Ao no Kiseki OST - Unfathomed Force
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- Music: Unfathomed Force
Composer: Saki Momiyama (Falcom Sound Team jdk)
Arrangement: Takahiro Unisuga (Falcom Sound Team jdk)
Playlist: • The Legend of Heroes: ...
Album: The Legend of Heroes: Ao no Kiseki Original Soundtrack
Platform: PSP and PC
Copyright© Nihon Falcom Corporation
![Ao no Kiseki OST Unfathomed Force [Original+Evolution] (Extended Ver.)](/img/1.gif)
Bro I had anxiety when I found out that her helmet had it's OWN hp
I love how despite this theme also playing against Campanella, Sigmund and Mariabell, everyone just associates this song with Arianrhod. That just shows how iconic that fight is lol
Arianrhod in ao is like löwe fight in sora sc
It just fits her so much more than the others. Its not really an evil sounding theme and she's not exactly evil.
@@KenKen-um9bf they should have used destruction impulse for sigmund
@@adsads8778 agreed. I was disappointed we didn't get a repeat on the death metal. I mean, let's face it, we didn't exactly have a lot of time to enjoy Destruction Impulse the first time it came around :P
That being said, this is one of (if not my most) favorite boss themes in a series chock full of amazing boss themes....so ultimately I'm ok with it.
@@KenKen-um9bf It also really give that feel that you are fighting a living legend.... which she totally is.
Fighting her in Ao was the first boss fight in a long while where the entire time I felt like I was holding on for dear life.
I think Sigmund (Timed) was more cancer
HONESTLY
This and Cassius in TC
For fucking real....when I cracked her helmet and I saw her eyes, the ONLY thing that went through my head was “fuuuuuuuuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck I’m going to die. This is how it ends” lmao
It feels like fighting Cassius Bright in Sora no Kiseki 3rd
Falcom really had us out here fighting a helmet
And losing
How bad ass of a boss can you be to make the player feel content with only breaking your mask?!!
The second I broke it I was like “I DID IT!!! I WON!! You can kill me now I don’t care”
Too bad she's still cheesable with dodgetank Lloyd and barrier spam.
I didnt know she was able to one shot me after breaking her mask
I wasn't. It didn't click for me that everything past the helmet was a scripted loss until reading the comments of the OST, especially since going through about a fifth of the health through Master Art and Zero Field spam before getting bored and wanting to fight the final boss shouldn't be possible.
*unfathomed force plays*
Tio: *Hold my mishy strap*
AEON SYSTEM GO BBRRRRRR
One RUclips video has stated that Unfathomed Force evokes a feeling of fantasy. He was on point, because fantasy is a feeling that's so out of place in the game.
Ao no Kiseki is an Urban Fantasy. Other than a few fantastical elements like being able to attack with orbments and melee weapons in an era where assault rifles have been invented, the people, the surroundings, are just the same as what you'd find in a normal modern big city. This is why the feeling of Unfathomed Force feels so alien and out of place. The player characters were facing down a being that the world had not seen of her kind for centuries. It is the hardest boss fight in the game that requires meticulous strategy and proper timing to survive. It is a setup that spans the length of at least two games in order for the player to feel the magnitude of the stakes they're playing for and the insurmountable obstacle they face. The fact that Falcom's sound team could convey all that weight within the first five seconds of an intro is nothing short of sublime.
Yep. Kind of a shame Arianrhod was basically just fucking around because a kid asked her as a favor and didn't really care. Compared to her all the fights in the Azure Tree are... very meh.
Crossbell is probably closer to cyberpunk mixed with urban fantasy.
I feel like the build up and the fight with arios and mariabell was really good too but it isnt as memoriable because it isnt just out of nowhere like arianrhod, just a straight forward confrontation that we have already expected
@@GiordanDiodato Crossbell doesn't really have that depressing feeling I tend to associate with the Cyberpunk aesthetic tbh. Yes, it's quite seedy under the surface, but nowhere near the theme of "corporations control everything" or anything similar. In fact, it's quite the opposite, since most of the Crossbell Arc is about government bureaucracy getting in the way of actual change. Which I honestly prefer far more than the cyberpunk theme of corporations since it's actually true irl. Even massive corporations still have to butter the government up to get what they want.
1) This theme should have been played ONLY during the "Steel Maiden/Arianrhod" boss fight. It TRULY suits her and no one else IMO.
2) The boss battle against her was one of the HARDEST matches in the entire "Trails" series as I had to use every item/strategy/trick possible to survive her attacks, especially her S-Craft (thank you Tio for Immunity S-Crafts!) and after *more than an hour long boss battle,* I managed to beat her *FIRST TRY* and I couldn't be more proud of myself! :D
Evasion Tank Lloyd:
Loewe.......
@@vigil8400 I wish I hadn't abused evasion tank Lloyd. In retrospect, I feel like it made this fight cheap.
This is Arianrhod's theme, and you can't tell me otherwise
That Matthew Dude “Campanella disliked this”
Fun Fact: Campenella is fucking the Grandmaster
Unsure what gender Campenella is but if they happen to be the same
Then all i can say is by Aidos bless them....
@@Joshua-qn3xj you'll learn more in CS4
You don't fight Arianrhod, you survive her.
Aurelia: Hold my wine.
I believe Campenella is fucking the Grandmaster no wonder why he is the voice of her
You actually do in Cold Steel 3
Unless you're Elie's unfathomably OP cousin
@@DiogoJ1 Probably the biggest asspull in the series tbh. Even Arios, a Divine Blade, said he cannot match Arianrhod because she exceeds human limitations, yet Aurelia comes out of the blue and defeats her just like that.
I used to say that this was the "Silver Will" of the Crossbell duology, but on my second playthrough of the Trails series I realized that it's not doing it justice. It's got its own awesomeness.
I always thought of "Inevitable Struggle" as Crosbell's Silver Will.
Oooo that’s high praise, and this song is amazing but I don’t know, Silver Will is always going to be beyond legendary tier for me, in an untouchable realm of its own no matter how good the music in the series gets. So much meaning in that song that they made it an Opening/lyrical version man. Impossible to top.
Don't get me wrong, I like Silver Will...but I've always been of the opinion that Silver Will doesn't hold a candle to this.
THIS is the best boss theme in the series bar none. And in a series chock full of badass music....whew.
I was so happy it came back for Cold Steel.
@@jgmaurer31 I see, to me, Silver Will is untouchable. My favourite Falcom song for sure. This one is good too though.
@@TheCoolguymanly That's cool. Totally respect that. Silver Will is great.
This one just FLOORED me the first time I heard it.
I first heard this theme on CS3 and now it's my favorite OST in the Crossbell games.
A masterpiece. Didn't know that a Momiyama/Unisuga combo could sound so good
Conflicting Passions, Unexpected Emergency, Atrocious Raid (kinda), and A Light Illuminating The Depths (again, kinda) are some more examples of this combo being amazing.
I also highly recommend Jindo's EVO arrange of Unfathomed Force. It's just as good, at least in my opinion. ruclips.net/video/EceRuTBhTdA/видео.html
@@MaskedKingDavid Check my latest comment on this video. It somewhat explains why Original UF > EVO UF
@@d3ly746 Definitely gonna take a look
@@MaskedKingDavid Thanks for the recommendation!
The bullshit difficult fights in these games are always my favorites. (And always have the best boss themes)
Big agree, the difficulty, dialogue, and music REALLY set the mood and get me _HYPED!!!_
The issue is if you jack up Evade, she can't hit you. It's trivial at that point. All the Trails games have this issue with Evade as a stat.
@@AuroraFirestorm CS2 was the worst in that regard. A 20% EVA armor (before you even get Jusis back) was busted. Beating the Game on Nightmare without EVA at all feels like a achivement
@@AuroraFirestorm Don't forget the Impede stacking...
They can't win if they can't hit you lmao
Ehh, its mostly Cold Steel and onwards where broken shenanigans like that are commonplace and easily achieveable
Games like Azure and before (especially the sky games) usually have systems with fewer and oftentimes more specific and less effective/available forms of abuse
Like, eva tank Lloyd aint gonna carry you against Sigmund 1 all on his own lol. And even before Sigmund 1,you aint getting through the Bracer Duo side quest with just trying to stack Eva on Lloyd as well
When Arianrhod's helmet cracked I immediately got flashbacks to Zaraki Kenpachi's eyepatch lmao
holy shit true
Her Japanese voice plays Unohana in that anime.
If Unohana was still the head of Squad 11
"I am the 7th Anguis of Ouroboros, Arianrhod, the Steel Maiden. At the behest of the Zero Child, I stand before you as a barrier in your path. If you can prove to overcome me, then come at me with all your might!"
So powerful yet elegant at the same time, no wonder everyone associates this song with Arianrhod. I think I've found my new favorite Trails song.
1:02-1:27 those piano keys in the background adds so much flavour to the track❤
我は鋼、全てを断ち切る者！
The only boss that unloads at least 4 S-Crafts per battle.
Olivier Lenheim "I art Steel, One who severs all!!!"
Truly great.
*Arianrhod enters next phase*
Me: Looks at Tio CP count*
Fuck.
Retries with full gladiator set on Tio*
randy Sounds like someone played on normal
I think this version suits the mood of the battle against a certain Anguis better than the Evo version, it sounds strongly elegant just like the said person is.
I agree
Elegant yet Strong. Indeed
You would not believe how upset I was when the Anguis reveal happened. Yet another member of the Society escapes justice. 😠
I miss the high pitched opera lady being very loud she's just a background sound here
@@chikipichi5280 I think the understated theme is better here. The EVO version definitely sounds better live though, you should look it it up.
This boss theme is not only between ominous and divine it has the sheer intensity and strength that is Arianrhod
Anguis ga nanachu -- Hagane no Arianrhod.
Zero no miko-dono no nozomi shitagai, koko ni kabe to shite tachifusagaranai.
Iza… Jinjou ni Shobu!
I just did this fight for the first time, it took me two tries. Insane commitment, it legit took me a hour and like 20 minutes. I did play on hard, really proud that i actually managed to beat her. I didnt even know there was scripted end after her helmet broke. Genuinely the most fun fight and ost in the series so far
That fight is tough, but fair. Making Siggy flee the IBC, however, is the stuff of nightmares. I'm not sure that it's even possible on a hard/nightmare 1st run.
@boltinabottle6307 I didnt even bother with that one. I expected him to do endgame damage for the most part, and well, his scraft sure does lmao
You eat the last donut in Ourobouros HQ...
You hear this song...
*_Your life is now forfeit._*
The Unsettling and Haunting Vibe it gives off before it Overpowers you with a Bombastic Melody, both in the beginning and near the middle . . .
That alone tells you you're up against something that's Not of this World . . .
Arianrhod,one of the hardest bosses in kiseki along with cassius and loewe
I beat her yesterday and hoo boy,thank god zero field exists
thanks to Lloyd Evasion tank
The way this fight was, and how long it took me to beat the boss, of course this song would be something that I remember very clearly. I mean how can I not, after the countless deaths I had to endure?
It's not often the bass is so "separated" in Trails tracks. Gives it a very cool vibe
*laughs in Zero Field*
*And max evasion Lloyd*
Or Wazy or Rixia
@@Joshua-qn3xj eva tank lloyd elie tio spark dyne spam wazy adamant guard fortuna zero field
I like how even though this plays for several bosses, we all know whose track it is.
I mute this on said bosses until it gets to Arianrhod. They’re not worthy of this.
Will you survive this? I am steel, she who cuts through all! This is your end! GRAND CROSS!
I’m sad it gets cut off, but her powerup line/yell is fuckin’ sick too: “TO ME, MIGHTY SPIRIT!!”
One of the sickest S-crafts in the entire series, if not the sickest. Arianrhod’s a legend
@@TheAckeePlant Well, living for 2 and a half centuries with a sentient magical giant robot will do that.
@@TheCoolguymanly Makes me wish she was a party member after her Rivalry. Too bad Rufus the Bastard showed up and stabbed her in the back.
Definitely the best version of this theme imo
This one is kind of ominous and graceful, the other ones is like you are just fighting or smthn if that makes any sense lol
This not playing in CS4 should be illegal
Exactly. Her Rivalry would've been PERFECT for this to play.
Thunder of the roiling heavens, Fall to the battlefield!
*roiling
imagine that soprano in the back is actually the 2nd Anguis, Vita Clotilde herself
Jusis: DAMN YOU!
Sweet, sweet eargasm.
Not a single other character deserves this theme other than her.
I mean I think given the theme's name Simund does kind of deserve it too, but yeah *Spoilers*
Campenella and Mariabelle definitely should have had different boss themes.
@@FirstLast-mn4re Campenella should've just used Fateful Confrontation since he already had a chiptune version of it during the Puyo Puyo - I mean, Pom Party battle against him.
I usually think of Arianrhod when I hear this because I first heard it in CSIII, and like in that game, whenever this played, I would barely survive the fights.
After so long of waiting, we finally get to here the Unfathomed Force be dubbed and she sounds amazing!
Cherami Leigh was a wonderful casting choice for Lianne/Arianrhod.
@@davidtimmer596Agreed. She's perfect.
Her English voice is perfection and it just makes me all the sadder Lianne is dead
Man, Duvalie's so cute for her crush on Arianrhod. Not like I blame her. She's hot.
Campanella most fun fight in the game.
This song is better than the final boss theme.
Theme of Lloyd pulling Arianrhod into a corner while Elie and Tio spark dyne her to death from across the map
Zero Field time
Lol...is it bad that instead of spark dyne, I used Lucifen Wing and Reincarnation and sometimes Ragna Dorian on Arianhod? I had Elie, Tio and Wazy. 😂
Elie crimson ray spam carried me through 2 endgames
I was sooo stressed for the Arianrhod fight (on just normal difficulty!) but I had my squad (lloyd, tio, elie, and wazy) prepped SO WELL she never even did a single point of damage in both masked and unmasked.
Iconic track, outstanding composition. The harpsichord and piano are very cool.
Me: *breaks Arianrhod's Helmet*
Arianrhod: call an ambulance, call an ambulance.... BUT NOT FOR ME
Arianrhod: So you have chosen... death.
Arianrhod : AH You took away my limiter I see. Time to get serious.
Me - Zero Barrier go BRRRRRRR
@@nesoukkefka1741 "Will you survive this!? I AM STEEL, SHE WHO CUTS THROUGH ALL! This is your end! GRAND CROSS!
Take this! YOU'RE FINISHED!
Somehow clutching out a complete win on nightmare blind with no idea what the meta or cheese strats are, or even if the game would let me win the fight at all, was one of the biggest rushes of my gaming career. It really did feel like the SSS was defeating something invincible.
Same on my first playthrough. With the added bonus that my initial reaction was a massive sigh of relief, followed by quietly whispering to myself "I need a therapist."
the campanella fight was so much fun. had to use a lot of brain power for that one
I literally couldn't beat it on nightmare normally lol. I just ended up casting art reflect and having him kill himself with his fire move.
@@PA__san To be fair, if the game allows you to do it, it's "normal".
There was a fight or two where I abused the shit out of art reflects to get easy wins even on normal mode. Forgot which ones, though. And I just completed the game yesterday.
The Crossbell arc kinda made my Sky strategy of Clock Up (Chrono Drive), Clock Down (Chrono Drive), and Earth Wall (Adamantine Guard) wayy less viable because of the massively reduced length of the buffs that I barely even used them throughout both games. At most I used Analyze/Beam Danger on Tio, Fortuna, and La Forte/Encourage to increase Team Rush/Combo Craft and S-Craft damage. Later on I used Burning Heart 2 which is basically Burning Heart in Zero since they nerfed it in Ao to get Lloyd ready to deal max damage during critical S-Breaks. Also, AoE healing is less useful than Sky since the cast time is longer (also it's wind based now with Breath/Holy Breath instead of water with La Tear/a/l. so you kinda have to have two healers, hence why I always had Elie with Wing Master Quartz and Tio in my party.
In the end I mostly settled on a party of Lloyd Elie Tio and Wazy. Lloyd because he's good at Defense and so I equip him with earth quartz so he can cast adamantine guard or the earth master art which is useful for when bosses want to instakill you with S crafts. Also just to generally be a tank. Elie for support and healing, AT advance as well as DPS sometimes. Tio also for healing when one party member is pretty banged up, ADF/DEF debuffs, healing, and DPS. Yes Tio is just that versatile. Wazy because he's fast as shit and also the best caster that isn't Elie or Tio. He actually makes Chrono Drive viable with Pluto Bell, Onyx Gem and Time Gem since you can just cast that shit over and over. Also Trinity Card 2 is OP for all those fights where a shit ton of enemies cast all their arts at once.
Unfortunately my team composition screwed me over when doing S-crafts on the first phase of the final boss because Lloyd's S-craft uss STR while the rest were ATS. I used AoE arts to remove the phys guards on the extra mobs then burning heart and meteor breakered the first two. But when I proceeded to pop Akashic Arm I forgot it was ATS based and the mobs still had Art Reflect so I just ended up self-nuking Wazy. Not a fun time. The rest of my party was also ATS S-crafts so that sucked.
I feel like I'm being forced into a T pose whenever I hear this
In a way, it's similiar to Yggdrasil's battle theme from Tales of Symphonia when it reaches it's calmer part.
Thank god they brought this song back in coldsteel 3
2:04
*spams replay button*
Yes
This better play in Sen 3 or I riot.
You mean the evolution version, right?
It does.
and it does play when you fight Arianrhod
Your wish has been granted.
@@russellhunte5934 Didn't play in Cold Steel 4 unfortunately.
I still think about the time I shit my pants listening to this in CS3, didn't expect it at all but it was FUCKING GLORIOUS.
This truly fits for arianrhod. Especially after.
I love how its stated throughout the game shes in another league and her bossfight delivers since you dont need to win just break her helmet
Funny story i had a friend who never played any trails before azure(i told him not to repeatedly) and he was assuming shes just a boss to beat like any jrpg when he got to this point he actually asked me what his doing wrong since she one shots him after the helmet breaks and i told him the gimic his reaction was funny as shit
Random thought. I love how Dudley looks like he's going "DUDLEY SMASH" on the OST label.
lol I personally always think of him shaking his knuckle and shouting "you damn kids! I'm gonna go down there and beat your asses myself!"
Can't believe I just *somehow* dunked her without relying on Arts spam... And without pulling her anywhere. Hard Mode makes me feel ashamed now even if this fight?
*Yeah, on-par with the fun I had against McBurn even if I had more issues with Her, than with McBurn...*
Man I was kind of disappointed she wasn't NEARLY as hard in Cold Steel 3 as she was in Ao. She was kicking my a-- in Ao and she didn't even need the Stahlritter to do it (I only got as far as breaking the mask then the S-craft OHKO'd my entire party)
Cold Steel 3, she has the Stahlritter with her and it was just Arcane Gale spam to win lmao (and Millium's order made her S-craft do so little damage)
Ironically enough, the second boss battle with her in CS3 was the only boss battle in the entire dungeon that I beat without taking damage. Even though lore-wise, it should be one of the hardest boss fights in the entire game.
@@ilyasbasuki3207 I wish we got a solo Arianrhod fight that was legit hard like Ao. Sucks that she was gutted because CS3 in general is easy with orders and in general your party is broken in strength
To play devil's advocate, the SSS were pretty much just normal people save for ex-jeager Randy and Wazy being essentially a church militant. Tio may count but it's only her senses that were scaled up. Lloyd, Elie, and Noel were simply normal people without too much shonen power put into them. Class VII on the other hand...
@@SpecialSupportSection I would argue that, despite the SSS generally being a bit more "normal" than class 7, they are generally around the same level, the only real difference is Valimar, Reans ogre power, and possibly Emma's magic.
Lloyd was around evenly matched with Rean without ogre power in Cold Steel 2, Noel is supposed to be a bit better than Lloyd, Randy is theoretically on a similar level to Bloody Shirley, I would put Rixia on a similar level to Sharon and Joshua as a master assassin, Wazy is a Dominion, Tio is one of the most talented arts users in the series with talents similar to Renne, and Elie... Is just kinda there...
Arianrhod is supposed to be so strong though that special abilities shouldn't really matter. Physically she's stronger and faster than ogre power Rean by default while holding back, and skill wise she's a master of the highest calibre. She's constantly stated to have reached a level "beyond human limits" and repeatedly curbstomps or is said to have defeated almost every other major powerhouse in the series.
Arianrhod was one of the most hyped up bosses in this entire series of hyped up bosses, and the fight in Ao more than lived up to the hype by being arguably the hardest fight in the series, just to make her kneel briefly while she had been holding back. In Cold Steel 3, she's just another boss. She's not even much more difficult than the other bosses, just another agent of Ouroboros with a silly title.
@@Mr.Stizblee Are we forgetting that Aurelia was there? Aurelia alone leveled the battlefield on Rean's favor. Aurelia is on a level of her own, easily rivalizing Arseid in power, and probably Cassius. If she isn't as powerfull as Arianrhod, then she's close enough. Arianrhod may have surpassed human limits, but Aurelia reached the very peak of swordmanship. With everyone's else help, it's no wonder they managed to bring Arianrhod to her knees.
Bruh I JUST noticed that this track has Ao's letimoff at 2:04. Man i'm slow asf lool
Only thing I'm gonna say:
I'm glad I decided to load Tio up with gladiator accessories.
"Adol Crosner" you're really doubling down on the red hair huh?
Might as well add Orlando in there.
I can't put my finger on which, but this reminds me SO MUCH of a battle theme from Sora no Kiseki SC! Which is it? Oh, this song is amazing though.
Shaya M. S. Silver will?
a hobo Yes! I think I was thinking of that and a bit of the Super Arrange Version of it, actually. :D
I have every intention of beating her. but after we unmasked her, her stat soar so high my normal attack deal 1 damage lmao. I just throw the match when I see that
First try lets goooo
Feel the great threat of my life
Mariabell was easy on normal difficulty, all she ever did was teleport me back to the initial position and summon monster that get one shotted by my all screen artes lol
While Jindo's EVO arrange is undoubtedly great musically, thematically (and musically personally), it is worse than the original.
First, let us analyze the music title: "Unfathomed force".
"Unfathomed" is a vocabulary that can be connotated to "mystery" and sometimes "danger". Keep this in mind.
Next, what was the original intended effect of this piece?
Yes, it is meant as a battle track against Arianrhod, which atm you fight her is the strongest antagonist you know of so far, to the point of her power level being "unfathomable".
Now let us analyze the music composition of the original track.
This track has a very notable motif at the beginning of the track and at 1:28 . What do you feel when you listen to it? Doesn't it give you a sense of... "mystery"? There's also a tinge of "holiness" that could be felt in its instrumentation of opera vocals. If we were to visualize this motif, it would be quite easy to form the image of a holy mist gathering around a person. (For this reason I will call this motif "mist" motif.)
Furthermore, if you think about it, the element of "mystery" and "holiness" really does well to describe the character of Arianrhod. She is *elegant* but *unfathomable* in power and that makes her very *dangerous* .
Continuing the track, at 0:20 , if we continue the prementioned imagery of the mist, the introduction of the cymbal clash plus the subdued manner of the brass playing makes it seem like the mist is spreading away from the person, and the fight is about to begin. Of course the most obvious explanation for the brass section is that the music is trying to hype up the tension and raise up the "epicness" factor of the fight. (The brass is played in a really subdued manner but it's nature of being a bass note helps it still stay obvious to the listener's ears)
Then the violin part comes. I'm pretty sure we all know why this part exists so I won't elaborate further.
What should be noted is that this section doesn't actually take that much space in the track.
At 1:27, the mist motif returns. This transition further helps to accentuate the character of Arianrhod to the listener.
Opera vocals returns and sings the same melody that we have heard at the beginning of the track.
Then at 2:05... electro guitar is introduced as main melody. While this may sound counter-productive to the theme of the composition on paper, in execution, the electro guitar is played in a really muted manner and almost blends in with the background piano that is playing the exact same melody. This section is the only instance of electric guitar being the main melody in the entire piece, and its style of presentation of being played in a blended manner with the piano suggests a blend of characteristic elements as well. Electric guitars are mainly known to be the main melody when an "Action/dangerous" event occurs, while piano takes a more elegant approach. Does this sound familiar? Yes, this connects back to Arianrhod's characteristic element of being both "dangerous" and "elegant". The blended nature of this section makes it so that the electric guitar doesn't take away the "mysterious" and "elegant" tone of this composition, and therefore its usage is perfectly fine in terms of the thematic context.
More violin comes
Mist motif returns.
Track cycles.
So now that we've went through the entire piece, what conclusions can we make?
- This is a piece that characterizes Arianrhod. (Elegant, dangerous, mysterious)
> Constant repetition of the "mist" motif supports this
> No blatant use of "harsh" instruments (Electro guitar section was extremely short and was played in a blended manner with the background piano; Brass section is played in a subdued manner, to the point of being able to form the image of a mist clearing up/spreading out)
*What is the main takeaway?*
*The instrumentation is done fking brilliantly. Not once did the atmosphere of "mystery and elegance" break even though tinges of "danger" were included in the track.*
*This is a prime example of the notion of "uncertainty/ominousness" conveying more sense of danger than other tracks composed in a loud manner.*
Now, let's look at EVO.
- Excellent violin performance (Although really a bit too quiet compared to the rest of the track)
- Extended original unfathomed force 2:37
- Electro guitar is HEAVILY INVOLVED
Honestly, the main issue I have with the EVO version is the overwhelming presence of electro guitar. (From bass section all the way to main melody). I think by now if you read what I had wrote earlier you would get what I mean. Basically it completely destroys the atmosphere of "mystery and elegance".
Well, you might argue that the electro guitar gives more sense of "danger" and "epicness" to the fight. While there is some shred of truth to this idea, I'd like to make the counter-argument of "less is more". Yes the original is played in a more subdued and mysterious manner than the EVO version, but it doesn't stop the original from being as, if not, MORE danger-inducing to the listener.
When a lister hear a "loud electro guitar" boss track, they think "Wow this fight is epic and dangerous." On the other hand, when a lister hears a "holy/elegant but mysterious" boss track, they think: "Shit why does it sound this sound elegant? What the fk am I going against? Am I screwed?".
An example of this idea being employed that is really close to the instance of unfathomed force would be "innocence's theme" from FFIV.
As for the extension at 2:37 of the EVO version. I honestly don't know what it contributes to the overall theme of the track. Perhaps it does serve a purpose but what I'm more concerned about is that it is dragging the melody for too long and is hindering the presence of the mist motif. Thus, the extension also in a way hurts the atmosphere of "mystery and elegance".
Musically and thematically, I prefer Original over EVO.
The "mystery and elegance" atmosphere of Unfathomed Force helps it be distinct from being a regular boss track, and solidifies its presence as "Arianrhod's theme".
For me, EVO is just another regular boss track composed in an excellent manner.
Wow, you're really, really good at analyzing music. Maybe you should try and join Josep's Composer Breakdown Project...
Though I think I still personally enjoy the EVO version more, I definitely see what you mean and agree with pretty much all your points. Everything in the instrumentation of the OG really does work thematically, probably Unisuga's genius as usual, and the mist motif is perfectly utilized. (Guess EVO (as usual lol) kinda missed the point.)
Damn that was one heck of an analysis! But thanks for the breakdown. I preferred the original over the evo version musically but since I didn't play ao yet, I didn't really know what it meant contextually. Thanks to your breakdown, I can really see why this track is truly a masterpiece both contextually and musically. And thanks for pointing out the electric guitar. I knew that something was out of place but I guess it was the electric guitar. It gives a more aggressive feeling when the track should have a more elegant feeling.
I more like mix version from channel ELHA
This is still a great breakdown to this day. You pretty much summed up why I generally detest "re-arranged game soundtracks" such as the EVO games. The arrangers almost constantly want to add "coolness" to their tracks that just completely ruin that thematic and musical presence the originals have. I feel not just this way with EVO, but also with Felghana, Ys Chronicles, etc. When I listen to these soundtracks, I don't feel like I'm listening to music that can be appreciated in-game and out, I feel like I'm listening to music where the artists are, to quote a certain VGMdb thread, "stroking their musical-genius-peen". A good, non-Falcom example of this is Xenoblade Definitive Edition's arrangement of "Engage the Enemy"; The volume is bolstered, making it more action-y and ruining the subtle emotional pulls of the original, and that obnoxiously loud singer near the end is one of the most laughable things I've ever heard. Don't get me wrong, it's impressive, but way too overpowering. When you get to that part in-game, it literally drowns out everything else; it's impossible not to notice it and it ruins the flow of the scenes it plays it. I generally like DE's arrangements but this one sticks out like a sore thumb, made even worse by the fact that the original is my favourite track in the whole game.
A good arrange soundtrack would be Ys Complete; there are new sections, but they don't exist for the sole purpose of showing off, they exist to help develop the track further _naturally_ and add a unique flavour to the tracks, where the arrangers can add their own personalisations to the tracks without using them to essentially wank their musical skill. "Termination" is one of the best arrangements I've ever heard, staying faithful to the emotions and feel of the original whilst also having enough new/different things to make it feel fresh. Most of all, it only enhances the game, and doesn't detract from it.
I feel like a part of it is the objectively wrong ideas that live instrumentation > VSTs/synth/samples, and that four-minute/long tracks are somehow better than two-minute/shorter tracks. I haven't listened to Secret of Mana 2018's OST, but from what I've heard it does this to the point of feeling like an arrangement album just shoehorned into a video game, which is jarring to say the least. This only stifles creativity and the great thematic presence of video game music, in my opinion. I don't have a problem with a game having a score that sounds like a "movie soundtrack", or trying to sound like """""real""""" music, I have a problem when they try to twist music that _aren't_ those, into those. Essentially, if you try to chase two rabbits, you will not catch either.
Sorry for rambling on like this, but re-visiting this comment got my brain going lmao.
POV: you broke the wrong helmet
A wonderful Heroes of Might and Magic 3-player sent me here. This song is amazing!
As a fan of Both Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and Trails (though I haven't played the former lately), I approve :).
Who is this cultured man. I have played HoMM3 and Trails too.
Zero field !
And then you realized you set the wrong S-Break..
@@sayadewa9963 oof
Stephen Perdana AAAAAAAAAAAA
I was so glad this showed up in CS3
and then she went down like a chump
Very cool 👍
Just beat her on hard, I dread fighting her on nightmare. Tio saved my ass with this fight with her healing and zero field, not bringing her for this fight might just border on suicide.
01:28
I almost (almost) put the game down on this fight.
Just felt like a Souls boss, where you get your ass kicked so badly that you wonder if there is even a way to win (in this case, survive) this fight.
I had to come back and change a lot of my build to try again.
So epic
Fine, i Will set this Song as my wake up tune, so i Will wake up, like i have to to defeat arianrhod to reach my goals
misete minasai anata tachi no kakugo
If only this played in Cold Steel 4 when you fought her Rivalry.
It's a fucking travesty that you don't get to hear this theme one last time.
@@notdryad indeed, no idea why did that, really bothered me during the fight
@@Noktum85 Yeah, though the fight itself was awesome, the music didn't feel as impactful as this beautiful piece.
I got PTSD flashbacks with this theme played against her and the stahlritters on CS3. Good thing she removed her helmet cheat.
*earth guard* *earth guard* *hurricane spin* *hurricane spin* *spark dyne* *spark dyne*
All i did to beat this boss lol
Shuffle Shuffle!
0:00
Best boss battle theme ever
If you really think about her arc took 7 years to complete
The unfathomed force was nerfed.
Kid
@@OTioRean shut up
@@d3ly746 nope,you shut up
@@OTioRean nope you shut up
She really did, its like they are trying to build up the other OP characters in the universe and in erebonia on other OP characters expense, if Zermuria truly have all these OP fighters all over the place then they better stop over hyping certain characters then nerf them, same thing they did to cassius, first he was treated like a god , then they would change the tone to "even cassius couldnt bla bla bla", this shit never stops in Trails its driving me crazy.
Arianrhod... I kneel.
...Okay, for some reason I can't remember if a remix of this played against Arianrhod when you fought her in Cold Steel 3.
This version played in CS3
@@JRPGforlife Oh, so they just recycled it then instead of a new arrangement. That was the part I couldn't remember tbh (I knew it played I just couldn't remember if it was recycled or not).
Should have played in CS4 I like Belif SAV but this is HER theme
i definitely enjoyed listening to this for a good hour trying to beat arianrhod haha
Obligatory comment after defeating Azure's Arianrhod for the first time. My God, what an amazing fight
Steel Maiden 🤤
"Snaps Fingers"
0:34
A리플렉스, 다크 매터, 레이징 휠, 아다마스 가드
BOSS Fight
SPOILERS FOR COLD STEEL 4
I'm going to miss this legend Rufus was a bitch for that sneak attack. RIP Lianne the Lance Maiden
@Henrique Vasconcelos Haven't played it yet guess i'll have to find out for myself and see
I can hear some of cold steel in this oddly enough lol
Even in very easy I couldn't defeat her
She's difficult, for sure, but not impossible. There are plenty of strategies involved, such as high-evasion Lloyd + Zero Field Tio for example. (Zero Field being used before Arianrhod uses an S-Craft, if you can predict it.)