FINAL FANTASY VI GRAND FINALE (English Review)

Review

"FINAL FANTASY VI GRAND FINALE" is an album that boldly rearranges the memorable music of Final Fantasy VI (FF6) into orchestral form. While preserving the atmosphere of the original tracks, it adds a unique classical interpretation throughout.

My first experience with FF6 as a game was on the Super Famicom. Since the game was released on April 2, 1994, I remember playing it almost in real time. I was 17 years old at the time. The next time I played FF6 was the Pixel Remaster version on Steam, released on February 23, 2022. Considering how busy I was then (I had already bought it on release day but couldn't play it right away), I must have played it around age 45 or 46. I'm not a particularly devoted gamer, but FF6 has been part of my life for more than 30 years.

Now, at age 49, listening to this CD again brings back memories of playing the game, even though I haven't replayed the game itself recently. The music on this CD is, of course, quite different from what I heard on the Super Famicom or the remade PC version, but discovering these new arrangements is enjoyable in its own way.

My personal favorite is Track 9, "Relm." The gentle and beautifully expressed classical arrangement of this relaxed, flowing melody is incredibly soothing to listen to.

Track 1, "Opening Theme," captures the grandeur of a Hollywood-style opening in a classical orchestral form. The quiet entrance of Terra's Theme partway through is also beautiful. Terra's Theme is one of my favorite pieces, and there are times when I want to listen to it on repeat. If I may be a little greedy, I wish the Opening Theme and Terra's Theme could be separated into individual tracks.

Track 11, "Aria Di Mezzo Carattere," reminds me of how moved I was back then when Celes "sang" during the opera scene on the Super Famicom, despite the hardware's limited capabilities. It shouldn't be compared to the real human opera performance recorded on this CD, and doing so has no real meaning. Each version has its own charm, and both are wonderful. Still, while writing this review, I listened to the Super Famicom version of the Aria on YouTube for the first time in a long while, and it was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure nostalgia plays a big part, and I know they shouldn't be compared, but if I had to say which version moved me more emotionally, it would be the Super Famicom version.

These are just my personal impressions, but if you love the music of FF6, this is a CD I highly recommend listening to.