Overview

In May 2009, Phantom Brave was released for the Nintendo Wii. As a bonus, for those who preordered it in Japan, it came with an album featuring ten of Tenpei Sato's favorite themes from the game, with brand new arrangements. Given Tenpei Sato's definition of arrangement is pretty loose, what can we expect?

Body

Tenpei Sato's score to Phantom Brave is still one of his best, in my opinion, and contains a very energetic and emotional score. As a result, it is always enjoyable to revisit these compositions, though that doesn't necessarily mean there is much novel to offer here.

Most of the themes featured are of this emotional variety, however, there are a few that are more on the energetic side. Themes like "Strange Wind," "The End of this Passionate Feeling," and "R&R Junkie," help balance out the more emotional themes, such as "Heaven's Garden," "Friend," and "The Sorrowful You."

Despite all this, after comparing the original arrange album with this one, I've found that it just seems to be better sampling. Elements barely heard in the original arrange soundtrack, but are present, are brought more to the forefront. There are a few instances where there is more arranging done, such as with "Friend," but for the most part, it seems to be upgraded samples in the long run.

Summary

The Phantom Brave Wii Original Soundtrack - Tenpei Sato Selection was supposed to feature all new arrangements, but after comparing the original arrangements with these, I've concluded that most are just upgraded in terms of sound. It's still a beautiful soundtrack, which clearly lets some of the original arrangements shine with a shinier and better coat of paint, but underneath it all, they are the original arrangements. It's probably best to skip this one and stick with the original soundtrack, because you'll get more out of it.