When looking back at old video game soundtracks it is often important to put into context what else was happening at the time when the game was released. For this week when looking at Lufia and the Fortress of Doom’s contemporaries we can see that Final Fantasy IV had already been out in the United States for over 2 years, and Secret of Mana had been out for 2 months previous to it’s release. Both of these games had fantastic soundtracks, especially when looking at the type and variety of music and sounds that had been created for Secret of Mana.

While Lufia really couldn’t live up to either of these games in terms of overall quality, the soundtrack was truly top notch. It didn’t quite have the polish of the Square RPG’s of the time, but it created an almost pseudo-retro refinement of the 8 bit sound that truly makes it stand out in my mind. Having simple melodies is nothing to be ashamed of as it created a niche all it’s own and built off of it for the subsequent entries in the series.

Tower from ‘Lufia & The Tower of Doom’

The composer of all of the main entries in the Lufia series, Yasunori Shiono, seemed to come with an almost playful attitude that seemed lost in both Final Fantasy and Mana series, which helped in creating an epic RPG soundtrack without feeling too artificial. Both the overworld and ending themes in Lufia seem genuine and have such a distinct feel from others at the time it is hard to actually find much to complain about in the soundtrack as a whole.

Battle Theme from ‘Lufia & The Tower of Doom’

Simple melodies and harmonies define what Lufia is about, and is a soundtrack that shouldn’t be missed by any gamers that enjoy the classic 8-bit and 16-bit sound. While other entries in the series continue to have great music, it is the original that started it all, and for me is the best in terms of design and overall quality. Lufia did everything that a 16 bit soundtrack was supposed to do and has formed in my mind as one of the quintessential examples of how a game soundtrack is supposed to sound from the past to the present and onto the future.

Ship from ‘Lufia & The Tower of Doom’

-Eric Wall

If you are joining from the Music Monday Podcast Segment, the Music I sampled consisted of:

1. Sinistrals

2. End Theme 4

3. Port Town

4. The Overworld Theme

5. Shop

Tags: Final Fantasy, Lufia & The Tower of Doom, Music Monday, Secret of Mana, SNES, Square

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