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I'm honestly left with mix feelings after hearing the new music rendition of Dragon Quest XI Switch

zashga

zashga

Losing is fun
Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,192
Haven't played the demo, but I'm not holding out hope for this OST to be saved by orchestration. DQ11 has one of the most mediocre soundtracks I've heard in an RPG. Getting to a cool new area of the world (or having the context of an existing area completely changed by the story) and hearing that same, awful overworld theme kick in was always disappointing.

I'm spoiled by RPGs like Xenoblade or Octopath Traveler, which have multiple (excellent) themes for different areas of the world. If DQ wants to stick with the old style of one universal overworld theme, they need to get someone who can at least compose a good one. Sugiyama apparently can't anymore.
 
SteelBeast6Beets

SteelBeast6Beets

Banned
May 13, 2019
1,589
How much of the DQXI soundtrack is original work anyway? I recall reading somewhere that most of it are just remixes of older stuff.
 
Mauricio_Magus

Mauricio_Magus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,003
The damn field song almost drived me insane after 100+ hours and I was playing with the orchestrated mod.

The fact that you can apparently change it to the DQ8 one is the reason this is the definitive edition of the damn game.
 

Deleted member 51845

user requested account closure
Banned
Jan 10, 2019
199
Yep. I don't follow any of the controversy of the composer, I genuinely just feel this series never had fun/engaging music.

Oddly enough, I enjoy classical music in games, just not from this series.
 
Asbsand

Asbsand

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
9,901
Denmark
SilverX said:
The style of the original Dragon Quest XI kind of comes at you and just feels more alive. It may not be as sweet and airy as the orchestrated version, but it feels better fitting for the game.
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I would go as far as to make a case that MIDI still has its place in gaming. I also agree OP. As someone who thought Mario Galaxy had great music I still didn't appreciate the wholly symphonic style for Mario, for the same reason I don't really need voice acting in certain games. I think MIDI has a charm about it and "cheaper" music sometimes just fits the audiovisual 'scape' better.
 
Xtortion

Xtortion

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,637
United States
The orchestrated OST sounds better in terms of instruments but it also sounds more airy and disconnected from the experience imo.
 
Valcrist

Valcrist

Tic-Tac-Toe Champion
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,687
DaciaJC said:
I've never played Dragon Quest before, but goodness, this is a beautiful composition. Classical is my favorite genre of music, so I wonder, are the rest of the games in this series similarly composed?
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The thing about this series is that all of the music since the start was composed for orchestra first and then they made chiptune (or later, midi-ish) versions of those songs which are used in the games and used them as sort of a springboard to sell concert tickets and orchestral albums. It has been done that way ever since, so most of the games don't have the orchestral versions of the music unfortunately as the composer uses the orchestral versions to make his cut on the side.

DQ5 PS2 (it has a fan translation), DQ7 3DS, DQ8 PS2 (Maybe 3DS too?) have the orchestral versions of the music. Not sure what else.
 
DaciaJC

DaciaJC

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,685
DarknessTear said:
The thing about this series is that all of the music since the start was composed for orchestra first and then they made chiptune (or later, midi-ish) versions of those songs which are used in the games and used them as sort of a springboard to sell concert tickets and orchestral albums. It has been done that way ever since, so most of the games don't have the orchestral versions of the music unfortunately as the composer uses the orchestral versions to make his cut on the side.

DQ5 PS2 (it has a fan translation), DQ7 3DS, DQ8 PS2 (Maybe 3DS too?) have the orchestral versions of the music. Not sure what else.
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I see. Thank you for the info!
 
AtomicShroom

AtomicShroom

Tools & Automation
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
3,075
Protmind said:
Agreed, it's all bad. I never understood any of the praise for it.
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Same. It's just barely passable compared to Uematsu and the like. And I don't understand how/why the composer maintains such a stronghold on his music rights when it's so average. They should just ditch him and get someone else to compose.
 

Deleted member 13101

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
17,973
The live-instrument version sounds like an ensemble playing verbatim some midi-orchestrated music. It's "fine", but there are orchestration techniques that would be employed to make the music sound more "symphonic" or "mood-driven" or "presence-building" or what have you.

To me, the main battle theme sounds like the theme to an old TV show "Get Smart". When I hear the battle music with Gemma's commentary, I can't help but think "Would you believe...crumbs!"
 
Mental Atrophy

Mental Atrophy

Member
Oct 30, 2017
759
DaciaJC said:
I've never played Dragon Quest before, but goodness, this is a beautiful composition. Classical is my favorite genre of music, so I wonder, are the rest of the games in this series similarly composed?
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I recommend the music from Dragon Quest 7. The game itself is easily the sloggiest of the series, but its music is gorgeously dark. Here's one of the overworld tracks. Observe how it absolutely crushes DQ11 and really sets the mood for an adventure in a world oppressed by darkness:

 
jb1234

jb1234

Very low key
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,224
DaciaJC said:
I've never played Dragon Quest before, but goodness, this is a beautiful composition. Classical is my favorite genre of music, so I wonder, are the rest of the games in this series similarly composed?
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Up to 7, DQ had legit great soundtracks. 8 still had great tracks but the quality starts to loosen and it only goes downhill from there with 11 being the nadir. And in recent games, Sugiyama has proven unable or unwilling to write the amount of music that their length needs and so they've borrowed a lot from past DQ games to fill in the gaps.
 
Nanashrew

Nanashrew

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,328
sanstesy said:



Yeah. Imagine if the original Xenoblade Chronicles opened its overworld with this instead of Gaur Plains and used that track in almost every open environment.

Even orchestrated the soundtrack is mediocre but at least it's inoffensive.
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DQ11's overworld is way too marching band for my liking. Thankfully DQ8 overworld music will be a thing though and it is sooooooo much better.
 
milkyway

milkyway

One Winged Slayer
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May 17, 2018
3,004
Boy lot's of mediocre music in this thread, these days I'm just too snobby about it to want to buy any game without at least a decent soundtrack, and DQ music is just not doing it for me at all. Thankfully the Switch has been killing it with most of its exclusives (BotW, Odyssey, Splatoon 2, XBC2, Fire Emblem TH, Octopath Traveler, even Kirby Star Allies)
 
carlosrox

carlosrox

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,270
Vancouver BC
The orchestral variants are grand, and some midi ones are good.

Some tracks are crap but others are great.

That's all there is to it.

11 may not be the best in the series musically but damn if it's not still easy on the ears in the Switch version.
 
Nacho

Nacho

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,108
NYC
This is the hottest of takes. Listening to them side by side, I think there is something legitimately wrong with OP.
 
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