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There are a number of great pieces from RPG soundtracks that artists love to cover. Everything from exciting battle themes to the more tranquil town tunes end up being great sources of inspiration. Today’s Arrangement of the Week is a cover of “A Place to Return To,” which is the town theme for Crysta from the game Terranigma.
Despite the game having a limited western release, Terranigma and its soundtrack have gained the attention of game music lovers and remixers alike. This arrangement, titled “Aquamarine,” is an orchestral reimagining of the music from artist mv.
From the start this arrangement sets an incredibly tranquil tone. Sounds of birds and flowing water set the mood perfectly with a simple entrance of piano and harp to ease us into the piece. The arrangement builds up steadily with woodwind solos, mandolin, horns, vocal pads, and strings, but never attempts to break the mellow tone of the track. Each addition to the ensemble works to support or maintain the overall serenity of the experience.
The orchestration of this arrangement is absolutely perfect. There’s plenty of solos from different instruments and the accompaniment instruments blend well together to support the simple and mostly unaltered melodies. It evokes such a calming mood that I could easily imagine this cover being used in a remake or re-release of Terranigma. All in all, it’s just a fantastic orchestral arrangement of the Crysta town theme.
Did you listen to any cool orchestral game music arrangements this week? Let us know about them in the comments below. You can check out mv’s “Aquamarine” on OC ReMix [2].