25 - Xenogears

The Valley Where Wind is Born



Yasunori Mitsuda is a genius, and rest assured, we will be seeing more of him before this list is over. When I listen to VGM, it often serves as the soundtrack to my life - whether I'm going to sleep, working on something competitive or difficult, or just trying to maintain a mellow disposition. The latter is the state in which I find myself more often than not. As such, I love mellow, atmospheric songs, and The Valley Where Wind is Born is one of my favorites. When I listen to it, I envision sitting beside a lake or a pond, maybe even by a dirt path where the comings and goings of a rustic town whisk by me. If I had to narrow it down to one word, it would be "idyllic".

June Mermaid



June Mermaid is in a similar vein, but it radiates nostalgia and somber brooding rather than contentment. I'm not really sure why I love this song so much - given the choice, I'd rather feel content than sorrowful. But sometimes, it really can't be helped, and in those times, about the only solace I find is in a song like this, which makes me feel like someone somewhere knows how I feel. In a way, it almost serves as permission - a tacit statement that feeling this way sometimes is okay. Overall, this song makes me feel as though I'm beholding something so beautiful it is unreachable, and the emotion of the song is the emotion I feel as I ponder my inability to touch such beauty. 1:30 is the moment at which that realization hits.

One Who Bares Fangs at God



One Who Bares Fangs at God is the incredibly unusual final boss theme. Most final boss themes are energetic, chaotic, and a little bit scary - this accomplishes the latter, but in a very understated way. The underlying repeated pattern gives a creepy vibe to the entire piece. When the simulated vocals kick in, you start to feel the gravity of the situation, and during their second pattern, it hits you dead-on. Even as the different instruments fade in and out, the entire piece feels somewhat hollow, which makes things even more creepy. This seems fitting, as the final boss encounter in this game is one you fight alone.

Bonds of Sea and Fire



I always think of water when I hear repeated harp sounds like the ones in Bonds of Sea and Fire. This piece feels more contemplative than content, but peaceful nonetheless. I like to listen to it when I'm pondering something complicated. During the second segment, I feel as though the main melody is a bit too overwhelming for some reason, but the overall vibe matches how I want to feel when I'm figuring something out.

Faraway Promise



Faraway Promise is a wistful music box melody that echoes the main theme of the game's vocal track, Small Two of Pieces (sic). That's not a bad song, but I chose not to include it because for me, the awkward English translation is incredibly distracting, and the singer is too melodramatic for the tone of the piece. This piece is full-on nostalgia tinged with regret, and it makes me think of all the decisions I wish I had made, the risks I chose not to take, and the people I loved and left behind. I don't like thinking about those things too much, but it's important to remember every now and again...

Flight



Lastly, we come to Flight, a song which as I detailed earlier may be single-handedly responsible for starting my fascination with VGM. If you really need a song that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything, look no further. When the main melody kicks in, if you close your eyes, you might just feel like you're really flying. However, when the third section of the song kicks in at 2:23, it makes you think like you might fall, and that might be the most interesting part of the song to me, brief as it is. If I was the kind of person who had dreams, this song would make me want to go realize them.