Overview

The Genso Sangokushi Super Arrange Version, a promotional release packaged with the game, features music from Genso Sangokushi Original Sountrack, arranged by Yukihiro Jindo of Falcom Sound Team J.D.K. How does this small promotional arrange album turn out?

Body

The opening theme, "Defeated Ones," is an arrangement of "Broken Troops" from the original soundtrack. While the original featured a nice focus on a militaristic strings soundscape, Jindo decides to give this one a nice little bump in energy by providing a nice electronic accompaniment. The violin is the most prominent instrument in the arrangement, portraying the melody very strongly. There are also some nice piano and electric guitar passages that help add a nice blend into the mix. "The Road Above Fairyland," an arrangement of "Above Fairyland," doesn't drastically alter the original composition. Instead, it chooses to accentuate the Asian flavor portrayed in the original. The melody is quite beautiful, played on traditional Chinese instruments, and provides a very peaceful atmosphere.

The arrange album also features two vocal themes. The first, "Mind's Limit," has a very smoky atmosphere. There's an interesting balance between some R&B beats and some jazzy piano interludes and atmospheric synth. It's quite interesting and a departure from most vocal themes featured in games. The other vocal theme, "Eternal Melody," is quite beautiful and more akin to what one would expect from a vocal theme in an RPG. Featuring mainly strings and piano, it creates a nice delicate atmosphere and melody that continues throughout most of the piece. There are some nice dramatic arches later on that feature layered vocal work and some nice instrumental bridges as well.

"To Heavens" is another Asian flavored arrangement that features a much more upbeat atmosphere and melody. As before, it is played by traditional Chinese instruments but adds a bit more variety in the string work. It's not my favorite arrangement on here, yet it manages to entertain. "Fierce Battle" is also an interesting arrangement that fuses a more militaristic approach with a nice blend of Chinese instrumentation as well. It's got an epic feel overall and is a nice upgrade from the original.

Summary

In the end, this small promotional album is pretty decent. While some of the themes don't differ much from the original, they do offer a smoother atmosphere. There are some calm and energetic pieces as well, so there is something for everyone. I think that Jindo did a decent job of arranging the Chinese composed game, but I wouldn't really seek out trying to find an overpriced album on Yahoo Japan Auctions and the like.