Ok, I realize I have gone over the evolution of the theme from the Final Fantasy series in this segment previously but with this article on Final Fantasy V, it will be the first proper look at a Uematsu composition as a whole. While many people feel that FFV was a leak chain in the usual narrative crazy series, there is definitely something to be said for how the job system works (which lead to my eventual hatred of the limited character customization in FF7), as well as the fantastic musical compositions sprinkled throughout. While something good can be said about every 16-bit Final Fantasy’s soundtrack, FFV’s probably resonates the most with simply for the fact that it is the middle child (much like myself) and is often overlooked in favor of the tighter FFIV and the more epic FFVI.

‘Unknown Lands’ - Nobou Uematsu

While at the time everything that Uematsu would create seemed to be markedly better then it’s counterparts, in retrospect my feeling is that the games helped to compliment sound in such a unique way that when some of the compositions were lacking, the rest of the games solid presentation picked up the slack. While in time I will probably come to look at both FFIV and FFIV’s soundtracks in depth, I have chosen FFV simply for its fantastic use of the Super Nintendo soundchip and classic bit-tune compositions. While it is near impossible to capture the essence of a Final Fantasy composition with three selections, I have tried to include a wide variety of styles found throughout the game in my choices.

‘Battle with Gilgamesh’ - Nobou Uematsu

From the sweeping ballads to the fast battle themes, Uematsu made sure that almost every musical style and genre were represented, guaranteeing a memorable play through. Gems such as ‘Battle with Gilgamesh’ and ‘Unknown Lands’ illustrate some of Uematsu’s best work on the Super Nintendo without the feeling of being limited by the hardware (As with the Final Fantasy VI soundtrack). Although there are a few weaker tracks, it is to be expected in a game with 56 compositions found throughout. While many criticize the game for not being up to par with IV or VI, it is my feeling that these people miss the character anthems that were found littered throughout these other entries. I can see their point about a notable absence of such themes, mainly because of the weak character development throughout the game, but a great soundtrack still remains without the memorable themes.

‘The Day Will Come’ - Nobou Uematsu

Is this the best Uematsu Soundtrack? Of Course not, but what Final Fantasy V does, it does right, arguably better then its other console contemporaries.

-Eric Wall

Tags: Final Fantasy, Music Monday, Nobou Uematsu, SNES

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