Feature | MusiCube: Final Symphony (Album Review)

The next three tracks comprise music from Final Fantasy X. Piano is more prominent here, with one or more pianos often leading the charge, accompanied by the rest of the orchestra. These movements tend to be calmer, with a lot of elegance and beauty at the forefront of the tracks. The third movement, "Kessen" is still heavily reliant on piano, but otherwise has a much faster, energetic pace, conveying a sense of urgency. After this is an encore piece, "Suteki Da Ne," a piano solo that gracefully closes the Final Fantasy X segment of the album. Final Fantasy VII music takes over from there, with three movements and an encore. Part one, "Nibelheim Incident," takes its time getting started with a slow, ambient intro, but soon turns into a loud, dynamic composition representing some of the game's more intense pieces. "Words Drowned by Fireworks" mostly reflects the game's calmer moments, some upbeat and others melancholy. "The Planet's Crisis" is somewhat a mix of the two, flowing between loud, energetic tunes and softer, peaceful ones. The encore, "Continue?" quietly closes the Final Fantasy VII movement of the symphony. Following is a second encore, "Fight, Fight, Fight!" which encompasses various battle music from the series.

9/10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Fantasy and symphony go hand-in-hand, and Final Symphony skilfully blends music from one of gaming's most-loved franchises, flowing well and beautifully representing the magic and emotion found in the games. It leans toward the dark-and-heavy side, but on the whole is a wonderful collection of some of the series' most recognisable tracks, arranged beautifully into a coherent symphony.