Overview

Following in her newfound tradition, Yoko Shimomura, composer of Atlus' new DS title, Radiant Historia, released a short arrange album as a promo bonus, this time opting for a simple piano arrangement, unlike Last Ranker's slightly more ambitious piano trio arrangement. Arranged by Sachiko Miyano, who also worked with the composer on her Kingdom Hearts piano collections, and performed by Febia Reza Pane, how does this short sampling of pieces fare in their new, arranged versions?

Body

The soundtrack opens with the game's main theme, "Radiant Historia." There is an austere, profound air to this nevertheless simple piece thanks to its melody. Miyano's arrangement accentuates the piece quite nicely, building the track bit by bit until it reaches a melodic climax. This serves as a rather excellent opening track, if a little on the light side.

"Mechanical Kingdom" opens with a simple bass line motif that is revisited throughout the length of the piece. This repetition causes the melody to feel cold and mechanical, which works considering the title of the piece, though isn't necessarily remarkable. Shimomura's melody is what is lacking in this piece, though Miyano's arrangement helps pick up the slack.

"Where the Wind and Feathers Return," however, is the polar opposite, featuring an emotionally charged melody that is quite extraordinary. Miyano's arrangement is a little on the slow side, but the melody helps grasp the listener's attention for the piece's duration. "Blue Radiance" features a bit of variation at last. The second half of the track ups the tempo and becomes a bouncy, fun yet dramatic battle track, the composer's hallmark. Still, Miyano's arrangement leaves much to be desired. Considering the pace, there's a distinct lack of energy in this section.

The closing track, "-Historia-," features a powerful melody similar to "Where the Wind and Feathers Return," though there is a bit of hopefulness to it as well. This track too picks up the tempo about two minutes in, though Miyano's arrangement is far better here than the preceding, lending a sense of dramatic urgency to a piece that otherwise would be terribly simplistic. The track closes softly, its simplicity once again brought out in a fantastic way by the arrangement.

Summary

This album unfortunately feels more like a quick effort than a proper arranged album. It lacks the artistic flair and complexity of the composer's previous promo album effort, and the arrangements and song selections leave much to be desired. If there was a battle theme or two to really liven things up a bit then the roster of pieces might have been better served, but as it stands, this one is for collectors only.