RPG vocal theme songs may have had their cultural heyday in the mid-2000s, but that hasn’t stopped RPGs from cranking out some absolutely cracking vocal theme songs. Square Enix has been a master of these for years, thanks to its wide casting net of composers, and ‘Timeless Classics Vol.2’ is a selection of six covers (rearrangements) of tracks from Final Fantasy XIV, Xenogears, and Grimms Notes.

The arrangements start boldly, signalling the electronic dance twist that the album will follow. ‘Endwalker’ from Final Fantasy XIV is turned from an anthemic rock track into a power chord dance track. Saya Yasaki and Takafumi Imamura kick out a disco beat, synth strings, and all kinds of J-Pop standards from the 90’s to the 2010’s. What was once an emo track is now a sugary dance bop, and it’s rather catchy in this guise! ‘Small Two of Pieces’ -Screeching Shard-‘ turns the Celtic folk rock track from Xenogears into a piano dance piece. The string elements, chorus-affected vocals, and strident beat really suit this arrangement and help retain a certain delicate quality to it. It sounds very Final Fantasy XIII-2 with its plethora of vocal electronica tunes, and is nothing like the original. That said, the vocalist does a great job uplifting the final chorus for a big finale. Imamura is joined by Takemichi Kawakami to provide its fun and bright arrangement.

Square Enix Vocal Covers – Timeless Classics Vol.2

Takafumi Imamura is the sole arranger for ‘Scream’. This electro-rock arrangement takes a vocal delivery from Persona and smashes it over a glitzy and funky rock number. There’s a hint of Ayumi Hamasaki’s rock era here, production-wise, but with a bit more electronic chaos involved. It is also much faster. The original’s hair-metal guitar riffs are squeezed into a pointed razor, as are the vocals. As a result, it lacks the original’s gravitas, but brings more of a rollercoaster overflow vibe. Ryo Takahashi provides the arrangement of ‘Oblivion (Never Let it Go Version)’. Like the previous and next tracks, we’re in Final Fantasy XIV’s world, but this is a beautiful acoustic ballad. Pregnant paused acoustic guitar, cello, and flamenco castanets pave the way for a vocal arrangement of this instrumental track. I appreciate that Takahashi doesn’t overblow the ballad’s drama and chooses to let Irish pipes duet with the vocals as its extended outro. It’s a lovely rendition.

‘Bee My Honey’ is arranged by Daiki Ishikawa and leans heavily on soulful jingle jazz rather than its eclectic genre-jumping original. The vocals are performed by a more mature, deeper vocalist, which removes the processed, almost Vocaloid-style origins. Whilst its laid back saxophone and warm honey production is well put together, the original is such a cartwheel of crazy, it keeps a special place in my heart and is difficult to rival. The closing track, ‘Forgotten Words’, comes from ‘Grimms Notes’, and is arranged by Ishikawa and Noa Takada. This is the adult contemporary pop arrangement of the release. The husky vocalist works the arrangement a treat. The original track has a folksy feel to it, with lutes and a magical, soft, bouncing waltz to it. That’s translated into a more standard 4/4 beat rendition with a full band for this arrangement, but it keeps a swing with the beat to give it much needed fludity. This is a lovely arrangement, but the original is also top-tier, too.

I always view arrangements of game music as lovely to have alternatives. They don’t ruin or dampen the enthusiasm of the originals, and it’s fun to hear old songs in new clothes and context. Whilst this volume is heavily geared towards making Final Fantasy XIV songs dance or pop anthems, it’s playful and direct. Fans of the originals may struggle if they come purely for the metal and rock genres, but fans of game music arrangements will appreciate the layered and considered approach to these rearrangements. Fun!

Recommended track: Small Two of Pieces -Screeching Shards’

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