Wednesday, Dec 13, 2006
I've noticed more than a few people have criticised The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for lacking orchestrated music (apart from a couple of select songs that'll blow your mind) and I don't disagree with this. Orchestrated music evokes certain feelings that MIDI simply cannot, and TP definitely could have used more of the stuff.
However, MIDI isn't always a bad thing. What it does allow is dynamic switches in tone and mood, changes that are practically instant. Orchestrated music can achieve this to an extent but it has historically been much more effective with MIDI.
So, TP does use MIDI. It also contains one of the best soundtracks of the Zelda series. Though a lot of it is not instantly memorable like Gerudo Valley or the Dark World in A Link to the Past, it certainly delivers in the audio section, with nearly every tune perfectly fitting each of the varied areas in the game. My favourite would have to be a piano version of the TP overworld theme, but I won't show it to you guys because it hits at exactly the right moment, and I'd rather you guys experience that.
What I will do however is provide a link to the regular overworld theme in Twilight Princess. Here it is (you'll probably have to copy and paste it into your address bar above:
http://www.thehylia.com/media/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=0
You'll be hearing this a lot in Twilight Princess. It's simply amazing to charge through the huge overworld on Epona with this amazing tune blaring out the speakers. I would say it's my favourite overworld theme in the Zelda series - yep, even better than the much-loved original tune. It's MIDI, but it does contain some serious advantages that orchestrated music would struggle to bring.
The version you're listening to right now is played when you're riding on Epona through the overworld. However, if you step off the horse, you'll find that the music quickly becomes more subdued - it's the game tune, but quieter and more subtle. It immediately creates an effect, forcing you to realise you're on your own and not with your trusted horse. It's a very simple thing, but it's really quite powerful. Even better is when an airborne enemy is approaching. This awesome tune will seamlessly translate into battle music that still manages to contain the original tune. Defeat the enemy and the overworld seamlessly picks up again in full force. This impact on the player cannot be underestimated.
So, yeah, I certainly wish more of TP's music was orchestrated. But is MIDI all that bad? Nope.
However, MIDI isn't always a bad thing. What it does allow is dynamic switches in tone and mood, changes that are practically instant. Orchestrated music can achieve this to an extent but it has historically been much more effective with MIDI.
So, TP does use MIDI. It also contains one of the best soundtracks of the Zelda series. Though a lot of it is not instantly memorable like Gerudo Valley or the Dark World in A Link to the Past, it certainly delivers in the audio section, with nearly every tune perfectly fitting each of the varied areas in the game. My favourite would have to be a piano version of the TP overworld theme, but I won't show it to you guys because it hits at exactly the right moment, and I'd rather you guys experience that.
What I will do however is provide a link to the regular overworld theme in Twilight Princess. Here it is (you'll probably have to copy and paste it into your address bar above:
http://www.thehylia.com/media/displayimage.php?album=search&cat=0&pos=0
You'll be hearing this a lot in Twilight Princess. It's simply amazing to charge through the huge overworld on Epona with this amazing tune blaring out the speakers. I would say it's my favourite overworld theme in the Zelda series - yep, even better than the much-loved original tune. It's MIDI, but it does contain some serious advantages that orchestrated music would struggle to bring.
The version you're listening to right now is played when you're riding on Epona through the overworld. However, if you step off the horse, you'll find that the music quickly becomes more subdued - it's the game tune, but quieter and more subtle. It immediately creates an effect, forcing you to realise you're on your own and not with your trusted horse. It's a very simple thing, but it's really quite powerful. Even better is when an airborne enemy is approaching. This awesome tune will seamlessly translate into battle music that still manages to contain the original tune. Defeat the enemy and the overworld seamlessly picks up again in full force. This impact on the player cannot be underestimated.
So, yeah, I certainly wish more of TP's music was orchestrated. But is MIDI all that bad? Nope.
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Posted Dec 13, 2006 9:00 am PT
Eh, MIDI is nowhere near as sweeping and epic as orchestrated music. Sure it works and even changes super fast, but a title like Zelda deserves orchestrated music.
Posted Dec 13, 2006 6:04 pm PT
Meh, as long as the sound of things exploding is coming through clearly, I'm indifferent.
Posted Dec 13, 2006 9:13 pm PT
@ drummerX.MIDI is cool, I admit - I haven't heard any of it enough in Twilight Princess to judge whether it suits the game, but in other games it's pretty good. Neon is right, Zelda could have used - no wait, DESERVED - orchestrated music and orchestrated music often adds a hell of a lot to the atmosphere, but hey, I'm not much of an audio junkie in games, I often play on mute, so I don't mind either way. Great blog.
Posted Dec 14, 2006 7:14 am PT
Hmm, I see what you mean. But still, after playing games like Dragon Quest 8 and Shadow of the Colossus, with their fully orchestrated music, the midis in the Cube version of Zelda TP don't seem so crisp and real. I think that no matter how good the music is (which in TP's case is very good), you have to admit that it was a compromise and a lot of it would have been better with orchestrated music.
Posted Dec 15, 2006 4:38 am PT
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