Motoi Sakuraba

As Final Fantasy fans, we all know the name Nobuo Uematsu.
Also maybe some of us know those other two or three people who worked on later FF games.

More people know the name MItsuda as he gave us the classics CHrono Cross and Xenogears.

And then there's the person who worked on Kingdom Hearts and everyone loves.

But what about the man, the myth, the legend, Sakuraba
Motoi Sakuraba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Look at the list of games. Even though the uncultured masses of this forum don't seem to appreciate Baten Kaitos, I'm sure there are Tales fans here? Star Ocean too. Valkyrie Profile and Golden Sun.

The man loves his synth and prog rock but he does them both so wonderfully. It really sets him apart from other big names in the industry.



But he can pull off epic orchestral pieces as well as anyone.



So let's talk about how awesome his music is and our favorite songs/albums of his.

That is indeed quite the resume although sad to say I haven't played any of his games. That will probably change soon whenever I dive into Shining Force III and you will be held accountable Forsaken!

valkyrie profile ost helped me survive undergrad

He's definitely really great, but I wouldn't rank him above Uematsu or Mitsuda. Probably not above Hiroki KIkuta (Mana series) either. That said I still have yet to listen to a number of his most important soundtracks, so there is that.

I would in my opinion, rate him equal, if not above, Uematsu. I know a lot of people might find that a tad "controversial" but his music has connected with me so much, especially the soundtrack for Star Ocean: The Second Story. That soundtrack made me feel wonder, sadness, fear, power and happiness all in one game. The soundtrack is one of the main reasons I name TSS my favourite all-time game.

Key songs from The Second Story are:

Theme of Rena (this is the arranged version. The original is only a minute and a half long). This song is, in my opinion, one of the saddest RPG songs ever written:


Stab the Sword of Justice. Anyone who has played The Last Hope will recognise this song as being the battle theme on En II:


Pure A Stream. This song plays in the first village of Expel, Arlia. It really captures the feelings of wonder and curiosity upon discovering this planet:


I'd post the final battle theme but that REALLY has to be heard upon playing the game to capture the true fear and adrenaline rush felt when fighting the last boss. :D

He also did the Golden Sun soundtracks and I love his work in that too. :D

Oh, and when he plays live...



His rig consists of 11 fricking keyboards!!!!