Monday, September 5, 2016

Fire Emblem 4 - Genealogy of the Holy War Part 8 - The Awesome Soundtrack

The Soundtrack

                 If I had to pick a game that had the title of “Most Underrated Soundtrack in the Series” it would be Holy War. Holy War has an AMAZING soundtrack that does not get the love and recognition that it rightfully deserves. One understated benefit of having only 12 maps is that each map gets its own unique song. I really love that about Holy War. I can listen to the song of each individual map and recognize what part of Jugdral the player’s in. This game has a plethora of awesome tracks so let’s jump in.

               My favorite map theme in the entire series happens to be “Birth of a Holy Knight” aka the very first map theme in Holy War:



               This track just feels very regal and noble. It makes you feel like you’re “going on an adventure”. It hooked me into the game when I first played it. It still hooks me in whenever I listen to it. It’s the perfect song to start an epic game with.

                The next map theme after that feels….kind of nostalgic actually. It’s weird because Holy War was my fourth game that I played and the first non-US released Fire Emblem game that I ever played. I was in high school when I played it so Holy War does bring back memories. Anyway, I love the map theme in Chapter 1:



               Since we’re on the topic of other map themes, there’s Chapter 5. Holy crap is that chapter’s theme appropriate for the situation at hand. It comes across as a slow, tragic march to your doom. It sets the perfect tone for the Massacre of Barhara. I always get a feeling of dread and anxiety whenever listening to this, because I know what’s going to happen next. Chapter 5 of Holy War still remains as the bloodiest chapter in Fire Emblem history. So many feels….




                 Then there’s Chapter 10. Chapter 10 has a very hopeful feeling that’s energetic and youthful, kind of like the army in the second generation. It’s upbeat and wonderful.



It also sounds familiar. Now where have I heard this theme before?


                       Oh yeah. It’s the track that Path of Radiance used in its Trial Map. Boy does it sound awesome here! I remember geeking out about this when I made the connection and I think it’s so cool that my two favorite games share a track.

                 Then of course there’s the final track in the game. I love how it’s a youthful, energetic remix of the track from the first map. It gives one the feeling that we’ve come full circle. We started in Grandbell on an epic adventure and now we’re ending this fight in Grandbell at the end of a long and epic road. Heck you even start out from the exact same castle too and everything. It’s the perfect theme for a final map.



                  I kinda get sad because I know that Holy War is almost over whenever I hear this song, but I can’t help but love it. It’s an awesome remix of my favorite map theme.

                   There are other tracks I really enjoy too. For example, Holy War has my favorite theme for when the player initiates an attack on the enemy:



                    LOVE this theme! It gets you pumped for battle. I can listen to this theme over and over and over and over and over again. This theme has reappeared twice in the series if my recollection serves me. Obviously it came back in one of the DLC for Awakening and the other time was when Binding Blade remixed this song for its arena theme:



                       Binding Blade was the next game that I played after Holy War. I remember geeking out when I recognized that the arena music was a remix of Holy War’s. Even when Holy War’s player offensive theme gets remixed it still sounds incredible.

                      Then there’s my favorite boss theme of all time: Julius’s. (What? Did you think I was going to say Alvis?)

                    
                       I LOVE dat organ music! It’s SO COOL! (sonofab****. + 10 points if you know what I’m referencing) I always get disappointed when my fight with Julius ends, because I freaking love that theme.

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