Awesome Video Game Music: Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII
By majormitch 6 Comments
There are a ton of great, memorable songs from Final Fantasy VII, one of my favorites being the main theme that plays primarily on the overworld (I’m also providing an orchestrated version for better sound quality).
| Original | Orchestrated |
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This has always been the theme of Final Fantasy VII in my mind. It’s easy to get caught up in some of the game’s flashier tracks (such as Aeris’ Theme or One-Winged Angel), but this is the one that best defines the game part of Final Fantasy VII to me. You initially hear it when you first leave Midgar and set foot into this game’s gigantic overworld, and it was this moment where I realized Final Fantasy VII has a sense of scale that's rarely matched. After spending a few busy hours in a single city, it’s breathtaking to see just how big and expansive the rest of the world really is. There’s something mystical and intriguing about every aspect of it, and the explorer in me was immediately dying to learn everything about it. Seeing every inch of this varied, finely crafted world turned out to be one of my favorite parts of playing Final Fantasy VII, and the main theme fuels that notion beautifully. This song is grand and epic in a way that boasts of high adventure, of seeing new sights and visiting great places. It’s a sweeping, worldly melody that does justice to the scope of the game itself, and is equally fitting no matter what area of the world you happen to be in.
In addition to the high fantasy of the song’s central motif, there's another section of this theme that makes a fairly drastic shift towards a quieter, almost menacing tone. It seems to suggest that among all the excitement, there’s something drastically wrong with the world. Which, of course, there is- between Shinra’s and Sephiroth’s actions there’s plenty of wrong going on. Yet that shift is but a small diversion from the core theme. It exists to give direction and add texture (which it does well), but the central theme is never lost. It slowly reasserts itself as the driving force of this song, and of the game as a whole. Last but not least, I think this is just a beautiful song from top to bottom. The higher sound quality of the orchestrated version allows this aspect to stand out more, but I find it to be a great piece no matter the version. I simply can’t sing enough praises for well written music that’s enjoyable to listen to, which this song most certainly is.
The Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII is a song of adventure, of wonder, and of possibility, and it goes to great lengths to highlight those very virtues in the game itself. One of the main reasons I play video games at all is to experience such qualities, and it’s so great that music like this exists to accommodate these aspects. The Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII promotes everything I like about video game music, making it a wonderful showcase for the medium.
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