What does Rifti Beats & GameChops sound like?

Lo-fi beat adaptations of video game music classics.

The review of ‘Chocobo & Chill II’ by Rifti Beats & GameChops

A couple of years ago the original Chocobo & Chill really sparked my interest in lo-fi beat style music. It took many classic tracks from the Final Fantasy series and translated them into lush, vinyl-spitting relaxing jams. Flash forward to 2024 and a sequel is out. With many of the obvious lo-fi beat candidates out the way, this album starts to tread into more daring arrangements of classic themes.

The first point of note is that this album is more dynamic and diverse in its arrangements – and that’s a good thing. Opening with the glorious shuffle of ‘Ahead on Our Way’, we’re treated to thin beats and breezy acoustic guitars being scratched around to the beat. It’s familiar and airy. ‘Besaid Island’ has a deeper groove than anything from Rifti Beats’ first Chocobo & Chill. This has a big trip-hop beat which allows the sea waves, seagulls and general summer vibes to shine. Much slowed down, it really works. ‘Cosmo Canyon’ is dusty and adds some nice bongo action alongside a sped-up version of the main melody to give it a low-slung swagger. The bass is great too.

Tempo shifts against the originals alongside phasing instrumentation between distant background and watery foreground is what keeps each track audibly engaging. ‘Holding My Thoughts in My Heart’ uses this to great effect with its trickling electric piano. Moving faster than the original but using watery distortion makes it feel so emotive. The same can be said for ‘The Place I’ll Return to Someday’. It uses a mellotron synth to evoke the original wind arrangement but the main melody is played out on electric piano. It feels busier but breezier which is a difficult combination to strike. Other tracks like ‘Someday the Dream Will End’ errs on restraint. The main melody is sparse and the drum loop and thick bass gently lead the way. ‘Fisherman’s Horizon’ is beautifully restrained too, leaning on the seaside sounds and warm reverb to make the track glow.

‘Sultana Dreaming’ is suitably washed with reverb and long-tail keyboards and pianos. The drums emulate a ticking clock with crunchy hi-hat hisses which is a neat stereo effect too. ‘Theme of Love’ moves the ballad into a rainy lute and piano-led track with 90s vocal samples dotted around it. Whilst Rifti Beats switches instrumentation across songs throughout the album, here that switch-up switches the mood from folksy tavern to wedding bell meadows.

After a collection of safer, more obvious tracks, Rifti Beats and GameChops start to get playful with their arrangements. ‘ViVi’s Theme’ is playful and upbeat using menu selection noises from Final Fantasy IX amongst celestial bells, playful woodwind synths and a quirky Arabian circus twist on the melody to sell the interpretation. It’s a standout on the album and a personal favourite. Juxtaposing it is ‘Ronafure’. The regal yet solemn track has a pep in its step with the kick drum heavy beat and some good bongo action midway over lute and flute melodies. Happy crowds and high-octave electric piano keep ‘Gold Saucer’ rolling when it is not adding some playful theremin-styled synths in certain bars of the song. Jaunty, assured but still maintaining a chill vibe – it’s a great balance of the album’s theme and its intent. I wouldn’t have expected ‘The Decisive Battle’ to translate well to a lo-fi beats track either but the slowed-down approach works wonders. Rifti Beats turned it into a haunted house track and that suits the slow but aggressively demonic chord structure perfectly.

Entering the final three tracks, we’re treated to some lo-fi chiptune. ‘Victory Fanfare II’ maintains the very era chiptune structure of the short 20-second original but stretches it into a glitchy and snazzy two-minute groove laden with funky bass. ‘Somus’ is quite downbeat and rainy with phasing piano slowly echoing out over muted loops before ‘Final Fantasy Lofi’ rounds us out with the series’ theme song jangling with bells and bird song.

For me, ‘Chocobo & Chill II’ is equal to the original in the series. This entry covers some familiar ground but also starts to expand the sound palette and take on less obvious songs. I always get an extra kick out of composers rearranging game music in a less obvious way and I look forward to hearing a third entry where that element is hopefully explored further. Fans of Rifti Beats’ work will love this, as will fans of the Final Fantasy series music too. An excellent entry in the VGM arrangement genre.

Recommended track: ViVi’s Theme

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