[Album] Final Fantasy XI (SSCX-10069-70)

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Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack
Catalog Number SSCX-10069-70
Publisher DigiCube
Composition Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka, Nobuo Uematsu
Arrangement Various
Released June 5, 2002, May 10, 2004 (reprint)

Tracklist

Spoiler:

Disc One (75:36)
01) FFXI Opening Theme (6:46)
02) Vana'diel March (3:18)
03) The Kingdom of San d'Oria (4:34)
04) Ronfaure (4:57)
05) Battle Theme (2:17)
06) Chateau d'Oraguille (4:33)
07) Batallia Downs (4:30)
08) The Republic of Bastok (2:53)
09) Gustaberg (4:12)
10) Metalworks (2:27)
11) Rolanberry Fields (2:27)
12) The Federation of Windurst (3:12)
13) Heaven's Tower (6:25)
14) Sarutabaruta (2:47)
15) Battle in the Dungeon (2:27)
16) Sauromugue Champagne (5:23)
17) Mhaura (2:51)
18) Buccaneers (1:55)
19) Battle Theme #2 (2:27)
20) Voyager (2:14)
21) Selbina (2:17)

Disc Two (75:24)
01) Prelude (1:18)
02) Regeneracy (1:10)
03) Hume Male (1:53)
04) Hume Female (1:06)
05) Elvaan Male (1:52)
06) Elvaan Female (1:27)
07) Tarutaru Male (1:27)
08) Tarutaru Female (0:50)
09) Mithra (1:54)
10) Galka (1:40)
11) Airship (2:19)
12) The Grand Duchy of Jeuno (2:23)
13) Ru'Lude Gardens (2:31)
14) Recollection (3:09)
15) Anxiety (2:44)
16) Battle in the Dungeon #2 (1:33)
17) Blackout (0:43)
18) Mog House (3:29)
19) Hopelessnes (1:53)
20) Fury (1:37)
21) Tough Battle (3:00)
22) Sorrow (2:38)
23) Sometime, Somewhere (1:47)
24) Xarcabard (4:29)
25) Despair (2:26)
26) Castle Zvahl (9:10)
27) Shadow Lord (1:51)
28) Awakening (5:20)
29) Repression (3:07)
30) Vana'diel March #2 (4:22)
Total Running Time: 151:00

Recommended: If a few excellent tracks are enough to make you overlook the dullest and most forgettable Final Fantasy score yet, one with comparatively little involvement from series composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Final Fantasy XI was Square-Enix’s first large-scale venture into the massively-multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) market, though they chose to make the game an actual, numbered Final Fantasy as opposed to a side title or gaiden. Requiring additional hardware for the PS2 as well as an internet connection to play, XI has performed fairly well in the marketplace, though many longtime series fans were disappointed by the new format, and Square-Enix wouldn’t produce an all-new single-player Final Fantasy for several years.

One benefit of making Final Fantasy XI a part of the main series was that it gave series composer Nobuo Uematsu the opportunity to write the music. However, like Final Fantasy X before it, Uematsu chose to collaborate with other composers for the score. Naoshi Mizuta, best known for Parasite Eve II, and Kumi Tanioka, best known for her subsequent work on Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, were recruited to provide the majority of the music for the new game. Unlike Uematsu’s previous collaborators on X, Mizuta and Tanioka were relative newcomers.

Uematsu’s contribution was far more limited than in X: he wrote only ten tracks of music out of fifty-one, and only nine original pieces if one discounts the “Prelude.” Tanioka wrote a comparable twelve tracks, leaving the remaining twenty-eight to Mizuta, who would go on to write the music for all subsequent XI expansions, leaving him the dominant musical voice in the game.

This is a pity, as Mizuta is simply unable to create music as interesting or varied as his co-composers. There are some highlights, notably the heroic march he provides for “Hume Male” and the Mitsuda-esque “Voyager,” performed on an acoustic guitar. But most of the remaining tracks are forgettable, and tend to fall into predictable patterns--acoustic guitar backing with woodwind melodies. Mizuta’s battle themes are slightly more effective but still very perfunctory, with the requisite brass and percussion but little in the way of melodic development or character, which is especially appalling considering the series’ strong record in that area. The nadir of Mizuta’s work is the unbearable “Castle Zvahl,” a ponderous nine minute gothic piece that utterly fails to justify its running time. Mizuta also fails to adapt Uematsu’s main theme, preferring instead to mix “The Prelude” into some of his tracks.

Kumi Tanioka comes off much stronger, particularly in the suite of town music she writes. “The Republic of Bastok” is an album highlight, mixing claves and percussion with a lively woodwind theme to create a bustling and industrious atmosphere. “Metalworks” is a more subdued take on the same idea, and is similarly strong. Tanioka also adapts Uematsu’s main theme in “Fury,” a strong arrangement that emphasizes brass and percussion and adds an electronic beat. She pens her share of dull tracks too, such as the plodding “Gustaberg,” and several of her pieces seem inappropriate--note the heavy electronic backbeat in “Elvaan Female.” Though not without significant weaknesses, Tanioka distinguishes herself well, and eventually pen a strong score for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

Uematsu’s musical contribution is by far the strongest, which is unsurprising given his greater experience. His main theme, which is fully orchestrated with a live choir and Esperanto lyrics, is far and away the album’s best piece, opening it in such a spectacular style that everything that comes after is something of a letdown. The theme is so strong that Mizuta’s refusal to adapt is it perplexing, though Uematsu contributes several strong variations of his own in “Recollection” and “Repression.” “Ronfaure,” familiar to many people because of its inclusion in the Dear Friends concert series, is also noteworthy, especially the melancholy second half. And “Airship,” an emotional and wistful piece for acoustic guitar and electronics is sublime, among the composer’s best tracks--appropriate, since it may be the final airship song Uematsu ever writes.

Final Fantasy XI is therefore a mixed bag; Mizuta’s work is generally dreadful, while Tanioka provides some excellent tracks and Uematsu gives a solid effort with several tracks that can stand proudly alongside his finest. As with all Final Fantasy albums, XI is only available through an importer, and acquiring a new or legitimate copy is an expensive proposition--whether it is worth the cost or not will have to be left up to individual buyers.

Rating (out of *****)
Mizuta: **
Tanioka: ***
Uematsu: ****
Overall: ***

Jam it back in, in the dark.