Review of The Legend of Dragoon Original Soundtrack

Known by most gamers as Sony's answer to Squaresoft's immensely successful Final Fantasy franchise during the 32-bit era, The Legend of Dragoon is a game one will either love or hate. While I personally can't say I "hated" what the game had to offer, I can say I found it to be an unimaginative mix of cliche's that had been traveled - often times much better - by previous games like Wild Arms. Sure, The Legend of Dragoon looked pretty snazzy, but beyond the graphical presentation was a game with something to hide around every corner. A muddled translation? Check. Cardboard cutouts as characters? Check. A soundtrack rife with mixed ambitions and grasping for direction? Check and Check.

Given it's the soundtrack I'm here to talk about, it may surprise some to know I'm here to defend it (kind of) despite what the six out of ten score would imply. Still, before I leap to my somewhat strained argument, I want to acknowledge that those who attack this score for its lack of quality have more than a legitimate point. I'm not going to say that Dennis Martin and Takao Miratsu's music is particularly good because, when I'm honest with myself and compare it what else is out there, it isn't. There are games out there, even from previous generations, with better music than what The Legend of Dragoon has to offer. Yet while I acknowledge this as a "personal truth," I have to admit the game's music has pried at my subconscious enough where ignoring it simply isn't an option.

So what makes an otherwise unspectacular soundtrack noteworthy? The first reason has to do with a certain subsection of music: battle themes. I'll admit I'm a sucker for a good battle theme and the ones in Legend of Dragoon (beyond those used for the final battle) deliver... eventually. Try as I might I can't even begin to form a plausible explanation why these tracks manage to top my playlists time and time again with their rough application of rock and techno. They are far from inspired creations but really capture their given moods. For example, I love the fever pitch and adrenaline of "Battle 1," the haunting warble within "Battle 2" and the epic flavor that presides over "Boss Battle 3." When it comes to video game music I could do a lot better than these tracks, but then I don't really want to when I listen to them. Topping off this bizarre attraction is how these tracks come to such a satisfying conclusion with their respective fanfares sealing the deal.

The second thing that makes soundtrack pop is the unusual appearance of a certain sound. While the Legend of Dragoon does indeed have a sound of it's own (one that's rather unremarkable), this is (ironically) not what we're talking about. What we're talking about is a game "borrowing" a sound from a previous, somewhat related title. That game? Legend of Legaia. Listen carefully and one will hear several passages in "Twilight of Rose" (track 41) and "Reminiscence" (track 30) that can easily be mistaken for Michiru Oshima's work in Legaia. Peculiar as these instances are, I don't point them out to portray them in a positive light, as Legend of Legaia's score falls prey to many of the same vices as Dragoon's.

Rocky as the road is however, there are still some pieces that manage to crawl up from the wood work. Slightly miscast as it is, the drive in "Dart's Theme" is more than welcome as is the cheeriness one hears in "Meru's Theme." The world map themes get somewhat of a reprieve with the second outing as do dungeon themes where the desperation in "Imperial Capital Kazas" manages to stop one cold. Still, these tracks can only undo so much of the damage caused by many of the remaining tracks. It's hard to believe that tracks like "Zieg's Theme" and "Lloyd's Theme" could ever be memorable outside of them being completely disposable. Town themes seem to burst from the seams with bustling activity but it's merely a facade as is the serene stillness of the forest-based dungeon numbers.

In the end, while I've come to appreciate some of the music on the Legend of Dragoon Original Soundtrack I believe it deserves it place at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to video game music. There's simply no way around the fact that superior music is in abundance and in existence. Yet this isn't a plea for people to avoid it all cost; it's a plea for those that are interested to be careful with this one because it certainly doesn't live up to its potential.