Overview

In 2007, Falcom decided to make Sora no Kiseki into a trilogy with the release of the controversial The Legend of Heroes VI: Sora no Kiseki the 3rd. A mini soundtrack accompanied the first edition of the game. It previewed the theme song and seven instrumental tracks from the full soundtrack release. Was the insight a welcome one?

Body

The soundtrack opens with a rendition of the theme song "Cry for Me, Cry for You". The song attempts to repeat the success of "Silver Will, Golden Wings" with its frivolous vocal performance and upbeat technofied instrumentals. Somewhere down the line, however, it ends up sounding like a rather bland and generic J-Pop song. The melody isn't particularly memorable, the English lyrics are sometimes mispronounced, and the electric guitar elements are quite unwelcome in the usually organic theme songs of the series.

The promotional soundtrack also previews some of the action themes created for the game. "Fighting Right On" is a pretty standard hard rock theme for the sound team, but still very energetic and compelling. "Till the Night of Glory" is a heroic battle theme featuring one of the new sound team's favoured ensembles — a violin lead against rocking accompaniment. Finally, "Overdosing Heavenly Bliss" combines charismatic violin passages with punchy piano chords and soaring electronic elements to elating effect.

There are a number of other delightful instrumental compositions on the album. "The Illusionary Blue Flower", for instance, recalls the lyricism of some of the sound team's lighter compositions and also features a welcome jazz influence. There are also several exotic fusions, namely "Jade Corridor" with its ethnic chanting and sitar infusions, and "Hermit's Garden" with its moody synthy soundscapes. Sentimental listeners will also appreciate the gentle wanderings of the piano solo "Cradle Where Thoughts Rest". It's a effective way to end the promotional album.

Summary

This promotional soundtrack provides a valuable insight into the game's soundtrack. Though the theme song disappoints with its generic and unmemorable qualities, there are clearly excellent action, ambient, and event themes within the instrumental tracks. However, it's considerably more enjoyable to hear these pieces within the context of the full soundtrack, since they're in their correct order there and there are many other highlights.