Review of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Original Soundtrack

Final Fantasy. It’s a title that is often referred to when it comes to role-playing games. As rosy as my memories are of entries like Final Fantasy VI and VII it does little to remove the sting of where things stand now, an era were mass proliferation has turned this hallmark of a series into a walking, talking punch line. Really, I can’t be the only one who misses the days when there was one Final Fantasy title every two to three years. The games that came out of those uncongested waits were usually worth their weight in gold. But alas, business is business and failure (in the form of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within) is failure so we’re all reminded that artistic vision always yields before the almighty dollar – or in this case yen.

That said, most of use are still drawn to some of SquareEnix’s offerings despite the fact that some of them are games we've already played a million and a half times. Another version of Final Fantasy IV? That makes me somewhat nauseated – but gimme! It’s truly sad what creatures of habit gamers are and how companies bank on that but this is what almost kept me away from Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. So how did I end up playing this title nestled among the endless parade of Final Fantasy titles? Well, it all started with Matrix’s Final Fantasy III remake. With Final Fantasy III being the only Final Fantasy prior to Final Fantasy X I hadn’t played and completed (X being my cut off point for things Final Fantasy) I wanted to give it a whirl and call it case closed on Final Fantasy. Little did I know that Final Fantasy III wasn’t the end but a new beginning....

Poetic as that sounds, Final Fantasy’s new life would not come easy. Truth be told, my first ten hours with Final Fantasy III only served to remind me that we move on from things every now and then for reasons that are more than clear. However, things would turn around in the last twenty hours were the game not only mended the bridge it almost burned but would aid in the construction of another. So with III’s notch on my Final Fantasy belt I set out for a new bounty to hunt but was interested in the other products Matrix had worked on. This - and the fact the local Game X-Change had a used copy of the Brady Games Strategy Guide - eventually lead me to The 4 Heroes of Light.

Like most new and unfamiliar products, I was a little hesitant to start the 4 Heroes of Light. This wasn't like Final Fantasy III where I was half familiar with what the game offered before playing. No, this was a completely new ballgame. Sure, I had a strategy guide in tow but it was still touch and go for a while. Did I like the game? Was I enjoying it despite its older playing style? These were the questions on my mind. Things did become clearer the further I got as did the frequency at which I played but there were still some unresolved feelings I had as I inched towards the end. What would the final verdict be? Would I go easy on it or would I be blunt? Was this a good game? A bad game? A lousy game? The answers where there and the final decision would prove to be more than interesting.

So upon defeating the evil being at the center of the darkness, I sat down to write about my experience. I actually had a lot to say but I think a lot of it was lost in translation between likes, dislikes and general indecisiveness. In the end I was both kind and harsh on The 4 Heroes of Light, pointing out the game was rather flawed and tried to be something special when it clearly wasn't. I gave it a six out of ten. Now, in today’s world of internet reviews a lot of people see a six out of ten and automatically think the game is a failure. Sixty percent may be a failing grade on a school paper but this really isn't the case elsewhere. Still, despite what my final score implied, I came out and stated that I really liked The 4 Heroes of Light. However, little did I know how much I had enjoyed it. It wasn't until I had moved on to some other games (the DS Castlevanias) that the game’s hold on me became apparent.

What does all of this have to do with Naoshi Mizuta’s score for The 4 Heroes of Light? Lots. Actually, everything because when you get right down to it Mizuta’s music was the first thing I noticed about the game and – ironically – was the first element I wrote about when reviewing it. Unfortunately, while that last sentence paints a pretty picture (hey, he must have liked it if he was eager to talk about it) that’s far from the case. In reality I started off with a dose of negativity when covering the game. But while several things in the game run afoul, why are the music’s flaws so noticeable and if it’s the case why on earth did I buy the soundtrack? Rest assured there are answers to those questions, but they are buried underneath the enigma that is The 4 Heroes of Light.

So what’s wrong with the music? Well, my initial retort to that would be “what isn't wrong” but I don’t want to use such an overused copout. Still, when getting down to the nitty-gritty, there’s only one track (or theme) you really need to take a look at to get the ball rolling and is of the utmost importance. What theme am I referring to? The main theme! Listening to this thing I can’t get over how work-a-day and phoned-in its emotional context really is. It’s quite extraordinary how far this piece falls when compared to a main theme with substance. I know not everything can be/will be as moving as “Tina’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VI or the infamous Prelude but come on; a piece with a purpose such as this HAS to be more viable than this. You want to know what’s even crazier? The fact that it actually works. Listing to this piece out of context I can easily see it as the underdeveloped entity it is but for some reason once you add the game to the mix its problems seem a lot less detrimental.

And that in a nutshell summarizes a lot of the music in The 4 Heroes of Light. Mizuta's ability to compose is truly second rate (and is well below average for someone hailing from Square’s closet of talent) and his work is literally rescued by every other element of the game – flawed as they may be. Mizuta’s town themes, which prove one with the most satisfying sub-section of the soundtrack, are proof of this. Okay, I guess one could say tracks like “Urbeth, City of Merchants” and “Arbor, Forbidden Land” have a symbiotic relationship with their context but those relationships are HARDLY equal as context was a key component when tracks like “Cursed Town” and “Heavenly Spelvia” made their impression on me. Take away that resource and who’s to say if they would have had the same effect or would have been noticed. This is why I believe Mizuta owes a round to everyone else who worked on the game; there are other weak elements but Mizuta’s soundtrack is arguably the weakest. Remove the canvas and all you have is gobs of paint – something other soundtracks are far from being.

As instrumental as the game is in bringing Mizuta’s creations to life, the soundtrack has a few extra bells and whistles to take note of. With this bring the score to a DS game it should surprise no one that things sound a bit different with the music coming out off a CD as apposed to the DS speakers. As delightful as it may sound to hear the audio in an enhanced light, the music of 4 Heroes wages a war against echo, depth and reverb that leaves a few casualties along the way. Personally I wish the audio was a little more in line with what I heard from the handheld considering those are the renditions I came to love but the final grade really depends on which track one’s talking about. Pivotal tracks like the aforementioned “Heavenly Spelvia” are untouched form their in-game performance as is the dead-pan despair of “Cursed Town” which is unfortunately overused in the game. (The score also suffers from an intense need to be larger than it is.) Things start to go a bit South when the additional depth comes across in “Urbeth, City of Merchants” but the crap REALLY hits the fan when the battle theme fanfare comes up to bat. Someone was obviously asleep at the mixing knobs on this one. The beats are so deep that I can’t call it anything but an error in mastering; the balance is so off it’s not really a case of what kind of set up your playing it on – it’s going to sound horrible regardless.

I’m sure some readers are wondering how this soundtrack, with all the negatives listed above, ended up in my collection. Again, there is no easy answer. All I can say is I love the tracks I love and the crap isn't enough to detract from them. Additionally, I have to reiterate how lucky a man Mizuta is that the game has enough charm to it despite it’s simplicity to cover his failures when it comes to sound. In the end my score is pretty much aligned with what I gave the game as a whole, but I’m willing to give the game a much greater head start when it comes to the benefit of the doubt. It’s that benefit that Mizuta should pray for when it comes to listeners adopting The 4 Heroes into their music library because when it comes to artistic quality this is one soundtrack that is far from resilient despite having it’s moments.