Final Fantasy 7 Remake's New Score Isn't Cutting It for Some
For years, now, fans of the epic and seemingly never ending Final Fantasy franchise have begged for a remaster of Final Fantasy 7. What they received was more than any had hoped for, a full remake of the game featuring updated graphics, a more fleshed out story, and a brand new combat system. While most fans are thrilled about this development, there are some who prefer the old way of doing things and aren't happy with the changes. The same holds true for the new score of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which has some fans upset due to the modern sound it has.
For those unaware, the soundtrack keeps all the same songs composed by Nobou Uematsu that fans have grown to love from the original game, but they are all in new arrangements done by Masashi Hamauzu, who worked on the original Final Fantasy 7 soundtrack alongside Uematsu, and Mitsuto Suzuki, best known for his work on Final Fantasy 13 and its sequels and spin offs. Uematsu is even composing a brand new original theme song for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake entitled Hollow. While these composers' talents are not in question in any way (they have each proven themselves countless times on other Final Fantasy games), the direction they took the soundtrack has been subject to some criticism.
The issue became apparent following the release of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake demo. Take this track, titled Mako Reactor, the differences between it and the original are plain as day. That said, are the differences that do exist problematic? The biggest complaint here is that everything seems "over-orchestrated," as some fans prefer the old-school, synthetic style that Final Fantasy 7 used so well. It's worth noting that, although the arrangement does differ slightly, all of the major musical ideas are still there, meaning instrumentation is really the biggest change.
Realistically, though, would fans expect any different? Changing nothing about the soundtrack for the remake would almost be inexcusable, because as beloved as the old score is, it simply wouldn't fit with the new style of the remake. Why expect new graphics, story elements, gameplay mechanics, and more without expecting a new soundtrack? Furthermore, if the instrumentation was kept the same, using outdated computer generated sounds, the arrangements themselves would have to be altered dramatically in order to be different enough from the originals, which is inarguably a worse fate for Final Fantasy 7 music lovers.
Those Who Fight Further, sometimes referred to as Fight On! is Final Fantasy 7's boss battle theme. This exciting track plays any time the player is facing off against a boss battle throughout the entire game, barring bosses with their own unique themes. The original track features heavy electric guitar and synthesizers which create a forward moving, high tech, tense situation. This track was perfect for the original Final Fantasy 7, and unsurprisingly became one of the most popular Final Fantasy songs of all time, so it's no surprise that there are those who would not take kindly to the new version.
The new arrangement begins with a much more orchestral sound, featuring strings and brass rather than electric guitars and synthesizers, but once again all of the key musical ideas are still hit. Instrumentation alone isn't enough to create mood in a song, and the prolific composers working on the Final Fantasy 7 Remake make that clear as day. The new track is still just as exciting and forward moving as the old, if not more due to the greater sound quality and higher levels of emotion that can be imbued into a live performance.
Another point worth mentioning for this discussion is that it seems certain bosses have different arrangements of this boss theme. The first of the bosses in Final Fantasy 7, the Air Buster, is one such case. The video above features the boss fight at approximately 2:10, and an electric guitar can be clearly heard in that arrangement. This is proof that Uematsu, Hamauzu, and Suzuki understand the importance of the old soundtracks and have no intention of dishonoring it in any way. It seems unlikely that any would know and love the soundtrack in the same way that Uematsu does, anyway, so fans should place their trust in these composers.
Although most of this has been in defense of the new soundtrack, there is some merit in the complaints that have been posed against it. Part of what made Final Fantasy 7's soundtrack so influential was that it was the first game to ever experiment with the new technology and composition ideas which came available at the time. Hearing electric guitars and heavy synthesizers just wasn't something anyone was used to, and paired along with the harsh, cyberpunk like setting of the game, everything fit together incredibly well. The importance of music in video games cannot be overstated.
Fans that prefer the original game's soundtrack have every right to, and should in no way be deterred from feeling that way. The challenge these fans must face is to accept that the change to the nostalgic tracks was really inevitable, and to recognize that each new track is great in its own right rather than comparing them to the old ones. There is certainly a level of charm that comes with Final Fantasy 7's original soundtrack, but a remake and a remaster are very different things, so it would be foolish to expect the same music to return exactly as it was. Final Fantasy 7 Remake needs a redesign of its music just as much as it needs a redesigned combat system.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is looking to be an incredible experience for newcomers to the game and veterans alike, and it is true that the music will play a large role in how that experience is perceived. Perhaps there will be a setting to use the original music, or maybe the composers decided to make the changes they did for a conscious reason in an effort to use their new experiences to help guide the player through the story of Final Fantasy 7 in a new way. Ultimately, time will tell how things play out, as nothing is certain until the first part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake officially releases on April 10th.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake releases on April 10th exclusively for PS4.
Reviewed by Unknown
on
March 07, 2020
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