I remember first hearing this theme as Scene VII on the album, "Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy," that I bought online (with my parents' credit card) sometime in 1997. I had never played Final Fantasy II, although I had recently only become aware of its existence. It easily became one of my favorite tracks on the album, even with all the other orchestrated tracks from the game I already knew —the original Final Fantasy. It's not many 30-second songs that can be elongated into nearly five and a half minutes of heart-wrenching majesty.
Thirty seconds! That's how long this original song lasts before it loops back in on itself. I don't have the knowledge to break down something that lasts for that short of time because you know that every single note is so purposeful and deliberate. There's a melody that somehow is able to convey both emotional feeling and a drive to make the world a better place while still having some semblance of a cobbled-together amateur militaristic resistance to a growing oppressive power.
I decided to use the original Famicom version while playing the Pixel Remaster version mainly because the newly orchestrated soundtrack clashes with me while playing an NES/Famicom-era game. Even with the enhanced visuals and presentation, hearing this theme in 8-bit stereo feels a lot more natural to me.
That's all I've got. I love this song, and replaying Final Fantasy II has only made me appreciate the game a lot more than just being a sequel to the Final Fantasy that I played over and over again on the original NES.
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