Wednesday, January 1, 2020

MIDI Week Singles: "Determination" - Octopath Traveler (NS)


"Determination" from Octopath Traveler on the Nintendo Switch, & PC (2018)
Composer: Yasunori Nishiki
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix Business Division 11

First off, there are going to be story spoilers for Primrose's story, so if you do not want to know anything about her story and how it progresses, just enjoy the music and know that you will hear the song in its context late in the game and you will not be disappointed.



I love this song.  It first cropped up for me while finishing Primrose's story during the final boss battle.  What was so surprising, was that that, as you can tell, it is not traditional boss battle style music.  Something about Primrose's story arch, and how her final confrontation with Simeon turns out, I was just floored by the emotional impact it left me with.  The melody is simple, yet effective in conveying the feeling of being determined to finish what you set out to do all those months/years ago.  I was then a little saddened when you fight Simeon for what is actually the last and final time and the more traditional boss battle music is used, which to me made this music that played during what turned out to be the penultimate encounter a little less impactful.

That being said, this song does crop up during the 4th chapter for a couple of other characters, but it never reached that level of "holy damn this is amazing" that it did during Primrose's penultimate battle.  I really wish that that one battle was the only time that this song was used, but I can understand placing it in a few other sections of the game, especially if you decide to only playthrough one character and do not visit the chapters for any of the other characters.  I also think that because when and where I heard it in Primrose's chapter, that that specific moment had a direct impact on this song and how I viewed it.  Perhaps if I had first heard it in Cyrus or Alfyn's 4th chapter I might feel differently.

But regardless of how/when you first heard this song in Octopath Traveler, I would be surprised if it did not leave a lasting impression on you as well.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
So Glad We Made It

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