Take the score for Final Fantasy Tactics, darken the palette,infuse with equal parts of James Horner's grandiose orchestrations, Hans Zimmer's electronic panache and Brad Fidel's futuristic verve and you get Hitoshi Sakimoto's superior score for Vagrantstory.

At first the listener may not realize that in spite of all the darkness, the music on this 2 disc set is quite uplifting. Mr. Sakimoto rarely compromises the dark theme of the game with overtly cheerful music. Most of the time the inspiring motifs under score the primarily heavy expressive quality of each piece; even the perkier songs that are meant to be upbeat have a certain solemnity.

The styles of music written by Mr. Sakimoto are basic for this hybrid RPG/adventure game; battle themes, heroic themes, sinister themes ETC. Orchestrations, although familiar (Final Fantasy Tactics), are fresh, keeping the listener intrigued even during the longest of passages. Together with powerful, passionate performances, this soundtrack is one of the years best. Another triumph for Mr. Sakimoto, another triumph for Square, another triumph designed for the listener.

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Vagrantstory is owned by Squaresoft.