Overview

The latest entry to Sega's mech fighting series, the PlayStation 2's Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Marz, was critically panned and sold poorly. On first glance, not a lot of effort was put into its soundtrack compared with its predecessors. Many of the tracks on the soundtrack release are merely reprises of those from Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Force and the new compositions are sometimes derivative. Are there any redeeming features of the eventual soundtrack release?

Body

The main highlights of the Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Marz do tend to be adaptations from previous scores in the series. Some tracks are directly reprised from earlier scores, such as "In the Blue Sky" and "Conquista Ciela" from Force, whereas others such as "Crystal Doom" and "Into the Crimson" are technically new arrangements. Unfortunately, the adaptations aren't massive improvements upon their originals despite a range of synth enhancements. The tracks could feature much more elaborate development sections and, as a consequence of being squeezed on to a one disc release, end after a mere time of two minutes. "Into the Crimson" is enjoyable as it stands, but could have been even better with a few more solos and secondary sections.

There are nevertheless some decent original tracks within the Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Marz Official Sound Data. Plenty of tracks maintain that youthful instrumental J-Pop vibe featured elsewhere on the series, such as "Strike Blue" and "Burning Muscles". Frankly, however, these tracks do sound a little tired and lack the strong melodies of the Force soundtrack. Nevertheless, a few tracks bring some novelty to the release. "Light of the Moon" and "Waltz of the Universe" are beautiful spacey jazz tracks that complement the imagery of the stages they are used in. "Three Splendid Roses" and "Harmless Sigh" meanwhile benefit from some flamenco vibes, the former even featuring a well-integrated Spanish guitar performance.

Compared to other soundtracks in the series, there are relatively few dark and epic tracks on Virtual-On: Marz. "Marz Attacker" and "Fierce Fight" are no doubt effective in their climactic scenes they are used in, but are a little too subdued and ambient to really create a sense of ultimacy at the end of the soundtrack. An exception is "Grief of Tangram", which brings plenty of tension with its dark orchestral passages and ambient backing beats. A further issue with the presentation is the amount of short cues that litter up the album, such as the five-part "Sub-Title" series, and many of these tracks also feature abrasive robotic voices or Japanese voice acting. The final result just isn't that enjoyable as a whole.

Summary

Overall, the soundtrack to Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Marz is more respectable than the game itself. It is better implemented than other soundtracks in the series, taking liberty of the PlayStation 2's capacity for streaming. It also features a few welcome reprises of past themes in the series and a number of more mature experiments. The final result doesn't feel that wholesome, however: the album is frequently interrupted, there isn't much of an emotional arch, and part of the distinctive sound of the series is lost. The release is worthwhile for hardcore fans, but can safely be skipped in favour of the Force soundtrack otherwise.