Overview

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Fantasm was the last Atelier Iris game and was also the last one to be featured on the Playstation 2. Departing from the standards set by the first two games, the score for this game was handled mainly by Ken Nakagawa although Daisuke Achiwa makes a few appearances. Given this knowledge, I was a little upset, due to my love for Achiwa's rock based battle themes, but I put that aside and began to listen. What I found was quite surprising, but is it the strongest in the Atelier Iris trilogy?

Body

The soundtrack opens up with an abridged version of "Schwarzweiß ~Kiri no Mukou ni Tsunagaru Sekai~," composed by Revo, sung by Haruka Shimotsuki, and found on the "Worlds Connected Beyond the Mist" single that preceded the game. While there is some fantastic usage of rock, orchestra, and choir, it doesn't feature the awesome keyboard and electric guitar solos by Motoi Sakuraba and Shingo Saito either. It's a great way to start off the soundtrack, however. The other three vocal themes are featured at the end of the soundtrack. "Flowers in the Rain," sung by Rekka Katakiri, who has worked with Yoshitaka Hirota in the past on Kinema in the Hall, is quite a playful theme. It ties in quite wonderfully with the atmosphere of the entire soundtrack. There is a pretty groovy bass guitar, but for the most part, it's pretty standard in terms of composition. It features a strong melody though.

"Lorelei," sung by Noriko Mitose, who has worked on the Ar tonelico and Chrono Cross soundtracks, is much more melancholy in nature. The intro passage is very reminiscent of Eri Kawai and Mitsuda's vocal style, but most of the soundtrack has a Yuki Kajiura vibe going for it. There is a fantastic piano and woodwind accompaniment that complements Mitose's voice quite beautifully. However, the rock vibe featured during the bridge sections with some beautiful vocal layering and accompaniment really make this song shine. Lastly, "Taisetsu na kotoba," sung by Yuko Ishibashi, is easily the best of the Nakagawa composed vocal themes, in my opinion. The vocalist has a stunning voice. The piano really helps to meld together the entire atmosphere that piece exudes, but at the same time, the brass and string accompaniment serves as a fantastic addition. The star of the show, though, is the percussion. It gives it a pretty exotic vibe. Sure, the theme overall has a very pop quality to it, but it's very endearing as well.

"Grand Fantasm," the main theme of the game, makes for a fantastic listen as well and has an Asian vibe going on. The crystalline synth and bizarre woodwind samples give it a unique sound. The woodwind and bass accompaniments are also quite wonderful. There are a couple of other takes on this theme as well. "Hometown Spirits for the Grand Fantasm" is an exotic theme with some fantastic percussion samples, some sitar work, and some mysterious, yet welcoming, woodwind passages. "Haunted Girl for Grand Fantasm" is a combination of haunting and playful in terms of atmosphere. Piano, strings, and woodwinds, in conjunction with some awesome percussion samples, give it a very touching and heartwarming sound.

Aside from the centrepieces, there are quite a variety of playful themes as well. "Hometown Sunshine" has a very beautiful melody with a strong focus on woodwinds, whereas the accompaniment is mainly woodblock and xylophone, which helps to give it a playful and youthful atmosphere. "Hometown Stars" is a beautiful xylophone, piano, and fiddle rendition of "Hometown Sunshine" with a very Celtic atmosphere. It's a beauty for sure. "Welcome to the Workshop" is a beautiful and upbeat acoustic guitar and woodwind theme with some fantastic accordion and percussion accompaniment that gives it a rustic feel. This theme is also featured in "Time for Just the Two of Us," albeit in a very different form. Quite melancholy, with hints of sadness, acoustic guitar, harp, and synth lines help give it a marvelous and touching atmosphere.

Despite its name, "A Dark Shadow" is quite a playful accordion theme with some atmospheric percussion and synth. It also features a violin solo in the middle that is both haunting and beautiful. "Iris and her Pleasant Company" is another marvelous theme that gives off a playful atmosphere. The combination of plucked strings, strings, and accordion are a marvelous combination and I love the percussion work as well. "Tomboy Sisters," is another great theme. It's a bright and bouncy woodwind composition, no doubt inspired by the cleavage of the sisters, which features some fantastic pizzicato string sections and some fantastic woodblock and accordion accompaniment. "Town of Water" is, in my opinion, the best town theme that the Atelier Iris series has to offer. It's very reminiscent of the type of soundscapes heard on the Zwei!! Original Soundtrack by the Falcom Sound Team J.D.K. The string and woodwind passages make for a fantastic romp as you explore the city and it features a very airy atmosphere as well.

There are also some dungeon themes that are worth mentioning. "The Days Spent Surrounded by Old Books" has a very regal and holy atmosphere about it. The choir usage is superb, as is the woodblock percussion, and both manage to strangely go well together. There is also a organ that works, but this section isn't as memorable. "The Light Shining Through Stained Glass" features a very mysterious atmosphere, thanks in part to the sporadic synth usage and the focus on choir. It's stunning, despite its simplicity, but it also seems to be lacking a bit of a hook. "The Mysterious Crystal Valley" is a beautiful combination of sounds. Accordion, flute, and harp all add elements of mystery and playfulness and help reinforce a great melody. "God's Garden" is another mysterious, yet playful, theme. The percussion is top notch and meshes quite well with the harp, acoustic guitar, and woodwind work heard in the melody. "Mystery of the Heart" is one of my favorites on the soundtrack. It features a great atmosphere that mixes together electronica and Celtic flawlessly. The woodwind passages are very energetic and the synth sections give it a very exotic flair. This theme is also featured in "Things Thought Alone," although it's a much more poignant theme, consisting only of piano.

This leads us to the plethora of battle themes. As I've stated in my Atelier Rorona review, I think this is one of Ken Nakagawa's weaker spots, but I also think that he did a much better job than on that soundtrack maybe because of Achiwa's assistance. The normal battle theme, "Thunderclap," is a wonderful example of harmonization. It doesn't give off the best of battle atmospheres, but the combination of brass, woodwind, and strings harmonize beautifully. The percussion is great as are the flamenco guitar passages. It's quite a playful theme and features some superb piano and flamenco guitar solos. "Thunder Clouds," the boss battle theme," is definitely weaker in terms of composition, but it does manage to give off a battle atmosphere through its militaristic percussion and the string and brass sections. The bell tolls and choir usage also give it a very sinister atmosphere.

The final set of battle themes all come together. Six in total, they all vary in sound and strengths. "Crash!" is a fantastic battle theme. It's a great theme with a rock touch, although not as edgy as Achiwa's, but the electric guitar and synth leads are wonderful and the melody is awesome. "Breath of Beast" is another awesome battle theme. The brass and percussion is superb and the synth line is fantastic. It has a progressive rock vibe going on, and while it isn't the fastest paced, there is a nice dramatic flair about it. The electric guitar line that comes out of nowhere and the solo is an equally impressive, and welcome, surprise. "Criss Cross" is another great battle theme. Opening with a piano line that quickly moves into a string and synth led battle theme that features the "Tomboy Sisters" melody, it offers a great accompaniment to the battle against your rival. The rock touch gives it a bit of menace, but the piano and keyboards accompaniment really stands out.

The best song on the entire soundtrack, in my opinion, is "Rain of Blossoms". I could honestly listen to this one all day. Featuring some soft choir, a beautiful and exotic synth line, and a rock vibe, it offers easily the strongest battle theme on the soundtrack and one of the best melodies. The synth, string, and piano accompaniments really help give it a great atmosphere as well and all mesh quite well. The best part is clearly the keyboard solo inspired, no doubt, by Sakuraba's performance on the "Worlds Connected Beyond the Mist" single. If "Rain of Blossoms" is my favorite theme on the soundtrack, "Desire and Commandments" easily takes the number two spot. It's a unique take on a battle theme, with drastically differing paces and atmospheres. The organ and harp opening give it a nice ominous atmosphere that quickly moves into an upbeat rock influenced synth lead. The whole progression of the track is stunning, ranging from calming electric guitar passages, to crazy keyboard and guitar riffs. The middle section also features a great electric guitar and keyboard solo that hits right before the loop. Wow, given all that, the final battle theme must be great, right? Sadly, "Eye of the Eagle," is the weakest of this final set of battle themes. It's very militaristic in nature with heavy focus on brass. It features playful, yet heroic, soundscapes, but ultimately falls flat due to its repetitive nature.

Summary

Ken Nakagawa did a wonderful job leading this score. His unique combination of sounds make for a pleasing soundtrack and, despite Achiwa's low prominence, most of the battle themes are fantastic. With its plethora of playful themes and more poignant themes, Grand Fantasm's soundtrack is definitely worth looking into. I still think that Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana has the best soundtrack in the trilogy, but this one is great as well and a worthy entry to the Gust universe.