One of the most important factors in differentiating a good soundtrack from a terrible one is the ability for the material to remain fresh. Nothing kills a game experience like an overplayed melody that can’t help but get stuck in your head while at the same time driving you closer and closer to the edge of insanity. There is a fine line between something that is endearing (Such as the Final Fantasy Win Anthem) and one that makes you want to end it all (like the Dungeon Theme from Persona 3). While it is hard to craft enough music to round out a 50+ hour game, some games have proven that even with a relatively small number of tracks it is indeed possible to create music that doesn’t grate while remaining fresh even after a prolonged play session.

Excerpt from Chatting: Dragon Quest VIII

Dragon Quest VIII is a game that manages to accomplish this difficult feat with relative ease. Interesting compositions and amazing instrumentation made the music memorable, and most importantly tolerable to listen to over long periods of time. Being a game with a long playtime, I was surprised that no matter how long my play session lasted I was still finding new and exciting bits in the songs that made it generally enjoyable to play. Dragon Quest VIII has always been a series with excellent music, but having next-gen technology, and the space for an assortment of great sounding music really helps to enhance the experience.

Excerpt from Overture: Dragon Quest VIII

On top of the fact that it never gets old, the Dragon Quest VIII soundtrack is also really fantastic by itself. Everything about it fits within the style of the game and helps in creating the sounds that usually accompany an epic quest. The recordings are made to seem like a real orchestra is performing in the room, which adds a nice bit of ambiance to the gameplay that is often missing in many other games. While there are a lot of string arrangements, brass instruments are prominently featured. This change in the instrumentation is one that I believe allows the soundtrack to standout above so many other RPGs. Already a fantastic game in itself, for fans of both RPG’s and video game music it is a no brainer.

Excerpt from Remembrances: Dragon Quest VIII

-Eric Wall

Tags: Dragon Quest VIII, Music Monday, Square-Enix

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