What do you think of the music?

[ZetaBladeX13]

I'm rather serious when it comes to BGM and consider them to be as much of a spoiler as plot details, but this will have to do for now~


* Town, etc. music:

- Intro: Has a very mysterious and foreboding feel to it, much better than that of I & II.

- Armoroad Main town theme: Nothing special, only slightly better than elevator music.

- Royal/Government Theme: Not good, not bad. Gets the job done. To be honest, it's rather reminiscent of the world map theme from the first Golden Axe.

[hide] - Deep City theme: A bit better than Armoroad's theme. Gives you a sense of wonder, staring at the giant tree and barrier at the bottom of the ocean. At the same time however, it gives off a bit of an unnatural/artificial vibe.

- Deep Palace theme: A very slow, peaceful, and wondrous theme. No underlying feeling of malice can be found in this song, only the desire for truth remains.[/hide]

- Guild House theme: on par with that of EOI's, which I found better than II's

- Harbor theme: not bad, definitely has that "seafaring" feel to it.

- Shop/town night theme: Rather interesting piece of music. The notes really are all over the place on this one. Despite this, it almost feels new every time I hear it (it's not especially memorable). Makes you feel like you're moving around town on a cool night, stocking up on whatever it is you may need.

[hide] - Deep City shop/town night theme: This one's actually a bit catchy. For a shop/night town theme, it's very upbeat. Makes you feel as if your meeting with the shop/innkeeper is a rather friendly/routine one, despite only recently reaching the ocean floor.[/hide]

- Seafaring theme: pretty good, actually. Seems to have had as much time and effort put into it's composition as a main stratum theme. Gives one an upbeat feeling on their journey into the great unknown.


* Stratum Music:

- 1st Stratum: Has a bit of a mystical feel to it. Quite fitting for the theme of the 1st stratum in a game taking place 100 years after EOII. "Welcome adventurers, to these beautiful ruins in paradise." However, the second half of the song is... okay, but nothing special. Better than the 1st stratum theme in EOII, but EOI's is still king.

- 2nd Stratum: Gives off a slightly tense atmosphere filled with wonder as you [hide]travel through these air pockets/paths in the ocean seemingly created by Moses or something[/hide]. However the song as a whole is not very memorable and is rather "meh" compared to the 2nd stratum theme in EOII, and even the "meh" 2nd stratum theme in EOI. The first part of the song seriously reminds me of the underwater stage in World of Illusion on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive. The second half of the song makes you fear that there's an FOE around every corner, but gets on your nerves rather quickly.
(TL:DR II > I > III)

- 3rd Stratum: [hide]Journey to the center of the earth and Lava Reef Zone (from Sonic & Knuckles) come to mind when traversing the near visually searing environment[/hide]. Rather fitting theme, but the majority of the song is very repetitive and can get annoying at times. Near the end of the song comes a rather quiet part that truly reminds me of the "Red Mountain" theme from Bomberman 64. This part almost makes you feel the tension in the air [hide]as you quietly walk down the lava-filled paths of the 3rd stratum[/hide].
So in this case: II > I > III.

- 4th Stratum: Despite how simple and rather repetitive the first half of the song is, I can't help but like it. [hide]Filled with mystery, it makes you wonder exactly went on here. It almost feels sad. The second half really begins to make you feel for those who once traveled this mysterious place. I guess it really is a sad theme that tries to convey the feelings of those from this lost part of history.[/hide] Not quite as good as the astounding 4th Stratum theme of EOII, it still utterly destroys the 4th Stratum theme in EOI (which I rather disliked).
(II > III > I)

- 5th Stratum: Wow, I was really impressed by this one. Not quite as much as the 4th Stratum theme in EOII and not even close to that of the 5th Stratum theme in EOI, but it's still really good. [hide]At the start, I was a bit confused as to where the song was going, but when it suddenly picked up and became some sort of musical march, I was hooked. This songs brings out so many different feelings... There is both the sadness and joy it gives, as it almost tells the adventurers "this is it, the time of truth is almost at hand" and "your adventure is drawing to a close". The pity one may feel for certain characters is also rather evident in the song. Hmm.... what I wrote about it doesn't really make much sense to me, but I don't really know how else to explain it[/hide].
(I > III > II)

[hide]- 6th Stratum: Almost surprised me as much as the 4th stratum in EOII and the 5th stratum in EOI. Gives off an unmistakable feeling of malice emanating from a most dreadful evil lurking deep within. A truly sinister and otherworldly theme. the second half of the theme gets slightly repetitive, but it still sends it's ominous message quite well. Ever so slightly better than the 6th stratum in EOI, but since it's so different from the one in EOII, I'll have to call it a draw.[/hide]
(III >= II > I)


* Battle Music:

- 1st Random Battle: Where to begin to describe this song....? I'd have to say that my favorites are in this order: I > III > II (not that it means too much because they are all so good @_@). It gives off a unique feel that I can only explain as one that says "a new grand adventure has begun!". Takes a lot longer to get into the bulk of the song compared to the ones in I & II.

- F.O.E. theme: Not quite as addictive as the original, but is without a doubt better than the one in EOII. This theme gets right down to business as you get pummeled by your first few FOEs to this quick and tense track, and still manages to remain rather catchy throughout the rest of the game.

- 2nd Random Battle: Pretty good, not as amazing as Destruction Begets Decay (EOI), but it really tries to be. Maybe a little too hard, as the second half of the song gets rather boring after hearing it for FOUR strata in a row.
(I > II >= III)

- Stratum Boss: Much more heavy and fast paced than the boss themes in I & II. While the first part is really great, it starts to lose it's feeling later in the song.
(I ~ II ~ III)

- Sea Quest Boss: Blows the FOE and Stratum Boss themes out of the water (no pun intended). When this song's playing, it makes you feel like you and your party can conquer anything, all the while standing up against a fearsome beast on the open seas. Quite awe-inspiring.

- Final Boss: Significantly better than the themes for the final bosses in I & II. Picks up rather quickly, but it just adds the "now is the moment of truth!" atmosphere. It somehow manages to stay rather catchy and tense throughout the entire song, even with a bit of a drop close to the end of the song. It also loops rather nicely.
(III > I > II)

- Scatter About [hide](Dragons' theme)[/hide]: Nothing new here, just another arrangement of this rather tenacious theme. I still prefer the one from EOI, but it's nice to hear a new take on an old song like this.
(I >= II ~ III)

- [hide]Cthulhu's Theme: One of the best boss songs I've ever heard, let alone composed by Yuzo Koshiro. Truly unexpected, as no boss' theme ever really changed except for the final boss in EOII. Even so, I was unprepared for the awesomeness that is this theme. This song just plain reeks of evil and is truly fitting for the most sinister entity to ever rear it's ugly head in the Etrian Odyssey Universe.
[/hide]There isn't really anything to compare this song to in EOI/II. The closest thing would have to be the 6th stratum random battle themes (since there ISN'T ONE in EOIII). But since this is a boss song, I won't compare it to random battle BGM.

That's it for now. This took me quite a while to put together, but it's not as in depth as I would've liked it to be. If I feel like it, I may also comment on the "event" BGM a bit later. Maybe. (I'm glad I copied it to wordpad before I submitted it, because the forum logged me out before I was done).


Not including this sentence, this was well over 1,500 words XD

[Dario]

[SAL]

[Mr.Hero17]

I've never played the first two EO's so I was actually really surprised by how much I like the music in the third game. Sometimes I'll close the game and the songs will still be stuck in my head :p

[Etrian Veteran]

[DylanKaneda]