Overview

This short promotional arrange album was bundled with the Xbox 360 port of Mamoru Has Been Cursed!. It features some 8bit arrangements by Yousuke Yasui, the original composer of the soundtrack, and three other arrangements by Manabu Namiki, Shinji Hosoe, and Takayuki Aihara. Is it worth importing the Japanese version of the game in order to get this promotional album?

Body

The three arrangements that open up the album are probably the most enticing of the arrangements. Manabu Namiki's arrangement of "YO-Kai Disco," is a fantastic blend of chiptune and modern electronica. Surprisingly, the chiptune section manages to maintain this awesome Asian flair heard in the original. The modern electronica section is also quite entertaining, maintaining this Asian flair through its use of bubbly synth, making it more playful than the original.

"Bless You! Boy," arranged by Shinji Hosoe, takes the playful original and transforms it into a quirky take on the original. The electronica itself makes the original sound much more subtle, but the interesting mix makes up for it. It's quite a fun take, at times, almost sounding a bit offbeat. I like the stamp that Hosoe put on this one. There are a variety of synth sounds/effects that keep the arrangement fresh throughout its duration. "Will Force," arranged by Takayuki Aihara, is probably the best of the bunch. I love the slight rock influence, combined with some ethereal synth in the background, some choir synth at times, and the semi-jazz sound in the melody. I've been a big fan of Aihara for some time and his arrangements never disappoint.

The 8bit arrangements of "Fine Day," "Bless You! Girl," "Great Tribulation" and "Superhero," all manage to retain the original atmosphere of the originals. However, they are in chiptune form using quite samples. They are rather straightforward arrangements, giving a nice retro feel, but I think they could have been elaborated on a bit more. They are more of a reflection of what Mamoru Has Been Cursed! would have been like in the olden days of shooters, not highly inspired chiptune arrangements on the level of Chiptuned Rockman.

Summary

In the end, it's probably not worth getting the game just for the album. However, it's not a bad investment if you have a Japanese Xbox 360 and would like to play the game as well. The three modern arrangements are all fantastic and give a nice array of styles, while the 8bit arrangements provide a nice retro touch. However, the other two arrangements for the game are a little more recommended.