Final Fantasy: The Music

25 years. That's how rich a story the Final Fantasy (or FF to hordes of loyal fans out there) franchise has been since its inception in 1987. However, we've been rambling on and on about how FF has been a huge success over the years and how it has influenced a lot of the next gen RPGs we've been playing - along with the Materia system, to Zidane's swash buckling antics, to Kefka's eccentricities - but, we sometimes tend to overlook the other part of the game that makes it great: it's musical score.

From the Chocobo theme, to Sephiroth's badass One-Winged Angel BGM, to the music soundtrack of FF1 that started it all, Final Fantasy would not be Final Fantasy without its music. I know what you're thinking, "What's the deal with the music? Let's just get on with the gameplay!". Growing up as a 90s kid, attention to detail and attention span was something that was very important to me whenever I'm into something, and video games are no exception.

Final Fantasy would not be Final Fantasy without Nobuo Uematsu too. His is a personality worthy of being mentioned alongside the FF big guns like Hironobu Sakaguchi and Tetsuya Nomura to name a few. Alongside Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu defined and innovated the JRPG music genre at a time where video game music was not yet advanced. Not everything was a bed of roses for the aspiring composer in his early years. As a self-taught musician he never really had any formal lessons to begin with, but as the years and experience went by, he is now one of the most famous, loved, and revered composers in the video gaming industry.

Originally thinking of composing songs for Square (Square Enix today) as a part-time job, Uematsu never envisioned that this would eventually turn into a full-time career, and a successful one at that. Apart from the Final Fantasy series, Nobuo also composed songs for games like Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, and Romancing SaGa 2; to anime / CGI movies like the Guin Saga, Ah! My Goddess: The Movie, and Final Fantasy: Unlimited. Channeling also on his goofy and rockish (is there such a word?) side, he also has a band named The Black Mages.

Legen-wait-for-it-dary!

As a young gamer back in the day Final Fantasy has really been one of my favorite games; this being also in part thanks to Nobuo Uematsu's music behind the scenes. Not only did he make great compositions, but his work helped me imagine that for a brief moment, I was in the game itself living and breathing the characters in every scenario caught in the world of fantasy, magic, love.

Final Fantasy VII was the first of many FF games that would dig deep into my heart and soul. The soundtrack was amazing, and at that time groundbreaking for me too. Music and games together? Priceless. Who wouldn't fall in love to Squall and Rinoa's Eyes On Me theme on Final Fantasy VIII? Or rock on to Final Fantasy X's heavy metal theme Otherworld? With every franchise comes spectacular music scores filled with emotion and passion that leaves you breathless.

Kefka appears?

Although Nobuo and Square Enix have parted ways since, it is evident that his legacy will forever be etched in Final Fantasy lore for years to come. I still have my copies of FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX and FFX OSTs on my CD rack and still get to play them from time to time, especially now since it's their 25th anniversary. It never gets old. Bottom line: What makes a video game great is not only its gameplay, its characters, or its graphics; but its music too. Thank you Nobuo Uematsu for 25 years of wonderful Final Fantasy music. Thanks for the memories!

My PSN ID is NinjaKabute. You can also follow me on Twitter to get the latest updates on my blog, PS3 news, manga, the NBA, photography, or just my gaming experience cramped up in 140 characters.