Overview

The Ys Sound Super Collection was one of the bonuses with the limited edition release of the Ys remake Ys Eternal. It is compilation of music from Ys from a variety of sources, including the PC-8801 game soundtrack, the unused tracks, obscure sound sources, and the new remake exclusives. It was packaged with the Ys MIDI Super Collection, featuring standard GS/SC-88 MIDI files, and the Ys Material Super Collection, featuring illustrations from the series.

Body

All the used tracks from the Ys score return on this album in their original PC-8801 versions. This album therefore provides the opportunity to revisit many favourites from the series. Things start off much like a stereotypical RPG score with the sentimental opener "Feena", peppy town theme "Fountain of Love", and adventurous overworld theme "First Step Towards Wars". However, things soon start to take an interesting turn with moody material such as "Palace" and "The Last Moment of the Dark" or the two slightly rock-tinged battle themes. Given this is PC-8801 synth, however, the sound chips are not able to resemble real instruments and most compositions remain stylistically undefined. This is no problem, since Yuzo Koshiro is a master of offering expansive melodies and synthetic timbres that achieve exactly the desired mood nevertheless. Despite considerable competition, these 15 tracks constitute probably the finest RPG score released by 1987.

There is a range of other material in the Ys Sound Super Collection too. The bulk of these are the unused tracks from Ys that featured in Music from Ys and several remakes of Ys I & II. Few of these tracks are classics on par with "First Step Towards Wars" or "Tower of the Shadow of Death". However, the majority are still very well-composed. Among the highlights are the jagged rock anthem "Battle Drive", and the mesmerising "Dreaming". "Theme of Adol" is also likely a highlight, mainly since it was heavily arranged in later scores for the series. The five MSX-exclusive tracks are also present here, including the mellow introduction "Open Your Heart", the Shinobi-esque action theme "Tension", and the wonderful ending themes "In the Memory" and "Fly With Me".

A few other goodies round off the collection. The album opens with one of the few unused tracks from Ys II, "Lair's Poem", previously exclusive to Falcom Special Box '91. I actually prefer this track to many of the used tracks from the game since it has such an ambient yet mesmerising quality to it. There is also a surprise appearance of the Ys II favourite "So Much For Today". Finally, there are two new tracks for the remake Ys Eternal, specifically a cinematic opening interpretation of "Feena" and the slowly developing gem "Roda". Note also that the versions of "Palace of Destruction", "Final Battle", and "The Morning Grow" from the main Ys score have slightly different synth from their originals.

Summary

For those looking for Ys' original music, the Ys Super Sound Collection is one of the best albums to look for. After all, it features all the original and unused music from the game, as well as some obscurities and exclusives. The selection is a little jumbled and features too many sound sources, but it's otherwise an appealing listen. Note, however, that it's now rare and it'll be necessarily to find a copy from someone who purchased the limited edition of Ys Eternal through Yahoo! Japan Auctions.