[Album] SaGa FRONTIER II Original Soundtrack [SSCX-10031]

The SaGa series has seen a variety of composers over its lifespan, but by the time SaGa Frontier 2 rolled around, veteran composer Kenji Ito had scored the previous four games in the series. It was therefore something of a surprise to see the (then) relatively unknown Masashi Hamauzu attached to the project.

Hamauzu's score is totally different from Ito's previous efforts as well as the earlier compositions by Nobuo Uematsu and Ryuji Sasai, and doesn't reuse any of the prior franchise themes.

The album plays to Hamauzu's strengths and classical training by being almost exclusively piano-driven, with other keyboard instruments occasionally taking the lead or providing backup. There are a few dominated tracks, but the piano and associated instruments remain the dominant force on the album.

Many of the tracks are based around the same motif, which some have called a theme but is much more loosely constructed. This motif is repeated over and over and over, ad nauseum, throughout much of the album; while it is attractive enough, it does begain to drag by the end.

The major criticism that can be leveled agains Hamauzu's score is its lack of thematic and instrumental diversity. The multi-layered piano and mallet performances are all very similar, and blend into one another over the course of a listening. The battle themes are cut from the same cloth, and frustratingly sedate. It's this relentlessly upbeat tone, combined with the lack of variation, that can torpedo the score for people who value those things.

Hamauzu's work is technically brilliant and flawlessly programmed, but its lack of thematic and instrumental diversity, as well as the terribly inappropriate battle themes, combine to form a package that is dull and uninspiring. These same problems plague many of Hamauzu's other works; it is as if each is written as a concert-length work and then stretched to fit a much longer context. And while the piano-driven nature of the score is entirely appropriate in some areas (it is a perfect complement to a pastel-shaded town), stretching it to cover all circumstances is a mistake.

Hamauzu is an enormously talented composer, but that doesn't prevent repetitiveness and inappropriateness in many areas of his scores. SaGa Frontier II is reccommended to Hamauzu fans and people who enjoy piano and mallet-based works regardless of their in-game context.

2/5

Jam it back in, in the dark.