Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack

In his first time at the reins of a primary installment in the Final Fantasy series, Hitoshi Sakimoto continues the series' progression away from the simple if accessible melodies of early installments towards a more complex and atmospheric sound increasingly present since Final Fantasy X. Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack offers some promising endeavors towards this new course but not without frequently making the listener wait or even suffer for them.

Town and environment themes are a staple element of any RPG score and are F12OST's strongest area. "Royal Capital Rabanastre ~ City Upper Ground" may not be as immediately catchy as an old-school FF town theme, but its more subtle approach is no less endearing in the way the lighthearted flute lead and plucked strings coexist with more regal undertones. "Rabanastre Downtown" loses the regal tone for a more pedestrian feel, which makes the New Age sounding segment that comes at the peak all the more inspiring. The floaty melody and mellow wind and string instrumentation in "The Skycity of Bhujerba" perfectly convey its namesake atmosphere, and the highly charged brass and eccentric choral samples in "The Phon Coast" have a sci-fi feel perfect for recent Final Fantasies. It's impressive how tracks like these can portray a convincing fantasy world without even the assistance of a single polygon or pixel.

Along with the varied exploration pieces are some compositions in the latter half of the set that are just beautiful. "Time of Rest" and "An Hour of Rest" are as soothing as their titles would suggest, and the lead flute in "Eruyt Village" is beautiful to the point of virtuosity. But they pale in comparison to "To the Place of the Gods", an ethereal, mysterious piece with a climax that is indeed almost transcendental and takes its place among the Final Fantasy classics.

Another staple element of any RPG score is the battle music and here once again FF12 excels, providing the most exciting suite of fighting themes since FF8 and perhaps FF7, the series pinnacle in this area. Sakimoto realize this and provides teasers from two such tracks ("The Strike of a Blade" and "Fight to the Death") in "Loop Demo" right at the beginning. In their full versions both are instrumental tours de force with simple but rousing climaxes. Even better is "Boss Battle", which begins relative subtly but is adrenaline-pumping at its peak.

Although notable for its departure in style from early FF soundtracks, FF12 does feature some throwbacks to classic series material, including a pleasingly mellow take on the chocobo theme in "Chocobo (FFXII Version)" and an exciting mock-orchestral version of FF5's "Clash on the Big Bridge". Accompanying these are completely original themes that capture the classic Final Fantasy spirit without sounding dated or rehashed. "Clan Headquarters" is a bouncy, upbeat piece that would fit nicely in an old school Final Fantasy, while boasting some classical sensibilities to boot. "Secret Practice" is lighthearted and just a tad zany, but not to the point of childishness as would sometimes happen in previous efforts.

While the more refined sound in FF12OST is refreshing, sometimes it's subtle to a fault. "Symptoms of Change", for example, although perhaps making fine BGM for a dark, damp dungeon or "ominous decision" scene, is easy to listen completely through without even noticing it's there. Then there are the tracks that are downright annoying, like the atonal and random "Abyss".

However the problem with FF12OST is more a matter of multitude than of magnitude. As with most multi-disc RPG OSTs, FF12 has its share of filler - over two full discs' worth. Disc 2 consists mostly of tracks that while capably composed are boring, along with tracks like "Abyss" that are outright annoying. Disc 4 as well is consistently dull, with the exceptions of "The Cerobe Step" and the aforementioned "To the Place of the Gods". Disappointingly the longest tracks are generally the less eventful ones - "Theme of the Empire" doesn't make a strong enough statement to be a theme for anything, and "The Battle for Freedom" meanders about aimlessly until finally finding its course all too briefly at the driving climax.

Following their SNES heyday, Final Fantasy OSTs have not been known for their sound quality, but FF12 takes a step towards remedying that. The brass and percussion samples are much higher in quality than before, but what really stands out is the masterful use of percussion. Sakimoto perfectly uses rolling snares to add intensity and plucked strings to liven things up, along with less conventional instrumentation like the claps in "Rabanastre Downtown", which while not immediately noticeable do add a certain amount of variety and character to the soundtrack. Nonetheless as with Sakimoto's score to Final Fantasy Tactics, and indeed many game OSTs, the synth instruments start to blend into each other during prolonged listens. The relative complexity of Sakimoto's compositions really calls for a live orchestral performance and all the added detail that comes with it.

Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack has numerous outstanding tracks that deserve to be heard by series fans and non-fans alike, so it's a pity to see them diluted by such a large amount of filler. As a single or double disc best-of set it would be a very solid purchase, and a symphonic suite arranged album of such material could easily make for a classic. In its current state, however, it's relegated to Sakimoto aficionados and Final Fantasy followers willing to endure a substantial amount of tedium to enjoy some promising glimpses at a potential new direction for the series.