Overview

As a Rockman fan, it's hard to explain what sparked my initial disinterest in the Zero series. The idea of following the red-clad, blonde haired hero into the future would have been a high priority for most enthusiasts. Still, when the first game rolled out in 2002 the prospect following another series of games while awaiting the conclusion of the X series wasn't very attractive. The truth behind my indifference later revealed itself: I'd grown weary of the formula Capcom saw fit to repackage year after year — the day, as a fan, I thought would never come.

To some the above may appear to be an attempt to label the Zero series as the point were the franchise lost its luster. In my opinion, this occurred prior to the series' inception and out of loyalty I turned a blind eye towards it. Nonetheless, I respect and acknowledge what Rockman Zero was able to do in its time: a Rockman saga limited to the lifespan of a single console was previously unheard of and the avoidance of ill-fated, tacked on entries. These are impressive feats, but when asked about RMZ my mind goes back to the music — which came to life with the emergence of the remastered albums rather than the game(s) themselves.

In the first game Ippo Yamada offered what was more or less an unfocused portrait; a composer presenting a myriad of ideas much like an artist's sketchbook — a tool in the search for inspiration, boundaries and direction — or in this case, musical identity. With Idea, these initial ideas were sorted through; some embraced, some sacked for a streamlined experience that showed strength in numbers. Telos followed Idea's example minus the input from Ippo's associates and felt stunted. Physis takes these concepts, even turning negatives into positives and provides the full picture: musical exploration nowhere near as random as the first album, the return of the invaluable cast (and beyond) from Idea and the wall that halted progression on Telos is lifted in what equals out to be one hell of a final ride.

Body

Despite the majority of Rockman Zero's audio and style being attributed to Yamada, I've always believed much of the series color was due to co-composers Luna Umegaki and Masaki Suzuki that were able to provide that "extra pop" while adhering to Ippo's framework. This isn't to say Ippo was/is the weak link in the chain that binds or to insinuate there is some kind of a "my way or the highway" mentality to everything Rockman Zero, but the appeal felt limited at times. In what seems to be a revenge shot for my ribbing, Yamada tunes like "Caravan -Hope for Freedom-," rife with struggle and forward movement prove how incorrect such a view is. We are given a hidden side of the composer, a side that is finally able to intermingle with the work of others. Other tracks like "Exodus," a tightly-woven anxiety-wrought number and the focused progression of "Straight Ahead" create a fantastic sense of unity by emitting the same kind of "forward movement." Even the quirky "Elves Dance" contains a unique brand of cleverness all its own as does "Rust in Dust" in revisiting the inherit sadness of Zero's X4 themes (it practically emulates the main hook at one point.) The rest of Ippo's work consists of typical items, items reminiscent of past ideas or whose origins can be traced back one/two soundtracks — not exactly broke but pale to those that stand out.

The freshness of the pieces above is embraced (or eventually embraced) by the co-composers as well. On the negative side falls Masaki Suzuki who, despite composing befitting guitar anthems such as "Max Heat", creates tracks that hit their expiration date sooner than anyone could possibly imagine. It comes to no surprise that numbers like "Magnetic Rumble" and "Power Field" end up trapped in this predicable formula as well, inevitably making the buried allure of the off-kilter "Celestial Gardens" all the more enjoyable. This pleasant string of musical anomalies continues with Luna Umegaki's "Holy Land" and "Esperanto." The somber "Holy Land" seems to indirectly correlate back to some of the moody, almost cryptic pieces of Yamada's in the first game ("Ruins of lab") while at the same time being anything but. A similar scheme plays out within "Esperanto" where Umegaki concocts the RMZ equivalent of a lighthearted stage theme from the original Rockman series as is "Cyber Space." In more typecast territory newcomer Shin'ichi Itakura tackles the soundtrack's aquatic based theme (previously the providence of Masaki) "Deep Blue" with exceptional results and offers up the poignant "Falling Down," the booming shot-in-the-arm final battle theme that finishes the series off in style.

There are other solid tracks throughout Physis but those mentioned stand to exemplify the various ins-and-outs contained within. However, if there is any one fault the soundtrack holds as a whole it would be the synth quality. The majority of the album brings the power one expects to hear yet there is a nagging afterthought that some parts, like the opening beats of "Caravan -Hope for Freedom-," are thinner than they should be in what is perhaps an attempt to make the experience cleaner and crisper. Regardless, the material presented is more than enough to make up for such misgivings.

Summary

Even though Rockman Zero Remastered Tracks Physis brings us the conclusion of yet another Rockman series with it comes a heightened sense of "maturity" — the idea that this is the fully conceived sound the series has come to represent. This isn't saying the first three soundtracks were only mere steps in evolution or their importance in such a metamorphosis was minimal, but the experience Physis offers the listener simply feels greater than any of its forbearers at heart.