Beyond Good & Evil is well loved for its soundtrack, and for good reason. Parts of it are absolutely beautiful, and Hyllian Suite (named after Beyond Good & Evil’s world, Hillys) is no exception.

The song opens up very peacefully. The combination of flutes and strings (and various percussion instruments) is extremely soothing, and the pace of the song is incredibly relaxing. It sounds like something that would be perfectly suitable for an afternoon picnic on a warm Spring day. This gives a nice sense of what the Hyllian countryside must feel like during peaceful times. This part of the song just makes me think of grass blowing in the wind and butterflies fluttering all around, and we do see some of that in the game, mainly around the lighthouse. Those quiet moments are rare, but they go a long way. The second portion of the song picks up the tempo a little bit, and in a way becomes more playful. It seems to hint that, past all the war and corruption that plagues Hillys, the people who live there are inherently a joyful, carefree population. The various percussion instruments take more of a spotlight here as well, and show off a lot of creativity and variety, further highlighting the lighthearted tone and overall personality the song has established thus far.

The last portion of the song showcases what I consider to be the main theme from Beyond Good & Evil, which is, in a word, beautiful. It strings together some lovely chords via the same flutes and strings that opened the song so well. It’s a melancholy finish to a song that does a wonderful job at painting a vivid picture of the true nature of a world currently ravaged by all sorts of problems. Even though you never see a war-free Hillys, Hyllian Suite makes it pretty easy to imagine what that world must be like. That the song is so nice on the ears at the same time only makes it that much better, and it stands as one of my personal favorites as a result.

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