music in a new way. Today on Rhythm Encounter, our three panelists celebrate just some of these live renditions, to show the breadth of performances that are out there, waiting to be heard.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Mike Salbato, Jono Logan; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:11:12 - Guldove (Yasunori Mitsuda) - CHRONO CROSS 20th Anniversary Live Tour 2019 0:14:48 - Matoya's Cave (Nobuo Uematsu) - THE BLACK MAGES LIVE "Above the Sky" 0:39:20 - Myst Medley (Robyn Miller, Jack Wall, performed by Video Games Live) - Video Games Live Level 1 0:45:24 - Poem For Everyone's Souls (Shoji Meguro) - Persona 20th Anniversary Concert 1:11:30 - Jun'ai Juuji Houka (Love in the Crossfire) (Revo) - Bravely Default - Linked Horizon - Luxendarc Rukusendaruku Kiko - 1:16:50 - Pokémon - "Gotta Catch 'Em All" (John Siegler and John Loeffler) - Video Games Live Level 6 (Audio credit: Game Buffet on YouTube) 1:43:35 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
It's-a-us, the Rhythm Encounter crew! With the impending launch of the remaster for the beloved sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, we decided it was high time to talk about Mario's illustrious RPG career. Starting with 1996's Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and extending through the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games, the idea of a Mario-based RPG went from an unheard of collaboration between Nintendo and then-Squaresoft to multiple styles of games across several generations of consoles. And, as it turns out, incredibly talented composers are attached to every game's soundtrack. So strap on your overalls and join us for some of our favorite Mario RPG music!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Mario Garcia, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist World 1 - Dream City 0:08:53 - Dreamy Castle Rendezvous (Yoko Shimomura) - Mario & Luigi: Dream Team 0:11:25 - Rogueport (Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko) - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
World 2 - Mushroom Stomp 0:26:25 - Beware of Forest Mushrooms (Yoko Shimomura) - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 0:28:31 - Battle (Yoko Shimomura) - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
World 3 - And My Name's Birdo 0:46:42 - Enter Birdo (Yoshito Sekigawa, Shoh Murakami, Yoshiaki Kimura, Hiroki Morishita, and Fumihiro Isobe) - Paper Mario: The Origami King 0:48:39 - This is Booster Tower (Yoko Shimomura) - Super Mario RPG (Remake)
World 4 - Bowser's Castle 4 1:06:25 - Game Point (Motoi Sakuraba) - Mario Tennis (GBC) 1:08:16 - The Grand Finale (Yoko Shimomura) - Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story 1:30:34 - Mario's Bonus Track!
We interrupt the expected "Musical RPGs" episode with a quick listen to some recent music, just as we did earlier in the year with episode 101. With new Zelda and Final Fantasy XIV music that came our way in May, Mike had to share those. But there's several other notable indie projects to share too, so enjoy what we're listening to, and let us know what's been in your ears lately!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:03:10 - Set the Stage on Fire (The Stage Is Set)(Nobuo Uematsu, arr. by Zack Parrish) - Final Fantasy VIII: SeeDs of Pandora 0:07:29 - Stargazing (Andrew Jeremy) - Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly OST 0:26:24 - Water Dungeon (Maybe Toru Minegishi) - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 0:41:08 - Trading Town of Redmont (Ys III: Wanderers from Ys) (Falcom Sound Team jdk, arr. GENTLE LOVE) - Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies Volume III 1:03:55 - Mysterious Place (Deniz Akbulut, arr. by Takahiro Eguchi) - CrossCode ~ The Ultimate Arrange 1:06:55 - Golbez Theme (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. by Masayoshi Soken?) - Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.4: The Dark Throne
Part two of our handheld RPG music celebration continues — and concludes — today! Last time, we brought you some of our favorite tracks from Nintendo DS RPGs, and this time we talk about the DS' competition, the Sony PSP. The PSP was a haven for RPGs, especially considering its support of playing PSOne/PSN titles. From a surprise track by Nobuo Uematsu, beautiful vocal tracks, to the second and last Mega Man Legends title, we have a great lineup today. Let us know what some of your favorite PSP music is!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Patrick Gann, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo; Edited by Paul Dennis
Written in the Stars 0:51:02 - Crimson Star {PSP “Growlanser” OP2 (Male Version)} (Noriyasu Agematsu {Elements Garden}) - Growlanser PSP 0:54:59 - Rendezvous of the Stars - Ready to Fly - (English Version) (Chiaki Fujita {Sing Like Talking}, Additional Music by Bill King) - Summon Night 5
Extra Gurumin 1:06:26 - Sight of Silence (Falcom Sound Team jdk) - Gurumin 1:10:05 - Battle (Shinji Hosoe) - Fate/EXTRA 1:35:36 - Gio's Bonus Track!
It's hard to deny the power of NieR's music. Keiichi Okabe (and his company MONACA) created something remarkable in 2010 with the music of NieR Gestalt & Replicant. In 2017, lightning struck again with the soundtrack for NieR: Automata, a masterwork of instrumentation and emotion. There's a reason you can search for "NieR" on VGMdb and get over fifty results worth of albums. Original soundtracks, arrangements, multiple concert performances, and rare albums begin to cover the official releases. Then with people like Sean Schafianski, ROZEN + REVEN, and Ferdk, there's a wide variety of unofficial arrangements as well.
The point is, there's a reason NieR and its music is so widely celebrated, and it's high time Rhythm Encounter had a show about it. So join Mike and the RPGFan NieR megafans Alana, Zach, and Patrick for a peek into the wide and varied world of music found in the NieR series.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson, Patrick Gann; Edited by Jonathan Logan
Tracklist 0:03:53 - Kainé (Salvation) (Keiichi Okabe) - NieR OST 0:06:53 - Mourning (Keiichi Okabe) - NieR:Automata OST 0:37:07 - Repose (arranged by SEXY-SYNTHESIZER) - NieR Tribute Album -echo- 0:43:34 - Ikō (Authority) (Keiichi Okabe) - NieR Re[in]carnation 1:09:04 - Vague Hope - Cold Rain (arranged by Sean Schafianski) - CHAMBER WORKS - NieR Automata 1:12:31 - Gods Bound by Rules (arranged by Kumi Tanioka) - Piano Collections NieR Gestalt & Replicant 1:39:27 - The Sound of the End (MONACA) - NieR Music Concert Blu-ray <<The Memories of Puppets>> 1:42:50 - Orchestra: Weight of the World (Keiichi Okabe) - NieR:Automata Orchestral Arrangement Album 2:20:25 - Zach's Bonus Track!
Here at Rhythm Encounter, we have the unique opportunity to bring listeners two interview episodes in a row! No, it's not MAGFest (though we do enjoy going there when we get the opportunity). We had the chance to chat with 8-Bit Music Theory, head of the fascinating and fun YouTube channel about music theory through a video game lens. He was generous enough to share information about his new arrangement album of GameCube songs, walk us through some music theory vocabulary using some of his RPG applicable videos, and do some analysis of (relatively?) obscure RPG music that we've chosen on the spot!
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann; 8-Bit Music Theory, Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:03:02 - 8-bit discusses his new album, Let's Play 0:18:06 - Musical terminology primer 0:57:55 - 8-bit's creative process for videos 1:15:34 - On the spot analysis 1:16:16 - Furious Battle - The Final Fantasy Legend (Makai Toushi SaGa) 1:25:43 - Epic Poem to Sacred Death - Valkyrie Profile OST 1:41:23 - A Maiden's Thoughts (from Chibi-Robo!) - Let's Play
On Rhythm Encounter, we enjoy discussing games and music we love, but sometimes excellent RPG music comes from unlikely places. Our panelists' challenge this time around was to find games that generally don't make it to any "best of" lists, whether based on our personal preferences or a wider critical or player consensus. But just because a game was — or should be, in some cases — overlooked doesn't mean the music isn't worthwhile! So join us as we talk about RPGs where the music is perhaps the most redeeming part of the overall package.
Also, because we forgot to answer the "repeat appearance" title mentioned during the intro, the answer is Shadow Hearts: From the New World!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Jono Logan
Final Fantasy XIII isn't the only divisive entry in Square Enix's long-running series, but it sure evokes some passionate discussion amongst RPG fans. Love it, hate it, or in between it, the three games that follow Lightning and company's saga all have one thing that few people can refute: absolutely killer soundtracks thanks to people like Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Mitsuto Suzuki, and more. Join us as we discuss the music of the Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and generally restrain ourselves discussing the games themselves!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Wes Iliff, Audra Bowling, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:07:47 - The Promise (Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy XIII OST 0:09:16 - Blinded by Light (Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy XIII OST 0:23:26 - Fang's Theme (Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy XIII OST 0:26:54 - Dust to Dust (Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy XIII OST 0:42:04 - Plains of Eternity (Naoshi Mizuta, Joelle) - Final Fantasy XIII-2 OST 0:45:38 - Worlds Collide (David Whitaker · Naoshi Mizuta) - Final Fantasy XIII-2 OST 0:58:20 - Death Game (Mitsuto Suzuki) - Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII OST 1:03:20 - Lightning Returns (Mitsuto Suzuki) - Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII OST 1:23:28 - Mike's Bonus Track!
111 - Musical Games: From Classical Composers to Singing Pirates
02:07:00
What defines a musical game? Videogames, and RPGs especially, are known for using a musical score to enhance the experience, so what parameters really define "musical games" and make their use of music especially notable? Today, our Rhythm panel is going on a journey to look at a wide variety of music that we feel fits into this category to tease out some of those important factors that mark a truly musical game. A game probably doesn't have to take place in the mind of an ailing composer from our reality and include many facts about his life to be considered a musical game, but it also doesn't hurt. We also consider musical gameplay elements, games with musician characters, and interactive music in games.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, Wes Iliff, Jono Logan; Edited by Jono Logan
It's hard to go a few months without a remaster of a beloved RPG gracing our physical or virtual shelves, but when some of those are the quality of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series or the recent Persona 3 Reload, we aren't complaining. This age of remasters also means updated or rearranged music is part of the package, so today we're showcasing some stellar new takes on music for eight RPG remasters released in recent years.
Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo, Lucas Greene; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist Block 1 - Final Fantasy Anthology 0:06:02 - Battle on the Big Bridge (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster 0:08:32 - Aria di Mezzo Carattere {English Language Version} (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster
Block 2 - Yoko! Oh no! 0:25:09 - Agniratha, Mechonis Capital/Night (Definitive Edition ver.) (arr. Kenji Hiramatsu) - Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition 0:27:56 - Danger Aplenty on the Journey (Yoko Shimomura) - Super Mario RPG Remake
Block 3 - Samurai Secrets and Space Spectres 0:43:11 - Collisions of our Swords (arr. unknown) - Like a Dragon: Ishin! (2023) 0:47:48 - Resynthesis (Sam Hulick) - Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Block 4 - Masked Faces in Dark Places 01:02:15 - When the Moon’s Reaching Out Stars -Reload- (arr. Atsushi Kitajoh) - Persona 3 Reload 1:05:36 - Face Shrine (arr. Ryo Nakamatsu) - The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (2019) 1:28:58 - Gio’s bonus track!
Maybe you know Kumi Tanioka as a composer, arranger, or pianist, or maybe you don't know her at all! But considering her immense contributions to Final Fantasy XI and the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series over the years, you may have heard her work, regardless. Today our small panel convenes to discuss some of Tanioka's well-known work and lesser-known contributions to the music scene. Each of these songs feature her as a composer, performer, arranger, or even a combination. Kumi Tanioka is truly a multi-talented musician worth celebrating.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:05:00 - Gustaberg (Kumi Tanioka) - Final Fantasy XI OST 0:09:10 - Monster Ronde (Tanioka and Yui Morishita, piano duet!) - Piano Collections Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles 0:33:50 - Wish... (comp. by Ryuji Iuchi, arr. and piano by Kumi Tanioka, vocals by Emi Evans) - Shenmue Piano Collection 0:39:12 - Zaurak Terminal ★ (comp. by Kumi Tanioka) - Code Age Commanders OST 0:55:27 - The Girl Who Stole the Stars (Piano Duo ver) (Yasunori Mitsuda, arr. Yui Morishita) - CHRONO ORCHESTRA Arrangement BOX 1:00:23 - Dungeons of Lost Time (comp. by Kumi Tanioka) - Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: EVERY BUDDY! OST 1:27:07 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
Title screens are among the first things we see when we turn on our favourite RPGs, and they're incredibly unique to the medium of video games. So it seems criminal that we haven't had an episode devoted exclusively to them! From setting the tone to weaving a story, a title screen (and its accompanying music) can say a thousand things about the video game it precedes. On today's show, we leave the start button alone to soak in our favourite title screen songs, marrying images, nostalgia, and themes from the games to each piece. From modern classics to childhood favourites and fan favourites, there's an eclectic mix of music on offer!
Featuring: Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson, Greg Delmage, Wes Iliff; Edited by Jono Logan
112 - With Jazz in Our Hearts and Funk in Our Souls
02:00:13
It's time to get down! In this panel, the Rhythm crew has selected some favorite jazz and funk tracks in RPGs. Not styles of music that first come to mind when thinking of RPGs, and indeed, that's part of their charm and effect! How have game composers and arrangers adopted these styles while arranging or used them to build on the game itself? We consider those questions while listening to some excellent and catchy music. Join us as we add some creativity, improvisation, and fun to our RPG music intake. Even Motoi Sakuraba is getting on this, so we hope you will too and enjoy the range of songs we have for you today!
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Michael Sollosi; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:08:39 - Tifa's Theme Jazz Arrangement (Eijiro Nakagawa) - Square Enix Jazz Final Fantasy VII (also Final Fantasy VII Remake) 0:15:14 - Glass in One Hand (Satoshi Okubo) - Last Window: The Secret of Cape West 0:31:27 - HAIA (D.T.Construction) - moon 0:36:27 - Pollyanna (I Believe In You) (Keiichi Suzuki, arr. 8-Bit Big Band) - Mother series 0:57:17 - Rydia (Nobuo Uematsu arr. Sean Schafianski) - Final Fantasy IV Jazz Arrange Version 0:59:35 - A City of Another Civilization (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of Xillia OST 1:17:33 - Sophisticated Fight (Wataru Ishibashi, arr. Noriyuki Kamikura) - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC (from Sora no Kiseki Zanmai) 1:21:55 - Last Surprise (Shoji Meguro) - Persona 5 OST 1:25:48 - Be the Star!! (Chihiro Aoki) - Yakuza 5 OST 1:55:34 - Sollosi's Bonus Track!
NieR: Automata has sold over 5 million copies, and we're awaiting the release of the mobile game, NieR Re[in]carnation, and the updated version of NieR Replicant this spring. And today, Hilary and Patrick are talking NieR music and more with a very special guest, the one and only J'Nique Nicole. She joined the NieR team to lend her voice to Automata, and here she talks about that experience, performing NieR music live, all the NieR arrangement albums out there, and importantly, her recent solo song releases. We're delighted to speak with her and hope you all enjoy! No knowledge of Chaos language necessary.
Note: There are some spoilers for some side characters in both NieR titles between 23:07 and 24:38 or so.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, J'Nique Nicole; Edited by Mike Salbato
So many of our beloved RPG soundtracks are filled with great music, and often have songs named in the same dramatic flair as the games and their narratives. And then sometimes, we find great tracks in our RPGs with names like "No No I don't die Noooo!" or "Rouen 'But-dad-dead-bed'," and those are the songs we are showcasing in this episode. It's always entertaining coming across these songs when listening to music, so for this episode, our panelists all chose music we love with offbeat, weird, or otherwise amusing titles.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, Audra Bowling; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist The Fantasy of Being Tall
0:06:32 - A Sunbaked Throb (Masanori Osaki of Falcom Sound Team jdk) - Ys SEVEN
0:09:23 - Seize the Artifact For Tallness (Motoi Sakuraba) - Eternal Sonata
Shopping and Slaughter
0:24:18 - Holy Death Strike of Slaughter (ACE) - Code of Princess
0:27:49 - When We Laugh About Forgetting to Buy Something (Kazuki Yanagawa) - Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key
Modern Villains
0:46:45 - It's On Like Necronomicon (Ryan Ike) - Shadows Over Loathing
0:50:00 - Fish Force (HyperDuck SoundWorks) - Penny Arcade’s On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4
Science Fantasy
1:09:36 - So nah, so fern (comp. Hiroyuki Sawano, vocals Mika Kobayashi) - Xenoblade Chronicles X
1:14:13 - EXEC_CUTYPUMP/. (comp/arr Maiko Iuchi, vocals au) - Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
Previously on Rhythm Encounter, we have talked about some important first impressions, namely some of our favorite intro themes, and even title screen music. But what happens next is just as important: the opening hours of an RPG can really set the stage for what's to come. When thinking about our favorite games, it's fun to think back to how they began, and how well the mood and world is established through the narrative, characters, and of course, the music. Today we're sharing some of our favorite early game tunes that were instrumental (sorry not sorry) in getting us into some great games.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Patrick Gann, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:06:23 - Reminiscence (Miki Higashino) - Suikoden II 0:08:11 - Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World (Yasunori Mitsuda) - Chrono Cross 0:31:30 - City of Bells (Ken Nakagawa) - Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana~ 0:33:32 - Caravan Crossroad (Kumi Tanioka) - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles 0:57:24 - Autumn’s Rise (Deniz Akbulut) - CrossCode 1:00:14 - Garland Office (Yoshitaka Hirota) - Shadow Hearts: From the New World 1:16:50 - Unary Game (Shinji Hosoe) - 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors 1:19:04 - Pledge of Demon (Hidenori Shoji) - Yakuza 0 1:51:57 - Sollosi's Bonus Track!
Once one of the most popular genres of video games, adventure games have become much more niche in recent years. But thankfully, it’s a niche with some absolutely fantastic music!
From the mid-80s to the early 2000s, adventure games were at the forefront of narratives in interactive entertainment. In a time before RPGs embraced cinematic CGI cutscenes and voice acting, LucasArts, Sierra, and other adventure game developers were pioneering multimedia in video games, presenting audiences with expansive stories, fully-voiced casts of characters, full-motion video, and some truly memorable “moon logic puzzles.” They also created some incredible music! Join Adam, Hilary, and Jono as they move through adventure game history, highlighting some of their favorite music tracks from classics of the genre (and there might be some talk of musical theater thrown in there for good measure)!
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Jonathan Logan, Adam Luhrs; Edited by Jonathan Logan
Tracklist 0:15:48 - The Magic Meadow (Mark Seibert) - Sierra Soundtrack Collection 0:19:43 - Deep in the Caribbean… (Michael Land) - The Secret of Monkey Island 0:34:16 - Atrus' Study (Jack Wall) - Myst III: Exile Soundtrack 0:37:03 - Grim Fandango (Peter McConnell) - Grim Fandango Remastered Original Soundtrack 0:59:36 - Gyakuten Saiban 1~3 Courtroom Suite (Masakazu Sugimori, Noriyuki Iwadare) - Gyakuten Saiban 15th Anniversary Orchestra Concert 1:08:26 - Crusin’ (Jared Emerson-Johnson) - Sam & Max Save the World Soundtrack 1:48:34 - Adam’s Bonus Track!
Bonus Background Tracks 0:00:39 - Courtroom Lounge ~ Opening Prelude (English Turnabout Mix)(Masakazu Sugimori) - Professor Layton VS Gyakuten Saiban Magical Mystery Music 0:02:13 - You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Clark Gesner, Andrew Lippa) - You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Broadway Cast) 0:02:31 - Game of Life (Michael Kooman, Christopher Dimond) - Dani Girl (Demo) 0:03:14 - Overture (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice) - Jesus Christ Superstar (1970 Concept Cast) 0:03:37 - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Finn) - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005 Original Cast) 0:03:57 - Three Coins in the Fountain (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) - Forever Plaid (1990 Off-Off-Broadway Cast) 0:04:26 - Hot Stuff (Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey) - Disaster (2016 Original Broadway Cast) 0:05:13 - Overture (Work Song) (Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel) - Les Misérables (1987 Original Broadway Cast) 0:05:33 - Prologue (We Might Play All Night) (Heidi Rodewald, Stew) - Passing Strange (2008 Original Broadway Cast) 0:06:31 - Karnak’s Dream of Life (Brooke Maxwell, Jacob Richmond) - Ride the Cyclone (2021 Studio Cast)1:39:35 - Title Theme - Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Over on Random Encounter & Retro Encounter, we've talked about our favorite games of 2021, and now it's time to discuss our favorite music! Four panelists come together with an extra-large playlist today, covering a wide range of music released throughout the year.
Yes, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is here, but so is Ys IX, ENDER LILIES, Impostor Factory, and more! We hope this helps you discover some highlights that you may have missed, because there was no shortage of amazing music released during 2021. What are some of your favorites?
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:04:50 - Endwalker (Masayoshi Soken, The PRIMALS, Sam Carter) - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Single 0:07:40 - Battle - Da'at (Ryota Kozuka) - Shin Megami Tensei V OST 0:10:42 - Village Pride (TPR) - To The End of the World: Melancholy Music from Xenogears 0:28:04 - Besessenheit (comp. Masashi Hamauzu / arr. Noriyuki Kamikura) - DESTINY 8: SaGa Band Arrangement Album Vol.2 0:31:28 - Norse Wind (Falcom Sound Team jdk (Mitsuo Singa for this particular track)) - Ys IX Monstrum NOX OST 0:33:58 - Earth or Sky (Day Version) (Kan Gao) - Impostor Factory OST 0:51:23 - Deeplurker (Gareth Coker) - Ruined King: A League of Legends Story OST 0:54:06 - Follow Fi / The Spirit's Guidance (Takeshi Hama) - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD OST 0:57:12 - Everyday Life (Lena Raine) - Moonglow Bay OST 1:17:26 - Forest Kingdom (Keiichi Okabe, arr. ROZEN + REVEN) - NieR: Become as Gods 1:21:06 - Sky Temple (Yuzo Koshiro) - Actraiser Renaissance OST 1:28:13 - Harmonious (Yamato Kasai) - ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights OST 1:54:23 - Pat's Bonus Track!
The Xeno games do not make up a traditional series, with multiple sub-series and some games connected loosely and some more directly. But whether you favor Xenogears, Xenosaga, or Xenoblade, there's no denying the games' popularity in the RPG crowd. And for us on Rhythm Encounter, we have been enjoying the likes of Yasunori Mitsuda, Yuki Kajiura, Shinji Hosoe, ACE+, and many more talented composers' works in these games for nearly 25 years. So please enjoy today's Xeno-filled episode where we touch on every major game in the series (even as Mike asks where the Xenosaga: Pied Piper music is).
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Tyler Trosper, Gio Castillo, Patrick Gann; Edited by Jono Logan
Composer Masafumi Takada is likely not as well known as some VGM composers by name, but it's very likely you have at least heard of the games he has worked on, especially the Danganronpa series. It's been awhile since our last composer-centric episode—we gushed about the wonderful Kumi Tanioka in episode 79—so we knew it was time to do another. Join us on a journey of strategy, murder, digital monsters, and possibly more murder. Happy Pre-Halloween!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Patrick Gann, Neal Chandran, Gio Castillo; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:08:39 - Climax Reasoning/Closing Argument (Masafumi Takada) - Danganronpa OST 0:12:41 - Something Eroding (Masafumi Takada) - Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth OST 0:31:00 - Welcome to this Wonderful Space (Masafumi Takada) - Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth OST 0:35:38 - La fille aux cheveux de lin (Masafumi Takada and Torn) - Flower, Sun, and Rain 0:57:03 - Tomorrow to start (Masafumi Takada) - Epica Stella (Vanguard Bandits) OST 1:00:00 - HOPPER's vol.1 [Bonus Track] (Masafumi Takada) - The Silver #02 + PARADE 1:30:02 - Gio's Bonus Track!
To celebrate the new year, we put together a special episode before we return to our regularly scheduled topics, with a short episode full of music dedications. We were inspired by the idea of radio DJs who take listener calls and offer up dedications on air, so we polled the RPGFan staff, asking them for songs and written dedications to read on the episode. We both offered some of our own as well, so we hope you enjoy everyone's heartfelt messages and musical choices.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:05:31 - Wind Crest ~The Three Trails~ (Takahito Eguchi & Noriko Matsueda) - Piano Collection Final Fantasy X-2 0:10:11 - Boss Battle Theme (Shigeki Sako) - Vay 0:14:56 - Prelude (Nobuo Uematsu, cover by Patti Rudisill & Paula Bressman) - Final Fantasy series 0:23:32 - A Sailor Never Sleeps (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn 0:31:20 - My Mind (Nobuo Uematsu, cover by Sebastien Skaf) - Final Fantasy VIII 0:36:17 - New Days (Shoji Meguro) - Persona 4 0:39:59 - Land of Radiant Flowers (Revo) - Bravely Default 0:47:17 - Zelda Heineken (Main Theme) (Koji Kondo, arr. & perf. by Mattias Holmgren) - The Legend of Zelda 0:52:33 - Overworld Theme (Koji Kondo) - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Whether or not you need an introduction to Masashi Hamauzu's music, we've got something for you. From some well-known to lesser-known Final Fantasy pieces to some classic Square Enix games, our panel dug in to ensure we covered a lot of ground in Hamauzu's history as a composer and arranger. So join us as we discuss fantasies, legacies, remakes, a guy named Todd, and way too much about how we're meant to pronounce "Archylte."
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Patrick Gann, Zach Wilkerson, Greg Delmage; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:06:51 - The Star Graal - The Legend of Legacy 0:11:38 - Frenzy Under Pressure (comp. Masashi Hamauzu, perf. Benyamin Nuss, Lisa Schumann & Kana Shirao) - Masashi Hamauzu Opus 4 Piano and Chamber Music Works 0:39:23 - End of the World (comp. Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, arr. Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 0:42:16 - Jessie’s Theme - Final Fantasy VII Remake 1:03:33 - The Archylte Steppe - Final Fantasy XIII 1:07:41 - A Fleeting Dream (comp. Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy X 1:39:43 - Todfeind - SaGa Frontier 2 1:41:51 - A Dream in Flight - Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon 2:16:55 - Mike's Bonus Track!
Rhythm Encounter launched its first episode in February 2013. Nearly ten years later and after some changes in leadership and a multi-year break, we have hit a milestone with our 100th episode! We decided early last year that we wanted to celebrate this occasion by inviting back our show's founders, Stephen Meyerink and Derek Heemsbergen. Their love of music birthed a (wow, this is getting weird, but...) podcast to celebrate RPG music, and we carry on to this day based on their vision.
Since leaving RPGFan, Stephen and Derek have excelled in their careers in localization, but still love RPG music. For this special episode, our guests and I (Mike) each chose three songs from 2022 releases we loved. This episode was a blast to record, as we talk about what Stephen and Derek have been doing post-RPGFan, the origins of Rhythm Encounter, and some thoughts about where the show may go in the future.
Also, we have a ton of awesome music to listen to and discuss!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:27:56 - Fons Sapientiae (Eddie Marianukroh) - Chained Echoes OST 0:31:22 - Little Blue (Grant Graham) - Ghost Song OST 0:33:49 - First Skirmish / Open the Shard! (Falcom Sound Team jdk) - The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki OST 1:03:02 - The Dardala Company (mentioned as "ScalCap's Theme" in the show) (ACE (TOMOri Kudo, CHiCO)) - Atelier Online: Alchemist of Bressisle OST 1:07:20 - Battle 01 (Go Shiina) - Tales of Luminaria OST 1:10:34 - Triplet after Triplet (Hidenori Shoji) - Yakuza: Like a Dragon OST 1:34:41 - Heroic Struggle (Yoko Shimomura; Arr: Noriyuki Kamikura) - LIVE A LIVE HD-2D Remake OST 1:41:21 - In the Balance (Masayoshi Soken) - Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV 1:45:46 - Moebius Battle M (All parts)(Yasunori Mitsuda (PROCYON STUDIO),ACE (TOMOri Kudo, CHiCO), Kenji Hiramatsu, Manami Kiyota, Mariam Abounnasr (PROCYON STUDIO), Yutaka Kunigo) - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 2:30:41 - Derek's Bonus Track!
Tracklist 0:03:32 - Level Up - Dragon Quest 0:03:36 - Judgment Ring Hit - Shadow Hearts Covenant 0:12:32 - Wizard Eye/other spell sounds - Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven 0:12:36 - Dark Space "blip" - Illusion of Gaia 0:26:18 - Pokéball Wobble - Pokémon series 0:26:23 - Disc Sounds - PlayStation 2 0:41:30 - Start of the Search (Fumiyoshi Shimohara) - Yakuza 0 0:41:38 - Cursor Movement - Final Fantasy VII
Commuting comes in several forms, especially over the last few years. Whether you drive to work or school, take a train or bus, or simply walk, many of us have a soundtrack or playlist for our daily journeys. Whether you're pumping yourself up for the day ahead, or winding down on the ride home, what you may listen to on your commute could have as much variety as everyone's songs in today's episode! So buckle up and give it a listen - bonus points if you listen to this very episode during your commute.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Audra Bowling, Mario Garcia, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:13:01 - Traveling With Friends (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest II 0:15:37 - The Sunleth Waterscape (Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy XIII OST 0:30:58 - Be Honest (Mazorski, vocals: Yoo SuBin) - Buried Stars OST 0:34:13 - Daughter of the Dark God (Yasunori Nishiki) - Octopath Traveler OST 0:50:18 - Beyond the Journey (Mitsuo Singa, lyrics: Kyo Hifumi, vocals: Megumi Sasaka) - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III OST 0:54:59 - Locus (Masayoshi Soken) - Heavensward: Final Fantasy XIV OST 1:14:35 - Your Affection (Shoji Meguro, Atsushi Kitajo, and Ryota Kozuka) - Persona 4 OST 1:17:25 - The world doesn't change even so (Aika Ohno, Hitoshi Okamoto) - The world doesn't change even so / Aya Kamiki (428: Shibuya Scramble) 1:36:26 - Tin's Bonus Track!
I am here in the present with a podcast recorded in the not-too-distant past because we all had an urgent need to discuss SONGS FROM THE FUTURE. Not really sure what sort of fate we're trying to promote or avoid by bringing you these tunes, but rest assured this music is an enjoyable listen. We've picked a range of music, from hacking tunes to futuristic towns and gardens, to discuss what makes music and media "futuristic" and maybe get you thinking about the future in a positive way. Get your jetpacks, lasers, and extra computer monitors ready and join our stalwart panel on this (sort of) time travel journey.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Greg Delmage, Mario Garcia; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:05:55 - Access the Grid (Takeharu Ishimoto) - Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance OST 0:10:24 - A Beautiful Song (Keiichi Okabe, arr. Shotaro Seo) - NieR:Automata Original Soundtrack HACKING TRACKS 0:26:15 - Gaia's Garden (Deniz Akbulut) - CrossCode OST 0:28:25 - Silence and Motion (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VIII OST 0:50:02 - A Trail of Hope (John Paesano) - Mass Effect: Andromeda Original Score 0:52:41 - Sarif Industries (Michael McCann) - Deus Ex Human Revolution OST 1:13:03 - The Dead Sea -Tower of Geddon- (Yasunori Mitsuda) - Chrono Cross OST 1:16:10 - Robo's Theme (Yasunori Mitsuda) - Chrono Trigger Symphony Vol. 2 - The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra 1:41:23 - Mario's bonus track!
A podcast appears! Fight? Spell? Parry? Item? JAM.
The music of Dragon Quest, largely composed by the late Koichi Sugiyama, combines a classical sensibility with a flair for the dramatic, with tracks ranging from serene world map tunes to pop-inspired tracks for naming your hero. And let's not forget the timeless fanfare, one of the most recognizable themes in RPGs. Today, four intrepid would-be heroes gathered at Ruida's tavern to discuss the music of Dragon Quest, eager to celebrate the music of the first Japanese RPG series.
Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo, Mario Garcia; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist Part 1 - “Angels, Demons, and Dragons, oh my!” 0:10:02 - Light through the Leaves of Love [Symphonic] (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition 0:12:11 - Audra - Protectors of the Starry Sky (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest IX OST
Part 2 - “Do Dragons Dream of Electric Slimes?” 0:31:01 - Happy Humming (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation 0:33:47 - Battle for the Glory (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen DS OST
Part 3 - “Dragon Quest III’s Company” 0:49:13 - Adventure (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest III Symphonic Suite (2005 Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra version) 0:52:28 - Town (Night) (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest III
Part 4 - “Dragon Quest: Origins” 1:10:13 - Only Lonely Boy (Koichi Sugiyama) - Suite Dragon Quest II (1987 Tokyo Strings Ensemble version) 1:13:29 - Town of Alefgard (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest (Game Boy Color) 1:34:26 - Gio’s bonus track!
The indie RPG scene is ever expanding, and while indie RPG music makes its way into many a Rhythm Encounter episode, we wanted to make an episode just about celebrating the music from indie devs. We enjoyed it so much, we may even make this a regularly recurring topic! But, for now, come journey through a wide variety of music from some of our favorite indie games, showcasing many types of instruments, vocals, and musical stylings!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Audra Bowling, Lucas Greene, Neal Chandran; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Drama School 0:09:14 - It's Showtime! - Gilda's Theme (Aivi & Surasshu, Renko) - Ikenfell 0:10:55 - Too Dramatic (Elektrobear) - Virgo Versus the Zodiac
French Quarter 0:27:21 - Clair-Obscur (Lorien Testard feat. Alice Duport-Percier) - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 0:30:56 - Forest of Torment (Jean Yves Bassangna) - Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
Connection and Memories 0:51:43 - Echoes ~ Numina Part II Theme ~ (Manuel Schmuki) - Numina ECHOES Soundtrack 0:57:04 - To the Moon - Main Theme (Kan Gao) - To the Moon
Airborne Adventure 1:13:36 - Field of Wind (Aaron Walz) - From Another Shore Aveyond & Beyond 1:17:08 - Claret's Theme (Phil Hamilton) - Skyborn
1:36:24 - Lucas' Bonus Track!
Album links for places to buy, stream, and more are available in our post on RPGFan.
We're kicking off the new year on Rhythm Encounter with a brand-new kind of episode: Building a soundtrack from pieces of other games. We distilled our imaginary RPG down to eight core musical moments — title, overworld, town, dungeon, battle, emotional, final boss, and ending, to be specific — and pulled a song for each from eight different RPGs. While we were all prepared to justify how eight disparate tracks made sense together, the resulting "soundtrack" was more cohesive than we expected!
We hope you like this musical experiment, because we already have plans for a future sequel. Stay tuned!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Lucas Greene; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:07:45 - Title Theme: Breath of Fire IV ~Opening Animation~ (Taro Iwashiro) - Breath of Fire IV 0:09:13 - Map/Overworld Theme: Quatera Woods (Yukihiro Jindo) - Falcom Field Zanmai (originally Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim) 0:31:51 - Town Theme: Hateno Village (Yasuaki Iwata) - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 0:37:35 - Dungeon Theme: Pyramid (Yuzo Koshiro) - Actraiser Symphonic Suite 0:58:34 - Battle Theme: Battle 1 (Yasunori Shiono) - Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 1:01:32 - Sad/Emotional Theme: The Sandy Beach of Gumbo (Noriyuki Iwadare) - Grandia 1:25:52 - Final Boss Theme: On Blade’s Edge (Masayoshi Soken) - Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV 1:30:11 - Ending Theme: Journey’s End (Rich Douglas ft. Jillian Aversa) - Shadowgate (2014)
From 2001 to 2005, the Game Boy Advance was Nintendo’s golden son. The Game Boy Advance brought gameplay depth and audio quality yet-unseen in a handheld gaming device, and gave us dozens of superb RPGs to enjoy over its run of success. Today, we celebrate the indigo blue machine with nine fabulous songs from a few of the GBA’s finest RPGs.
Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage, Patrick Gann, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist Part 1 - When something’s going wrong, you must shrink it. 0:15:43 - Awake (Sotaro Tojima) - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon 0:18:04 - Minish Woods (Mitsuhiko Takano) - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Part 2 - I’m starting with the Mana in the mirror 0:37:37 - Mana Shrine / Mana Sanctuary (Kenji Ito) - Sword of Mana 0:39:45 - Within the Stars (The Elemental Stars) (Motoi Sakuraba, arr. Sam Dillard) - Golden Sun
Part 3 - Get in the tank, loser. We’re getting coffee. 1:01:59 - Boss Battle (Yoko Shimomura) - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 1:03:51 - Jess’s Theme (Yoshito Hirano) - Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Part 4 - And I’ve seen the promised Landorus-Therian. 1:27:11 - Heaven’s Gate of Darkness / Dark Gate (Minako Adachi) - Riviera: The Promised Land 1:29:07 - Elite Four (Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose and Morikazu Aoki) - Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire 1:53:50 - Patrick's Bonus Track!
As soon as we learned that the creators of the Wild ARMs and Shadow Hearts series were launching a Kickstarter for two new projects, Armed Fantasia and Penny Blood, we knew it was the perfect time to talk about the music of the teams' legacy. Also, how else would we get away with combining the music of Wild ARMs and Shadow Hearts into a single episode? So sit back and take a musical journey with us across the wild west of Filgaia, France, Japan, and more, as we enjoy the music of Michiko Naruke, Yoshitaka Hirota, and Yasunori Mitsuda.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Wes Iliff, Tyler Trosper, Audra Bowling; Edited by Jono Logan
Café music? You may be thinking this is more relaxing music, but it isn't — technically. We did do that 29 episodes ago (check out parts 1 and 2 in the links below), but this time, our panelists chose music from some of our favorite video game cafés. Sometimes that's relaxing, and sometimes it brings us music in a very different direction than we may expect. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and come hang out with us at the Emerald Café.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Mario Garcia; Edited by Jono Logan
Every year we get introduced to new games and new music. The ever-growing bounty of RPG music out there has grown quite a bit, with 2020 alone giving us amazing soundtracks like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Haven, Paradise Killer, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and more. And while we've been enjoying introducing music to people again on Rhythm Encounter since our return, we couldn't ignore the music we weren't able to feature between summer 2017 and fall 2020. Today we start rectifying that, with a selection of music released specifically during Rhythm Encounter's "Lost Years." Yes, of course NieR: Automata is here, along with a powerful lineup of other recent games. Join Mike, Mike, and Zach as we discuss these gems, and let us know which "lost" music you'd like to see in future episodes!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Mike Salbato
Hold it! For Ace Attorney fans, it was a long wait since the last mainline game in the series was released in 2016. But now, with the recent release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in July 2021, Ace Attorney looks to be getting the attention in the West that it deserves! Though the series is known for its chaotic courtroom battles, bizarre witnesses, and unique “Japanifornia” setting, many would argue that it’s the incredible music that ties everything together.
With its brilliant character themes and dramatic courtroom suites, the music of Ace Attorney brings the larger-than-life battles between defense attorneys and prosecutors to life. Join Jono, Niki, and Patrick as they delve into the tunes that make the Ace Attorney series and its characters so unforgettable! Take that!
Featuring: Jonathan Logan, Niki Fakhoori, Patrick Gann; Edited by Jonathan Logan
114 - Incomparettable: Piano Covers with Kara Comparetto
01:09:38
Have you ever wanted an inside look at what it's like to write covers from classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI, perform, and run a stream/YouTube channel? Then this episode is for you. It's another special interview episode here on Rhythm Encounter, and we're fortunate to be joined by talented pianist, streamer, and arranger Kara Comparetto! She joined us to discuss her work and performance-driven RPG music in general, from costume-making to learning the subtle differences in playing piano, pipe organ, and harpsichord (including recording yourself doing different parts of the same song to fit them together beautifully). And, of course, we have some of her tracks to listen to and discuss!
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, with special guest Kara Comparetto; Edited by Jono Logan
Links for this episode This episode's links are all about Kara. Find her on:
It's 2022 and 10-year-old Ash Ketchum has finally won a Pokémon Championship after 25 years. Don't think about the math too much, or you'll end up feeling the need to GoHome and Sleep. Instead, we recommend listening to a lineup of great Pokémon music, and today's panelists have you covered! From way back in the days of Pokémon Gold & Silver all the way to an arrangement just released for the current events in Pokémon Masters EX, we've got you covered. Gather your best team and enjoy a peek into the soundtrack of a Pokémon Trainer.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Gio Castillo, Niki Fakhoori, Patrick Gann, Mario Garcia; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:08:41 - Goldenrod City (Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, and Morikazu Aoki) - Pokémon Gold & Silver 0:10:20 - Lively Lillie! (Minako Adachi, Hitomi Sato) - Pokémon Sun & Moon 0:23:35 - In the Morning Sun (Arata Iiyoshi, Hideki Sakamoto, Keisuke Ito, Kenichi Saito, and Yoshihiro Maeda) - Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky 0:37:33 - Phenac City (Tsukasa Tawada) - Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness 0:51:12 - Lake (Go Ichinose) - Pokémon Diamond & Pearl 0:53:33 - Battle! (Lear) (Composer/Arranger: Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)) - Pokémon Masters EX 1:12:15 - Battle! Champion Iris (Hitomi Sato) - Pokémon Black 2 & White 2: Super Music Collection 1:15:39 - Decisive Battle! (N) (Arranger: Haruki Yamada (ATTIC INC.)) - Pokémon Masters EX 1:41:10 - Niki's Bonus Track!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We're getting in the spirit this spooky season with a collection of chilling tracks to help make the season memorable. Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society... er, RPGFan listeners, we have spooky soundscapes from Final Fantasy haunted libraries to the deeply unsettling worlds of Bloodborne and the Souls series. Give it a listen, if you dare! The bonus track is sure to absolutely terrify you.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Eva Padilla, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:03:49 - The Ancient Library (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy V OST 0:06:18 - Barren Corridors (Jeff Ball) - Timespinner OST 0:20:50 - The Color of Depression (Keichii Okabe) - NieR Automata OST 0:23:55 - Voices (Kei Wakakusa) - Elemental Gearbolt OST 0:38:38 - Rosencrantz (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Vagrant Story OST 0:40:30 - The Hunter (Ryan Amon) - Bloodborne OST 0:53:53 - An Empire in Ruins (Yoko Shimomura, Shota Nakama) - Final Fantasy XV OST 0:57:43 - Epitaph for Boletaria (Shunsuke Kida, arr. by RoeTaKa) - Demon's Souls OST / OC Remix 1:22:08 - Mike's Bonus Track!
Bonus background track 1:14:43 - Ink Long Dry (Masayoshi Soken) - Heavensward: Final Fantasy XIV OST
Somehow it's been four years since Rhythm Encounter's last Halloween episode, back in 2020's episode 56. Well, it's time we rectified that. A sequel to that episode and a spiritual successor to our previous episode about the works of Michiru Yamane, our panel dug into our gaming experiences to find music for the most spooky time of year. You'll find one of Pokémon's most iconic themes, and everything from old PC adventures to SNES, PS4, and more. If you need some tunes while carving pumpkins, or you're baking some Halloween treats... well, first of all, send us some. But either way, join us for a spooky good time!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Mario Garcia, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist What Lurks Beneath 0:04:34 - Forest Temple (Koji Kondo) - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 0:08:14 - The Surface of the Water (Yoko Shimomura) - Parasite Eve
Let's Have Some Fun 0:25:01 - Heart of the Idol (Robert Holmes arr. Space Quest Historian/Troels Pleimert) - Gabriel Knight: Synths of the Fathers 0:29:47 - Amusement Park (Keigo Hoashi) - NieR: Automata
Witchy Vibes 0:52:49 - Lavender Town (Junichi Masuda) - Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen 0:54:40 - Freshly Glazed Porxie (Masayoshi Soken, Nobuo Uematsu, and Daiki Ishikawa) - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
It's a handheld celebration! We had so much fun with our Game Boy Advance music episode last fall, we're back for two more handheld episodes, starting with the Nintendo DS! Nintendo's little experimental handheld made waves upon its announcement, and once the dust settled on many gimmicky titles, some great games made their way into our hearts. And as you'll hear today, some great music as well, featuring the likes of Hitoshi Sakimoto, Michiru Yamane, Yasunori Mistuda, and more. Give it a listen and come back for the next one too, where we'll be discussing PSP music!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Patrick Gann, Gio Castillo; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Legends in Obscurity 0:06:09 - Amaty, the Ancient City (Yasunori Mitsuda) - Soma Bringer 0:09:39 - Yellow Brick Road (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
A Good Mana Is Hard to Find 0:28:48 - The Guitar's Serenade (Shu Takumi, arr. Noriyuki Iwadare) - Gyakuten Saiban Tokubetsu Hōtei 2008 (Apollo Justice) 0:33:22 - Beyond the Pale Blue Sky (Kenji Ito) - Children of Mana
Darkness and Soul DS 0:51:10 - The Unknown Floor (Arrange Version) (Kenichi Arakawa) - The Dark Spire 0:54:33 - Demon Castle Pinnacle (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
I'm not gonna spend my life being a color. 1:18:07 - Scene - Blue and White [Event: Truth] (Yuzo Koshiro) - Etrian Odyssey 1:20:33 - Anville Town (Go Ichinose) - Pokémon Black & White 1:50:50 - Mike's Bonus Track!
While RPGs have no shortage of high-energy moments requiring intense strategizing, quick reflexes, or simply a box of tissues for the more emotional moments, it's important to have downtime between those to balance everything out. This episode is about "safe spaces" in RPGs, and our panelists did not always choose the kinds of song we expected of one another. We enjoyed hearing the various ways each of us wanted to represent safe spaces through a variety of musical means, and we'd love to hear your favorite music in this vein as well!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:06:31 - Maiden in Black (Shunsuke Kida) - Demon’s Souls 0:10:51 - Yohan Romantic (Spencer Bambrick) - Eternights 0:26:48 - By the Campfire (Norikazu Miura) - Suikoden Tactics 0:28:23 - Our Terms (Takafumi Imamura) - Final Fantasy XVI 0:49:20 - Brink of Time (Yasunori Mitsuda) - Chrono Trigger 0:51:44 - New Serena (Yuichi Kanatani) - Yakuza 4 1:23:30 - Song of the Ancients / Hollow Dreams (Keiichi Okabe, arr. Keigo Hoashi) - NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... 1:26:57 - Stand By Me (Ben E. King, perf. by Florence and the Machine) - Final Fantasy XV 2:00:30 - Audra's Bonus Track!
They sing, they form bands (and companies), and several of them play piano so well it will knock your socks off. And that's just what they do in addition to writing music. In this episode, Alana, Eva, and Hilary delve into the rich and unique world of game compositions from female composers. From the incomparable Yoko Shimomura to Persona guest composer/vocalist Elisha La'Verne, get ready for a wonderful journey! We hope this episode serves as a good starting point that garners them some recognition — they've been contributing since the '80s, after all — and that it inspires you to learn more about them and their work.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Alana Hagues, Eva Padilla; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:05:58 - Change Your Way (Elisha La'Verne) - Persona 2: Eternal Punishment OST 0:10:24 - U.B. (Yoko Shimomura) - Parasite Eve Original Soundtrack 0:30:23 - Mutant Species 1 (Saori Kobayashi) - Resurrection: Panzer Dragoon Saga 20th Anniversary Arrangement Soundtrack 0:33:45 - Endings and Beginnings (Yoshino Aoki) - Breath of Fire IV OST 0:49:24 - Riding (Night) -(Arranged by Manaka Kataoka) - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Original Soundtrack 0:51:12 - Starry Moonlit Night ~Arrange Version~ (Kumi Tanioka) - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles OST 1:22:02 - Alana's Bonus Track!
Almost exactly a year ago, we published a fun episode on jazz and funk RPG music. Today we are back with a spiritual sequel, talking about jazz, funk, but especially city pop. All our tracks in this episode represent one or more of these genres, but all are excellent listens. So sit back and listen to some great tunes from the likes of Shin Megami Tensei NINE, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, space casinos, jazz-loving parents, and much more!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Wind In My Hair Block 0:10:30 - Prince of the Wind (From Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes - Town) (Falcom Sound Team J.D.K., arr. Etsuko Yamakawa) - Falcom SPECIAL BOX '91 0:14:51 - Honolulu City Lights Full Spec Edition (Chihiro Aoki) - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Neon City Block 0:34:15 - Karmotrine Dream (Garoad) - VA-11 HALL-A 0:36:33 - Harajuku (Tsukasa Masuko, arr. Masaki Kurokawa and Takahiro Ogata) - Shin Megami Tensei NINE
"All this energy's got us inspired now/We couldn't stop it, just set it free and DANCE!"
That's right! Today we're taking some advice from Persona 4: Dancing All Night and getting our dance on. Spin-off dancing games aside, danceable and electronic beats have permeated RPG soundtracks for a long time, whether that's special arrangement albums or soundtracks incorporating a more modern sound to high praise. We have a good representation of that trend in our setlist today, so join our panel of makeshift DJs as we attempt to bring the house down and spread some of that infectious energy. Maybe we'll even discuss headphone protagonists and their musical powers.
Note: In the episode, we initially mentioned "Obsession" as appearing in .hack//INFECTION, but the song was composed for the .hack//SIGN anime before also appearing in the .hack//Link game.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Mario Garcia, Steph Sybydlo; Edited by Jono Logan & Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:09:14 - ASGORE (Toby Fox arr. Rob Gasser) - Undertale: Straight from the Underground 0:13:04 - A Way of Life (ATLUS Kitajoh Remix) (Atsushi Kitajoh, Shoji Meguro, Ryota Kozuka) - Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight 0:32:40 - Satisfy (Takeharu Ishimoto) - The World Ends With You 0:36:35 - Pulse: Thunder Rolls (Masayoshi Soken, remixed by Daiki Ishikawa) - Pulse: Final Fantasy XIV Remix Album 0:59:17 - TIGAR - Otto (Hayato Asano) - Blue Reflection 1:03:26 - Staggered Injection (Ekstrak) - Mass Effect 3 1:25:07 - A New Hope (Masashi Hamauzu) - Musashi Samurai Legend 1:27:43 - Obsession (Yuki Kajiura) - .hack//SIGN 1:56:32 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
Welcome to our long-awaited followup to 2014's Theme Park episode! Episode 21 of Rhythm Encounter was all about character themes, and we knew it was time to do this topic again, because there has been no shortage of characters with their own themes in RPGs since then. We've got Dragon Quest, Dragon Age, and even games without dragons in their names, like The Legend of Heroes, Deltarune, and more!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Gio Castillo, Audra Bowling, Greg Delmage; Edited by Jono Logan
We are at the beginning of "spooky season," and while this isn't (yet) our Halloween episode, October is a fine time to shine a spotlight on composer Michiru Yamane, known in our parts for her excellent work on the Castlevania and Suikoden series. That means some games you may expect, but definitely some you wouldn't, from this talented composer. So dim the lights, summon your favorite fairy companion, and get ready.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Patrick Gann; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Come See the Softer Side of... Oh 0:06:45 - Searching for a Past Hero (Flame Champion Waiting Ground BGM) (Michiru Yamane) - Suikoden III 0:09:36 - Nocturne (comp. Michiru Yamane, vo. Hekiru Shiina) - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Perplexing 3D Attacks 0:29:04 - Unknowable Geometry (Symphony Mix) (comp. Jim Guthrie, arr. Michiru Yamane) - The Scythian Steppes: Seven #Sworcery Songs Localized for Japan 0:33:06 - Reincarnation of Light and Darkness ~ Shagaru Magara (comp. Marika Suzuki, arr. Michiru Yamane) - Monster Hunter 10th Anniversary Compilation Album [Tribute]
House of Fortune 0:57:04 - House of Sacred Remains (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence 1:00:55 - Gears of Fortune (Michiru Yamane) - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Ecclesia the Elder 1:16:03 - Screen Credit (Staff Roll) (Michiru Yamane) - Elder Gate 1:19:54 - Wandering the Crystal Blue - Arranged (Michiru Yamane) - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia 1:39:34 - Pat's Bonus Track!
Retro Encounter can't be the only one making quiz show episodes. Rhythm Encounter had to get in on the action to celebrate our 150th episode milestone! Which of course means making our contestants identify songs, composers, and more across five themed rounds. Who will triumph? Feel free to play along too and see how you do! We had enough fun with this one that we don't want to wait another 150 episodes to bring it back. But for now, put your quiz show hats on (those are a thing, right?), make some guesses, and ring in 150 episodes with us!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Patrick Gann, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo; Edited by Jonathan Logan
Rounds 0:05:31 - Round 1: Better Together 0:16:45 - Round 2: This One's for the Girls 0:35:35 - Round 3: This, That, or the Other: Sakuraba Edition 0:51:50 - Round 4: Final Fantasy Arrangements 1:13:10 - Round 5: Know Your Eras 1:31:06 - Round 6: Final Question
Last month, we celebrated the music of the SNES with The Road SNES Traveled (episode 89), and today we turn our ears to Nintendo's then-competition, the SEGA Genesis! While SEGA's 16-bit console didn't have the sheer number of RPGs found on the SNES, there are plenty of gems to be found in the likes of Phantasy Star, Shining Force, and more. Come listen to some great music that Nintendidn't have.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Wes Iliff, Patrick Gann; Edited by Jono Logan
Ah, Valentine's Day. That day when a little cherub works as hard as Santa Claus, flying around the world and launching volleys of heart-tipped arrows into the buttocks of potential lovers. That's how it works, right? In this episode, our panel brings eight tracks to represent several forms of love across time (seriously, we have games represented from as far back as 1991 with Final Fantasy IV, up to 2019's Hades), including people from other worlds, dreams, or even the castle next door. So grab a loved one — whether that's a person, pet, or favorite tea — and enjoy the romance.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Alana Hagues, Audra Bowling; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:06:04 - Theme of Love (Final Fantasy IV) (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Shiro Hamaguchi, Arnie Roth, Sachiko Miyano, Naoshi Mizuta and Hiroyuki Nakayama) - Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY 0:11:26 - Crono & Marle -A Distant Promise- (Yasunori Mitsuda, arr. Aaron Manca) - EPOCH: A Tribute to Chrono Trigger 0:37:00 - Lucia's Theme (Noriyuki Iwadare and Victor Ireland, vocals by Jennifer Stigile) - Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete OST 0:43:00 - Good Riddance (Darren Korb, vocals by Ashley Barrett and Darren Korb) - Hades OST 1:03:22 - For River - Piano (Sarah & Tommy's Version) (Kan Gao) - To the Moon OST 1:06:23 - English promotional version of "Ballad of the Wind Fish" (Ryo Nagamatsu) - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) 1:25:49 - Hikari - PLANITb Remix - [Short Edit] (Utada Hikaru) - Kingdom Hearts OST 1:28:20 - 1000 Words (Orchestra Version) [Kazushige Nojima, Noriko Matsueda, and Takehito Eguchi with vocals by Jade from sweetbox] - Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission OST 2:01:50 - Audra's Bonus Track!
In preparation for April Fool's Day, someone at RPGFan suggested we finally tackle a long-standing idea: a joke episode that features only chocobo music from Final Fantasy. We loved the idea, but then a funny thing happened — a perfectly normal episode celebrating Nobuo Uematsu's iconic theme and its many, many iterations over the years. The idea was funny, but we love this little ditty too much for our praise to be anything but sincere. So gas up your chocobo with some greens and let's go!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Jono Logan, Patrick Gann, Ben Schuster; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist Origins de Chocobo 0:06:22 - Jono - Chocobo Theme (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy II 0:06:57 - Jono - Chocobo-Chocobo (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IV
Whiplash de Chocobo 0:26:14 - Pat - Crazy Chocobo (arr&perf Shootie HG) - Final Fantasy XIII-2 0:28:06 - Pat - Cinco de Chocobo (arr Shiro Hamaguchi, perf Seiji Honda) - Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII
Bop de Chocobo 0:53:31 - Mike - Mambo de Chocobo (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Yasumasa Sato, performed by the Siena Wind Orchestra) - BRA★BRA FINAL FANTASY BRASS de BRAVO 2 (and FFV) 0:56:45 - Ben - Pulse de Chocobo (Masashi Hamauzu) - Final Fantasy XIII
Chill de Chocobo 1:17:48 - Mike - Bluesy Chocobo (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Naoshi Mizuta & Masashi Kimura) - Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII 1:22:18 - Ben - Rodeo de Chocobo (Yoko Shimomura) - Final Fantasy XV
116 - U R Not (red) E: PlayStation RPG Music Favorites
01:35:29
On Rhythm Encounter, we have celebrated several consoles' RPG music, including the SNES (Episode 89), NES (Episode 73), and Genesis (Episode 92). Isn't it about time the original PlayStation got some love? It's hard to understate the tectonic shift in RPG releases in the West that began during the PSone's lifetime, and there is a treasure trove of wonderful music from RPGs released for Sony's first console. Of course, these eight tracks only scratch the surface, but they're a good start, and we will doubtlessly revisit this topic later. Be sure to let us know some of your favorite PSone songs!
Oh, and if you don't remember the uh... memorable PSone ad campaign that inspired this episode's title, you're probably lucky. But here is a link anyway. (Flashing light and poor video... and poor taste warning.)
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Wes Iliff; Edited by Jono Logan
When it comes to instrumentation, it doesn’t get more fundamental than the piano. Not only is it often the first instrument that musicians learn, but its 88-note range and ability to play both melody and accompaniment give it unmatched versatility. Piano albums of RPG soundtracks have been popular for decades, and in today’s episode, our panel is going to take a deep dive into some of our favorite songs! From the soundtracks of indie darlings to the best arrangements that Square Enix has to offer, join us in a piano lesson you’ll never forget!
Featuring Jono Logan, Kaleb Curry, Patrick Gann, Pete Leavitt: Names; Edited by Jono Logan
RPG music can be very helpful in daily life, and our panel has met today to discuss workout music. Making those gains can certainly be a journey, so Mike Salbato, Mike Sollosi, Greg, and Hilary share some picks for different types of workouts. The episode has four sections: Warm Up, Arm Day/Core Workout, Leg Day/Cardio Workout, and Cool Down. It’s a high concentration of podcast hosts to help motivate and encourage us all to stay healthy and balanced in our workouts and life. Wii Fit Trainer would be proud.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi, Greg Delmage; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist Warm Up 0:07:20 – The Witching Hour – Castlevania SotN/Overclocked University Spring Break DJ Set 0:12:17 – Gerudo Valley – Zelda 25th Anniversary Concert
Arm Day / Core Workout 0:32:05 – Battle 1 (Sean Schafianski feat. PirateCrab) – Final Fantasy Mystic Quest: Remastered Soundtrack 0:34:18 – Banquet of Massacre – SINoALICE OST
Leg Day / Cardio Workout 0:52:50 – Sunshine Coastline – Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA OST 0:55:56 – Pollyanna Bounce (The Bad Dudes) – PsychoKinetic
Cool Down 1:12:03 – River of Life – Octopath Traveler OST 1:15:31 – A Premonition of Battle (Saori Kobayashi) – Resurrection: Panzer Dragoon Saga 20th Anniversary Arrangement
105 - Chained Echoes with Composer Eddie Marianukroh
01:45:04
There is nothing quite as exciting as having a composer as a guest on Rhythm Encounter. After offering much praise for Chained Echoes and its soundtrack, we wanted to get to know up-and-comer Eddie Marianukroh, the composer of said game. In today’s episode of Rhythm Encounter, we talk to Eddie regarding his work as a composer, and ask him to share some game music that matters to him. In contrast, co-hosts Patrick Gann and Greg Delmage share two of their favorite Chained Echoes tunes and get some behind-the-scenes factoids from Eddie regarding these tracks and more!
Featuring: Patrick Gann, Greg Delmage, with special guest Eddie Marianukroh; Edited by Jono Logan
Whether or not you play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you may know that Nintendo's latest entry in its fighter series features more than a few characters from RPGs: 31 of its 82 characters are from our beloved genre, and that number grows if you want to bend the rules and include Mario characters because of games like Super Mario RPG and Mario & Luigi.
For our purposes here on Rhythm Encounter, it's also important that the Smash Bros. games contain an epic amount of music and arrangements of these RPG songs, specifically created for Smash. There's so many songs — Ultimate contains 1,068 tracks — we asked our panelists to pick arrangements from any Smash Bros. game that comes from a game we cover. The result is sure to be, well, a smashing good time.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Alana Hagues, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:10:51 - Hyrule Temple (Akito Nakatsuka, arr. Shogo Sakai) - Super Smash Bros. Melee & Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 0:13:45 - Snowman (Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka, arr. Shogo Sakai) - Super Smash Bros. Brawl & Mother Series 0:33:55 - Unfounded Revenge/Smashing Song of Praise (comp. and arr. Shogo Sakai) - Super Smash Bros. Brawl & Mother 3 0:37:47 - Route 10 - Pokémon Black / Pokémon White (GAME FREAK, arr. Yoko Shimomura) - Super Smash Bros. 3DS / Wii U & Pokémon Black & White 0:54:18 - Lament of Innocence (Michiru Yamane, arr. ACE) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate & Castlevania: Lament of Innocence 0:57:03 - Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Hiroki Morishita, arr. by Masato Coda) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate & Fire Emblem Fates 1:13:43 - Cosmo Canyon (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Yoko Shimomura) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate & Final Fantasy VII 1:16:00 - Aerith's Theme (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Keiichi Okabe) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate & Final Fantasy VII 1:40:14 - Mike's Bonus Track!
With fall (or autumn, if you prefer) around the corner for many of us, it feels like a good time for relaxing music. While we did a pair of episodes focused on relaxing RPG music about four years ago (see Episode 54 and Episode 55), this time, RPGFan's biggest lo-fi fans got together to listen and chat about lo-fi RPG music. Sometimes these are straight from games, but often they come from the incredible community of independent musicians and arrangers. We have both of these and more covered today, to put on your favorite comfy Lofi Girl merch and chill out with us.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Wes Iliff; Edited by Paul Dennis
Special Credit: Our title this episode is inspired by and in honor of Homework Radio's excellent fantasy-themed lo-fi playlists. Check 'em out!
Tracklist Square Enix & Chill 0:09:04 - Fisherman's Horizon (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. by Kilikabeats) - Final Fantasy VIII Lo-fi Cover 0:12:58 - Roman (Minstrel Mix Version) (Masashi Hamauzu, arr. Takegorou Kobayashi) - SQUARE ENIX - Mellow Minstrel Mix Vol.3 (SaGa Frontier 2)
Defying Expectations 0:31:28 - Sweetheart Latte (Andrew Jeremy) - Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly 0:36:57 - Starless Skyline (Maybe Masayoshi Soken?) - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
Game Changers 1:03:23 - Dark World (Koji Kondo, arr. Mikel) - Zelda & Chill 1:05:58 - Beneath the Mask -Rain- (Shoji Meguro, vocals Lyn) - Persona 5
Toss a Coin 1:31:48 - Day at the Academy (Yuki Ichiki, Tsukasa Saitou, Ayako Minami, Shouhei Tsuchiya, Daisuke Matsumoto) - Enchanted Arms 1:33:18 - Blood and Wine (Marcin Przybyłowicz, arr. bits & hits) - The Witcher but it's lofi beats 1:58:27 - Wes' Bonus Track!
How many Shakespeare references can Yoshi-P's team pack into a Final Fantasy XIV expansion? How many of said references will we reference today? And what angel wakes Mike Salbato? The answer to some of these questions lie within our new dedicated Final Fantasy XIV episode of Rhythm Encounter. Because the show was on hiatus during the releases of Stormblood and Shadowbringers, we have not been able to feature as much from those expansions as we'd like. Today we played catch up. Glorious, literal-music-to-the-ears catch up. For a game featuring hundreds of songs, it's hard to narrow it down to eight, but we think you'll like what our musicbringers have in store for you.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Alana Hagues, Zach Wilkerson; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:04:47 - Beyond the Wall (Masayoshi Soken) - Stormblood: Final Fantasy XIV 0:08:18 - Full Fathom Five (Ken Ito) - Shadowbringers: Final Fantasy XIV OST 0:37:25 - Crimson Sunset (Masayoshi Soken, arr. Keiko) - Piano Collections Final Fantasy XIV 0:43:06 - What Angel Wakes Me (Masayoshi Soken, arr. Takafumi Imamura) - Pulse: FINAL FANTASY XIV Remix Album 1:03:15 - Dragonsong (Nobuo Uematsu) - Heavensward: Final Fantasy XIV OST 1:08:52 - Nightbloom (Kenichi Kuroda, Masayoshi Soken) - Stormblood: Final Fantasy XIV OST 1:35:31 - To the Edge (Masayoshi Soken) - Death Unto Dawn: Final Fantasy XIV OST 1:42:57 - Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Masayoshi Soken, vocals Amanda Achen-Keenan, lyrics by Michael-Christopher Koji Fox and Natsuko Ishikawa) - Shadowbringers: Final Fantasy XIV 2:15:46 - Mike's Bonus Track!
To the dungeon with you! But don't worry, we'll be there with you. Dungeons are a staple of most RPGs, and good music can elevate the experience of any dungeon, even the dreaded sewers. Why we have never had a dungeon-specific episode before now, we couldn't tell you, so today we make up for it, featuring games dating back as far as 1988 all the way to just last month (and six other songs in between)! So come join us down here, the water's... well, murky and gross, and there's some weird thing floating over there... but the music's fine!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Peter Treizenberg; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:09:48 - Ruined Sparkling City (Yoko Shimomura) - Legend of Mana OST 0:13:10 - Rosenthorne OC Remix (Masatomo Miyamoto, Takeshi Santo, arr. The Wingless) - The Guardian Legend 0:31:34 - Steel Fortress (Mitsuo Singa) - The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie OST 0:33:53 - Geo-Front (Saki Momiyama/Falcom Sound Team jdk) - The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero OST 0:47:38 - Secrets: Leave Time for Love (Hiroki Kikuta) - Secret of Mana Genesis Arrange Album 0:50:25 - Stella Nursery (Go Shiina) - HARVESTELLA Original Soundtrack 1:12:14 - Grecliff (Masanori Hikichi, Miyoko Kobayashi, arr. by Martin Denk) - Terranigma Unofficial Soundtrack 1:15:17 - Mortal Instants (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST 1:48:48 - Audra's Bonus Track!
Once we heard some of the music in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster titles, we knew they would warrant their own episode. With Final Fantasy VI finally releasing last month, we we able to listen to the updated soundtracks to all six games, and each one is a delight. In today's episode of Rhythm Encounter, our four panelists brought songs to represent all six titles in the series. With only 8 total tracks, it was hard to pick the best ways to represent our favorites, but we did our best!
Let us know what you think and your favorite musical moment from the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Zach Wilkerson, Audra Bowling, Jono Logan; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:09:30 - Chaos Shrine (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster 0:12:12 - Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY IV (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster 0:36:23 - Home, Sweet Home (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster 0:38:55 - Celes’ Theme (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster 0:55:55 - The Crystal Tower (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster 1:00:13 - Searching for Friends (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster 1:18:20 - The Decisive Battle (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster 1:22:19 - Finale (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster 1:46:20 - Jono's Bonus Track!
To kick off what is essentially a new season of Rhythm Encounter, I enlisted proofreader and music aficionado Hilary Andreff along with musician Chris Porter to talk about one of our favorite composers, the baddest and coolest around, Yasunori Mitsuda. The result is an episode with an impressive musical range, fun discussion, and some great surprises. Listen to the episode and check out the time-stamped tracklist and related links for each album below, including links to our reviews and places to buy/stream the music.
One thing to note for fans of the show: We know that in the past we rarely kept the show to a schedule, but with a renewed focus and tighter episodes, we will be adhering to a bi-weekly schedule now, so you can enjoy this episode with confidence that the next one will be ready for you later this month! We appreciate your patience, and hope you enjoy listening to Rhythm Encounter as much as we enjoy recording them! It's good to be back.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Chris Porter; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:03:39 - Coffin Fetish/Blue Castle - Shadow Hearts Original Soundtrack 0:05:27 - Beautiful Day - Armodyne Original Soundtrack 0:17:36 - EPISODE IGNIS - The Main Theme - Final Fantasy XV OST Vol. 2 0:20:02 - To the Top-A New Beginning - Re:volvers8 Original Soundtrack (a.k.a. Revolve8) 0:35:42 - Shadow of the Lowlands - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 OST 0:38:30 - Creid - CREID Yasunori Mitsuda & Millennial Fair 1:02:55 - Bonus Track!
Bonus Background Tracks 0:00:32 - The Day the World Revived / Robo's Theme - Chrono Orchestra Arrangement Box 0:25:35 - A Lightless Journey - Final Fantasy XV OST Vol. 2 0:54:40 - October Mermaid - CREID Yasunori Mitsuda & Millennial Fair 0:56:48 - Corridors of Time / Schala's Theme - Chrono Orchestra Arrangement Box
Almost exactly a year ago, four panelists came together to build a soundtrack to an imaginary RPG out of 8 fragments of other RPGs. Today, we're doing it again, except our "Hard Mode" rules dictate that we must choose songs from our source games with different use cases. So our Town Theme could be anything except another game's town theme, and so on. What kind of RPG will we assemble this time? Find out with us!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Gio Castillo, Lucas Greene; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:16:41 - Title Theme: Hollow Charge (Chris Geehan, Dan-Byrne McCullough) - Cosmic Star Heroine 0:26:30 - Map/Overworld Theme: Vana'diel March #2 (Naoshi Mizuta) - Final Fantasy XI 0:39:33 - Town Theme: Title Screen (Tsuyoshi Tanaka) - Harvest Moon 64 0:47:29 - Battle Theme: communication breakdown (Yuki Kajiura) - Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse 0:58:03 - Dungeon Theme: One Small Step (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 1:10:20 - Sad/Emotional Theme: Bloom Outro (Mili) - ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights 1:21:16 - Final Boss Theme: Touch It - FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS Remix (Ariana Grande) - Final Fantasy Brave Exvius 1:36:02 - Ending Theme: Welcome to our Town (Motoaki Takenouchi) - Symphonic Suite Shining Force II ~ Ancient Sealing ~
We're trying something new here on Rhythm Encounter. While there is no end to the variety of RPG music out there, sometimes we spot similar song titles on different soundtracks, which gave us an idea. For this episode, each panelist chose a pairing of two (near) identical track names from different games, so we could compare and contrast each version. As we learned, this is a topic that could repeat, as there's no shortage of potential songs that fit this theme. Give it a listen and let us know what pairings you have discovered!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Audra Bowling, Gio Castillo, Tin Manuel; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:13:26 - A New World (Go Shiina) - God Eater 0:16:25 - Final Fantasy V: A New World (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Arnie Roth & Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra) - Distant Worlds VI: More Music from Final Fantasy 0:27:37 - Big Shot's Theme (Shogo Sakai) - Mother 3 0:29:22 - BIG SHOT (Toby Fox) - DELTARUNE Chapter 2 0:41:17 - End of the World (Yoko Shimomura) - Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX 0:44:28 - End of the World (Barry "Epoch" Topper) - Paradise Killer 0:56:09 - A Safe Haven (Koichi Sugiyama) - Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past 0:58:20 - Safe Haven (Yoko Shimomura) - Final Fantasy XV 1:17:15 - Mike's Bonus Tracks!
We're no strangers to game series-themed episodes on Rhythm Encounter, such as our Mario RPGs or Dragon Quest shows. Now, it's time for the Tales series! Bandai Namco's long-running series turns 30 next year, and the mainline series alone contains 17 games (or 18 depending on which ones you count). That's more than enough material to showcase on an episode, wouldn't you say? Join our panel as we talk about the oldest, newest, and several Tales games in between, and listen to music by the venerable Motoi Sakuraba and company.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Wes Iliff, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Tales of Strings 0:09:30 - Risk It All (Takao Ogi) - Tales of Crestoria 0:12:35 - Flame of Hope (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of Arise
Tales of Battle 0:30:09 - Fighting of the Spirit Remix (Motoi Sakuraba, arr. S.S.H) - Tales of Phantasia 0:34:17 - The Arrow was Shot (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of the Abyss
Tales of Resolve 0:55:12 - White Light (comp. Koichi Tsutaya, Shiho Ochi, perf. Superfly) - Tales of Zestiria 0:57:21 - Theme of Velvet (Motoi Sakuraba) - Tales of Berseria
Tales of Forest 1:14:09 - Mystic Forest (Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura) - Tales of Phantasia 1:16:59 - Sunlight Filtering through the Trees (Go Shiina) - Tales of Legendia 1:53:16 - Wes' Bonus Track!
As the summer heat goes on for many of us, what's a better way to chill out than with a cold drink? A cold drink AND an episode of Rhythm Encounter packed full of summer-y tropical music! Today we sail the seas, spend time in port, and visit an oasis, island, and even an archipelago, with music spanning several generations of RPGs. Crack open a coconut and have a listen!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Stephanie Sybydlo, Peter Triezenberg, Greg Delmage; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:05:17 - Peter - Oho Oasis (Yoko Shimomura) - Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions OST 0:06:26 - Mike - Summer (The Sun Can Bend An Orange Sky) (ConcernedApe) - Stardew Valley OST 0:28:00 - Greg - Veniccio (Tomohito Nishiura) - Dark Cloud 2 OST 0:29:16 - Steph - Ligou Isle From A Window (Kenji Ito) - Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song OST 0:45:50 - Steph - Seaport City of Ruan (Falcom Sound Team jdk) - The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky OST 0:47:49 - Greg - Apojii Archipelago (Motoi Sakuraba) - Golden Sun: The Lost Age OST 1:04:45 - Mike - Ocean World Map (Yoshio Hirai) - StarTropics 1:07:39 - Peter - Besaid Island: Narukami Chillhop Remix (originally by Masashi Hamauzu) - Narukami Music 1:35:27 - Peter's Bonus Track!
If you know your RPGFan history very well, you'll know that when we started in 1997, we started under the name of LunarNET. While we didn't exclusively cover Lunar, the love of this series and Grandia (also from Game Arts) was essential to our founding. Since the SegaCD version of Lunar: The Silver Star just celebrated its 30th anniversary on June 26th, 2022, we decided it was the perfect time to dedicate an episode to Noriyuki Iwadare's timeless work on the series.
While Lunar is admittedly a small series with only two main games and a pair of spin-offs, the two main games have been remade — multiple times in the case of The Silver Star. Each version brought with it new musical arrangements, so don't let the smallness of the series fool you — there is a lot of wonderful music to experience!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Patrick Gann, Zach Wilkerson, Scott Clay; Edited by Jono Logan
When it comes to Final Fantasy music, for every "One-Winged Angel," there are a dozen lesser-known songs in a given game that don't always get their deserved time in the spotlight. Today's panel came loaded with eight songs they feel are overlooked, underrepresented, and, yes, underrated from across the Final Fantasy series. So take a seat, Sephiroth, today we're going to hear from Relm, Jecht, and some good avian friends.
Note: One of us made a mistake when discussing a song in the third block, but please continue listening before writing in, as we figured out the issue during the song break! Apologies for any confusion there, but enjoy the music nonetheless.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Tin Manuel, Lucas Greene, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:09:38 - The Selkie Guild (Hidenori Iwasaki & Ryo Yamazaki) - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers 0:12:03 - Galdin Quay (Yoko Shimomura) - Final Fantasy XV 0:27:42 - Damcyan Castle (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Yuko Komiyama) - Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster 0:30:17 - Horror of the Abyss (Takeharu Ishimoto) - Final Fantasy Type-0 0:48:26 - Coin Song (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Shiro Sagisu) - Final Fantasy VI Piano Collections 0:53:08 - God's Cradle (JP: Kami no Yurikago), Relm’s Theme (Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Risa Ohki) - Final Fantasy Vocal Collections II “Love Will Grow” 1:16:54 - On Our Fates Alight (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers 1:20:50 - Otherworld (Bill Xtillidiex Muir, Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy X 1:51:51 - Jimmy's Bonus Track!
Whether you know him from his legendary work on Final Fantasy Tactics or elsewhere, odds are you at least know composer Hitoshi Sakimoto's name. And while he often gets talked about for his work in those Ivalice titles like FFT, Final Fantasy XII, and Vagrant Story, Sakimoto has worked on a fascinating variety of game soundtracks, dating back to 1988!
As fascinating as it is that he worked on music for Radiant Silvergun and Gradius V, today we are, of course, discussing Sakimoto's music in RPGs, including four new-to-Rhythm Encounter game debuts. There are sure to be some surprises, but there's only one way to know for sure — find out!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Greg Delmage; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist & Order 0:16:05 - Brand Logo ~ Title Back (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Final Fantasy Tactics OST 0:17:12 - Dawn on Leá Monde - Vagrant Story (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Vagrant Story OST 0:36:56 - Revolt (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber OST 0:40:10 - Limitation (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together OST 1:06:37 - A World Where Magic Never Was (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Crimson Shroud OST 1:09:15 - The Middle Layer Area (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter OST 1:34:55 - The Ones Who Obtain Tomorrow (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - Legaia 2: Duel Saga OST 1:37:21 - Brat Overflow -Branched- (Hitoshi Sakimoto) - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Remix & Arrange Album -The Branched- 2:03:50 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
Avast, ye scurvy dogs! This here episode of Rhythm Encounter be now the property of RPG Pirates. (Note: episode actually contains only a minimal amount of pirate speak.) Join the crew with Captain Hilary, Audra "Quick Draw" Bowling, "Gemstone" Jim Turner, and Kyle "Feat of Strength" Cantelon as they plunder the very best of RPG pirate themes from across the vast sea of game music within our coverage. There are pirate tunes for every mood, so listen now or prepare to say hello to the briny depths.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Audra Bowling, Kyle Cantelon, Jimmy Turner; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:04:19 - Prismelody: Pirates Ahoy (comp. Nobuo Uematsu, arr. Shingo Kataoka) - World of Final Fantasy 0:05:57 - The Sea and Her Love (Justin E. Bell) - Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire 0:17:46 - Sailing (Masahiko Kimura) - Suikoden IV 0:19:03 - Blue Sky Pirates' Ship (~Nasrad, ~Ixa'taka, ~Valua) (Yutaka Minobe) - Skies of Arcadia 0:30:53 - The Queen's High Seas- Beast's Theme (Borislov Slavov) - Divinity: Original Sin II 0:33:24 - Tavern Music (Inon Zur) - Dragon Age II 0:45:52 - Monkey Island Main Theme (Michael Land, arr. Banjo Guy Ollie) - The Secret of Monkey Island 0:48:00 - Cap’n Orla’s Swashbucklers - Oh, We Be Pirates (Noriyuki Iwadare) - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies 1:12:19 - Everyone's Bonus Track!
There are countless reasons we play and love RPGs, and often those that become our favorites have powerful stories and characters. But pitting your party against often overwhelming odds requires inspirational music for the optimal effect. In this episode we share both music and RPGs that have inspired US in turn, whether it's through bombastic battle music or lively energy. What RPG soundtracks inspire you? Let us know!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Lucas Greene, Tin Manuel, Rob White; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist Familiar Territory 0:05:52 - Weight of the World - Prelude Version (Keiichi Okabe, Nobuo Uematsu) - Death Unto Dawn: Final Fantasy XIV (Shadowbringers) 0:08:23 - Color Your Night (comp. Atsushi Kitajo, lyrics by Lotus Juice) - Persona 3 Reload
Soldiers (but not SOLDIERS) and SEEDs 0:27:45 - The Landing (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VIII 0:32:18 - Revolt / Thunder (Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata) - Tactics Ogre: Reborn
Stellar Days 0:53:46 - The Song of the Sirens (Mothervibes) - Stellar Blade 0:57:47 - Halcyon Days -Branched- (Yoshimi Kudo) - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Remix and Arrange Album -The Branched-
Like a Boss 1:20:22 - Tumult - Raise Thy Sword in Pride (Yuzo Koshiro) - Etrian Odyssey III HD 1:22:00 - Hopes and Dreams (Toby Fox) - Undertale 1:49:32 - Rob's Bonus Track!
Welcome to a podcast between dreams and reality, mind and matter...
Okay, so it's not the Velvet Room, but it's a dedicated episode of Rhythm Encounter to celebrate it and the far-reaching and varied music in the Persona series. Join Gio of the Justice Arcana, Neal of the Death Arcana, Sollosi of the Hierophant/Hermit Arcana, and Hilary of the Strength/Fortune arcana on a journey from the first Persona game to the latest in the series and beyond to the spinoffs. We've had some Persona music on the podcast before, but there's so much more to reveal. Listen in for tracks both iconic and surprising. And Lotus Juice. Never forget Lotus Juice.
Featuring: Hilary Andreff, Michael Sollosi, Gio Castillo, Neal Chandran; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:17:12 - School Infirmary (Former Dungeon ~ Saeko-Sensei) (Hidehito Aoki, Kenichi Tsuchiya, Misaki Okibe and Shoji Meguro) - Persona OST 0:20:14 - Mt. Katatsumuri (Toshiko Tasaki, Kenichi Tsuchiya, and Masaki Kurokawa) - Persona 2: Innocent Sin OST 0:39:09 - Memories of You (Shoji Meguro feat. Yumi Kawamura) - Persona 3 OST 0:45:06 - Time (Shoji Meguro, Mayumi Fujita, Reiko Tanaka) - Persona 3 Portable OST 1:03:44 - Pursuing My True Self (Shoji Meguro feat. Shihoko Hirata) - Persona 4 OST 1:06:47 - Princess Amagi (Traditional Taste Mix) (Atsushi Kitajoh and Toshiki Konishi) - Persona 4 Arena Original Arrange Soundtrack 1:30:47 - No More What Ifs (Shoji Meguro, Lyn, Lotus Juice) - Persona 5 Royal OST 1:34:45 - Pull the Trigger (Atsushi Kitajoh, feat. Mayumi Fujita and Lotus Juice) - Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth OST 2:00:33 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
151 - Slay the Princess with Composer Brandon Boone
01:33:41
WARNING: This episode contains major spoilers for Slay the Princess, so listen at your own risk if you have not yet played the game!
Every now and again at Rhythm Encounter, we have the chance to bring on a special musical guest. For today’s episode, RPGFan Music editor Patrick Gann sits down with Brandon Boone, composer for the indie visual novel hit Slay the Princess. The interview includes Brandon’s insights and reflections on the process of building the game’s score from the ground up, then expanding the soundtrack for its newer form, The Pristine Cut. Brandon also provides some interesting background information on how he got his start in music, his ties to studio Black Tabby Games (Abby Howard & Tony Howard-Arias), and his recent win at the World Soundtrack Awards!
Featuring: Patrick Gann, Brandon Boone, Mike Salbato; Edited by Jonathan Logan
Tracklist 0:24:13 - The Princess (Brandon Boone) - Slay the Princess Original Soundtrack 0:40:44 - The Shifting Mound Movement V (Live) (Brandon Boone) - Slay the Princess Live 1:23:26 - Brandon’s Bonus Track! House of Woodcock (Johnny Greenwood) - Phantom Thread Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
In this special surprise episode of Rhythm Encounter, we are joined by musician and actor Joe Zieja! RPG fans may know Joe from a multitude of roles, especially for his work in Fire Emblem: Three Houses as Claude, leader of the Golden Deer house. Recently, we posted an article about Joe's musical Kickstarter project, in which he plans to reimagine a portion of the Three Houses soundtrack in saxophone quartet fashion. Oh, and he is playing all four saxophones.
We invited Joe on the show to dish on the campaign, and we talked about his life as a musician, actor, and writer, to sandwiches, Transformers, the military... well, let's just say we had a lot to talk about!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Stephanie Sybydlo, Niki Fakhoori as Niki Fakhoori, Niki Fakhoori as Quinton O'Connor, with special guest Joe Zieja; Edited by Mike Salbato
We're just here to vibe...again. There's so much good relaxing music within our favorite genre that we needed two episodes to cover it. We delve into a nice assortment here (from 16-bit to recent releases) and discuss how these relaxing picks fit into their in-game settings, whether it's a nice underwater atmosphere or around a campfire. Relax and be well, listeners, but also remember that ambiance is important.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:03:55 - Slumber in Stillness (Ryan Roth & Halina Heron) - Moon Hunters OST 0:05:33 - Gardens and Ruins (Darren Malley) - Mythic Ocean OST 0:19:50 - Hepatica (KOS-MOS) (Yuki Kajiura) - Xenosaga Episode III Original Sound Best Tracks 0:24:55 - In the Earthen Womb (Yasuhiro Kawasaki) - Illusion of Gaia 0:44:11 - Calming Drizzle (Andrew Jeremy) - Coffee Talk Official Soundtracks! 0:49:30 - Crystalline Chill (Yoko Shimomura/Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy XV OST 1:10:45 - Hilary's Bonus Track!
Bonus background tracks 1:05:29 - Daguerreo, The Hermit's Library (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IX OST 1:07:00 - Across the Ages (Zach Parrish) - Sakura Fantasy OST
Note: An official soundtrack was never released for Illusion of Gaia. In addition, the Xenosaga Episode III soundtrack is out of print.
18 Nov 2020
57 - Final Fantasy IX-20
01:12:37
Final Fantasy IX saw the light of day in North America almost exactly twenty years ago today. It was on November 13, 2000 that the crystals returned, and Final Fantasy took a reprieve from the realism and sci-fi or steampunk overtones to harken back to castles, kingdoms, and big heads. Since FFIX has somehow only lightly featured on Rhythm Encounter in the past, this anniversary was the perfect time to celebrate Nobuo Uematsu's extensive soundtrack(s) for the adventures of Zidane, Garnet, and company.
Featuring: Eva Padilla, Greg Delmage, Mike Salbato; Edited by Mike Salbato
Tracklist 0:03:15 - Behind the Door (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IX OST 0:05:14 - Ukelele de Chocobo (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IX OST 0:22:06 - Rose of May (Erutan) - A Bard's Side Quest 0:26:36 - Freya's Theme (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IX OST 0:43:55 - Vamo alla Django: Vamo alla Flamenco Overclocked Remix (Andy Pearce, Cain McCormack and Dan Bryant) - OC Remix / Final Fantasy IX: Worlds Apart 0:46:51 - Melodies of Life - Piano Collections: Final Fantasy IX 1:09:15 - Greg's Bonus Track!
Bonus background tracks 0:29:42 - Roses of May - Final Fantasy IX OST 1:03:25 - Not Alone - Final Fantasy IX OST
Marty, we've got to go back! Back to the... past. That didn't work. But on this episode of Rhythm Encounter, we're doing a console-specific episode, for the first time since Episode 1 (which debuted way back in February 2013). The Nintendo Entertainment System wasn't the first game platform, but its impact on the gaming landscape can't be understated. Plus, for many of us of a certain age, it was likely the console that really got us into gaming — if not RPGs specifically — thanks to the debut of both Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, among others. And that's why the NES was the perfect place to visit next for a console episode.
We hope you enjoy listening, and if you have thoughts on a console you'd like us to cover in the future, please drop us a line!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Michael Sollosi, Jono Logan; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist 0:11:29 - Overworld (Akito Nakatsuka) - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 0:13:09 - Snowy Fields (Masatomo Miyamoto) - The Guardian Legend 0:33:08 - Warriors of Sorrow (Akio Dobashi) - Lagrange Point 0:35:11 - The Boys are Still Back (Dave's Theme) (David Hayes) - Maniac Mansion (NES Version) 0:56:40 - Theme of Xemn (Yuzo Koshiro) - Legacy of the Wizard, NES Version [Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family (JP)] 0:58:38 - Priestess Aria (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy III (Pixel Remaster) 1:33:48 - Sollosi's Bonus Track!
RPGs can offer a surprising variety of stories, which are definitely reflected in their opening and ending sequences and, of course, the memorable music to go along with them! What makes a good overture and why is it good to have high standards about them? How do you reflect the end of a complex and sweeping tale like Xenosaga musically? Our panel this week has framed their own little RPG story segments by each picking an opening and ending theme. Will we be able to handle the epic riffs and rampant sentimentality? Find that out, along with our favorite selections and more in this episode of Rhythm Encounter.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Hilary Andreff, Patrick Gann, Peter Triezenberg; Edited by Jonathan Logan
We all know those big moments in RPGs. A place, a scene, or a pivotal battle that really makes the game and solidifies it in your memory. The scoring in those moments isn't always what makes it work, but it often plays a crucial role. In many cases, the music really does make the moment, if not the game. Today we are talking about songs that carry that burden of really defining the RPG they're in, making the whole experience better by just being there.
We've been wanting to do this topic for over four years, and there's certainly more music that fits the bill than we had time for, but we are thrilled to talk about these eight songs. Be sure to get in touch with us and let us know some of your game-defining music!
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Zach Wilkerson, Wes Iliff, Stephanie Sybydlo; Edited by Paul Dennis
Tracklist 0:05:54 - Transcending Love (HIMEKAMI) - Suikoden III 0:08:59 - Dynamis (Masayoshi Soken) - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 0:26:56 - Theme of Grandia (Noriyuki Iwadare) - Grandia 0:31:32 - Arc the Lad Theme (Masahiro Andoh) - Arc the Lad 0:48:09 - Star Ocean Forever - Jazz Ver. (Motoi Sakuraba) - Star Ocean: Till The End of Time 0:55:15 - Battle 3 (Yasunori Shiono) - Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 1:14:33 - Weight of the World / The End of YoRHa (Keichii Okabe) - NieR: Automata 1:20:02 - Carrying the Weight of Life (Kenji Hiramatsu & Yasunori Mitsuda) - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 1:49:26 - Wes' bonus track!
Released in 2015, episode 27 of Rhythm Encounter was all about RPG transportation themes, like chocobos, airships, mechas, and boats. Because of the variety of creative vehicles and travel in our favorite genre — and because it's been nearly eight years — it's high time for another take on this topic. Hop in your spaceship, sentient boat, or tour bus, and join our four-person panel on this journey!
Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Audra Bowling, Mario Garcia, Greg Delmage; Edited by Jono Logan
Tracklist Part 1 - “Take Me Home, Country Roads” 0:03:19 - Nekaroo Races (Cedric Menendez) - Edge of Eternity OST Vol. II 0:05:46 - Land of Blue Skies (Takahiro Unisuga) - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel OST
Part 2 - “Leaving on a Jet Plane” 0:24:33 - Aboard the Hilda Garde (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy IX OST 0:28:38 - Fight or Flight (1999 AD) (Yasunori Mitsuda, arr. by Wiesty, The OC Jazz Collective) - Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger
Part 3 - “On the Good Ship Lollipop” 0:47:05 - Ocean (Koji Kondo, Toru Minegishi, Hajime Wakai, and Kenta Nagata) - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker OST 0:49:45 - Departing for Death (Natsumi Kameoka) - God Eater 3 Soundtrack
Part 4 - “Groove is in the Heart” 1:10:30 - Get on the Bus! (Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka) - EarthBound OST 1:12:06 - Flight into the Unknown (Hiroki Kikuta, arr. by Jorito feat. Sagnewshreds) - Bits & Bops Vol. 1 (Secret of Mana) 1:33:07 - Audra’s bonus track!
Bravely Default and Bravely Second are two 3DS throwback RPGs from Square Enix, with a new 2021 entry for the Switch in Bravely Default II. To celebrate the Bravely series and its excellent soundtracks, Rhythm Encounter assembled a panel of three Revo-and-Ryo superfans to discuss this preeminent pair of RPG musical scores, from sea shanties in the sky to live rock opera concerts to sea shanties in the sky to live rock opera concerts to...
Featuring: Michael Sollosi, Kaleb Curry, Jonathan Logan; Edited by Micah Coates
Tracklist: 1st Movement - We’re on a Boat 0:08:11 - Ship Soaring Through the Heavens - Bravely Default: Flying Fairy OST 0:11:04 - The Grand Ship (Sea Shanty) - Bravely Second: End Layer OST
2nd Movement - Lovers and Fighters 0:30:15 - That Person’s Name Is - Bravely Default: Flying Fairy OST 0:35:52 - Theme of Altair and Vega - Bravely Second: End Layer OST
3rd Movement - Wake Me Up Before You Kikou 0:53:44 - You Are My Hope [Vocalized Version] - Luxendarc Kikou / Linked Horizon 0:58:58 - Prayer of the Vestal [String Quartet Version] - Luxendarc Daikikou / Linked Horizon 1:24:08 - Sollosi's Bonus Track!
Album Links: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy Original Soundtrack
We all have origin stories about how we got into RPGs (several of us shared them almost six years ago in this feature!), so today our panel discusses music origins — what RPGs attuned us to the RPG music scene or otherwise elevated our senses and made us take notice. For some of us, this dates back to the days of the NES, and sometimes our awakening happened during the days of the GameCube. Whenever these songs hail from, they each hold a special place in our hearts.
Featuring: Mike Salbato, Wes Iliff, Gio Castillo, Rob White; Edited by Paul Dennis
Warm Beginnings 0:05:01 - Diddle's Organ (Yoko Shimomura) - Legend of Mana 0:05:53 - Godot - The Fragrance of Darkness; That is Coffee (Noriyuki Iwadare) - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials & Tribulations
16-Bit Vibes 0:25:35 - Kids Run Through the City (FFPR ver.) (Nobuo Uematsu) - Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster 0:28:11 - Frog's Theme (Yasunori Mitsuda) - Chrono Trigger
Round 3: Fight! 0:44:50 - Colosseum Round 3 (Tsukasa Tawada) - Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness 0:49:05 - Battlefield Without Light -War Theme 2- (Miki Higashino) - Suikoden II
Iconic Themes 1:11:11 - Tantagel Castle (Koichi Sugiyama) - Symphonic Suite Dragon Quest I 1:14:31 - Fear of the Heavens (Hiroki Kikuta) - Secret of Mana 1:46:22 - Gio's Bonus Track!
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