Analysis #1: Stickerbrush Symphony & Corridors of Time

"STICKERBRUSH SYMPHONY"

From Donkey Kong Country 2

It may come as a surprise to the reader that one of the most popular video game soundtracks to come out of Japan during the 90's was not only composed by a single man, but an English one. David Wise carried game studio Rare's reputation on his shoulders after his success as one of the three original Country's composers. With the new, creative expansions that Country 2 took with its level designs, Wise was able to create many diverse emotional journies in what would become his magnum opus. Wise masterfully took the most simple of all keys in music, C Major, and instead of going the simple route and creating an upbeat, go-lucky theme that admitedly would've changed the overall feeling of the "Bramble Blast" level it debuts in, he somehow created one of the most mellow and catchy — and yet atmospheric and melancholy songs in the history of the genre. The marimba opening gives off a damp and wet feeling as the piece begins, which is emphasized and given life metaphorically as the synthesizers rise higher and higher in pitch. As the chords in the background become accompanied by a sythesized bass & wailing strings, it almost seems to gives a burst of determination to the player. It's as if were saying "Listen, I know you're in the middle of the journey and you're far away from what you know. But, you've made it this far. Keep going!" When the final reprise of the theme adds percussion and some finishing details, "Stickerbrush Symphony" may fully be appreciated in its entirety. Many call this one of video game music's finest offerings, and it would be a poor choice, in my book, to say otherwise.

"CORRIDORS OF TIME"

From Chrono Trigger

If I was going to supply one piece of evidence in the debate bringing the artistic integrity of video games into question, "Chrono Trigger's" introdiction 12,000 BC via "Corridors of Time" would be my trump card. Not only do I feel that the nearly-three hour soundtrack to Squaresoft's "Chrono Trigger" is the best to come out of the company's beloved catalogue, but I also hold it as the greatest video game soundtrack of all time, bar none. "Corridors of Time" displays both Mitsuda's genius as a music theorist and composer and serves as the epitome of heavy mood shifting through music in the genre. To put the song in context, heroes Crono, Marle and Lucca have just witnessed apocoloypse. Warping from time to time had led the teenaged protagonists to 2300 AD, where they made a horrifying realization; that the Destroyer of Times, Lavos, had put an end to life on Earth in 1999 AD, and that they were too late to make a change. Despite the guilt and trauma the part face now, they venture back to 12,000 BC, where they are brought to leave behind what they know of sadness, despair, and self-awareness. In the Kingdom of Zeal, all are omnipotent and have ascended far beyond those feelings. Crono and friends are lost in a strange new land of tranquility. For a while, all is well.