Square Enix Demaking Popular Soundtracks With 8 Bits

[Tom Goldman]

Square Enix Demaking Popular Soundtracks With 8 Bits

Square Enix is putting together an old-school chiptune album featuring music from its most popular RPGs.

Square Enix (once just Square) has always been known for its amazing game soundtracks. While the company has put together many compilations of this music using full orchestras and other methods, the latest Square Enix remix album uses the musical techniques of the NES days.

Square Enix's SQ Chips will remix songs from games such as Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy X, Secret of Mana, and Chrono Trigger in an old-school chiptune format. For those unaware, that means they'll sound like they were originally composed for the NES or the Game Boy.

The SQ Chips SQ series [http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/sq/sqchips/], which remix Square Enix songs in various ways.

Other SQ albums include Chill SQ, Love SQ, and More SQ, and they're all available on iTunes. Expect SQ Chips to be available on the service as well.

It'll be interesting to see how songs from retro Square games are made to sound even more retro. SQ Chips will be released on September 7, 2011.

Source: GamePro [http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/sq/sqchips/]

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[CM156_v1legacy]

Square Enix Demaking Popular Soundtracks With 8 Bits

Do you mean "Remaking"?

If so, this sounds cool

 

[KAPTAINmORGANnWo4life]

Square Enix Demaking Popular Soundtracks With 8 Bits

Do you mean "Remaking"?

If so, this sounds cool

They're taking Super Nintendo songs and making them sound like Nintendo Entertainment System songs.

Demaking is a portmanteau of Devolution and Remaking.

 

[Simple Bluff]

Youtubers had this idea ages ago

 

[Rad Party God]

If they sound like Commodore 64 chiptunes and not NES chiptunes, then I'm happy with it.

 

[Makon]

I've got an idea. How about they actually start releasing some of the ACTUAL soundtracks in the US? Seriously, I've wanted to grab a copy of the FFX soundtrack and such for quite some time...

 

[Ohlookit'sMatty]

This Is something I love hearing about& always goes down well with the fans but my only point I would like to bring up is does half the songs on the album really need to be from the FF series?

-M

 

[FalloutJack]

I prefer the work of The Black Mages, thank you. They turn Final Fantasy themes into brilliant rocking tunes.

 

[Bakuryukun]

Sounds pretty good, I'll have to pick it up when it comes out.

 

[oldtaku]

Squeenix Japan might as well concentrate on this and remaking their old hits for new systems (new versions of FF1-5 for NGP, anyone?) since they've completely forgotten how to make good games.

(Before anyone bitches, Level 5 is not part of Squeenix Japan)

 

[VGC USpartan VS]

I looked at the webpage for this thing for one second and decided that I must never visit it again.

Good idea though.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Aah. Now I'm stuck trying to figure out what the demo song on their website is...

Sounds... Familiar, but I can't quite place it. I guess I'll have to translate the japanese description of it then. XD

Hmm... shi/su/ko ...

ko - child

go - ?? use in compound words afternoon. a.m., midnight suggests something to do with time.

sen - line

???

ri

-> ko go sen no ?? ri

This is listed as being from a game called:

??? - Another symbol I can't find, but it is composed of signs for ear and mouth suggesting something to do with language or communication.

ken/tsurugi - ken : sword.

den/tsuta(eru) -
-> densetsu - legend

So we get

ko go sen no ?? ri (from) ?? ken den setsu 2

Since I recognise the title of the game, and the missing bit is:

sai,

That leads to sai ken den setsu 2

Or, as it's known in English, Secret of Mana. (Strictly speaking seiken densetsu 2 is Secret of Mana 1 as far as the west is concerned.)

Which explains why it sounds so familiar. XD

The japanese translates to (something) legend. Since mana isn't exactly a mainstream word, it's perhaps unsurprising my dictionary can't help me translate it all that easily.

As for the song title...

Anyone got any ideas what that song is called in English? I can't make much out of the fragments I could translate.

 

[Sticky Squid]

Hearing about the old games makes me miss Nobuo again.

 

[Erana]

Youtubers had this idea ages ago

I love good chiptune, but most Youtube 8-bit versions are just one of those two things.

I am just worried that this is going to be too much, "Lol, its like the real song, but 8-bit!" instead of giving the genre the respect it deserves.

I mean, the NES was capable of so much more than what it ever was used for:

Spoiler: Original Final Fantasy music

Spoiler: Contemporary chiptune artist

Nobuo Uematsu did great with composing melodies 'n harmonies, but the implementation of them was lackluster compared to the hardware's potential.

I'm actually a bit happy to see the original Final Fantasy on that list for this very reason; unless they were going to do something new and great with those old tunes, they wouldn't have it there, right?

...Right?

I really hope they don't just slap the original tracks on there.

 

[Defense]

Squeenix Japan might as well concentrate on this and remaking their old hits for new systems (new versions of FF1-5 for NGP, anyone?) since they've completely forgotten how to make good games.

(Before anyone bitches, Level 5 is not part of Squeenix Japan)

I think you mean Bioware, since Crisis Core exists.