A small audience has been invited to Abbey Road Studios while thousands, possibly millions, watch a livestream at home. Only this time, the public will be able to listen to them, too. Soon, Shimomura will hear those tracks once more. But generally I do like to participate and take part in all of the recordings," she says. "Obviously, it's quite difficult to get into every single session from there, so we set up a remote video satellite link, and I've been listening in real time from Japan. Some of Final Fantasy XV's music was performed in Boston Shimomura traveled there twice to listen and provide feedback in person. Her involvement extended to the recordings too. What went in and what small changes needed to be made." "A lot of back and forth was done by email as well," she says. The specifics were debated "quite late at night" on conference calls.
Some songs were given the okay immediately while others required a little extra work. Shimomura would go away, work on a demo, and then send it to the team for review. Most started as a request from the writers - a song that was needed for a particular cutscene, battle or locale. After 10 years of waiting, I would have both in abundance.Įach new track is a collaboration between Shimomura and the studio. As Shimomura explains all of this, her voice starts to quicken. Both genres are unusual for Final Fantasy, adding another dimension to the world and your actions within it. Bossa nova, a Brazilian style of music combining samba and jazz, plays jubilantly while Noctis and his friends set up camp. American blues, for instance, can be heard in some of the game's locations. That attempt to keep a universal fantasy style of music but mix in new themes and influences each time."įinal Fantasy XV is no exception. "That's how I approach, personally, the making of the music," she says, "and I think that's what makes the franchise. (Crystals! Chocobos! Summons!) That same philosophy can be applied to the new game's soundtrack. Final Fantasy XV, she says, is "not quite as different as some people say." It's edgy and experimental but also respectful of the franchise's long-held traditions. She points to the steampunk elements of earlier Final Fantasy games and how they were paired with traditional fantasy tropes. Similar contrasts can be found in other Final Fantasy games - Final Fantasy VII and its depiction of Midgar, for instance - but here, it's a new take. Smartphones and pinball machines exist alongside colossal, lumbering monsters. The universe is a curious blend of high fantasy and contemporary technology modern skyscrapers and sleek sedans surround individuals who can teleport, cast spells and wield magical weapons. The combat is faster and more "active" than before. Final Fantasy XV, which comes out at last on November 29th, is a slight departure from previous games. Nobuo Uematsu performs at La Cigale in 2012. Many are the work of Nobuo Uematsu, one of the most respected video game composers of all time. The tracks stand on their own but take new meaning when you know the characters, locales and events they were originally paired with. Delicate melodies that reinforce a party member's sadness, confusion or unrequited love. Sweeping scores that underscore tense, mystical battles. Whether it's the "Theme of Love" from Final Fantasy IV, or "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII, every game has its share of memorable, distinctive tracks. "It wasn't, not having a desire to want to do it professionally," she offers. During that time, she never once considered what her own Final Fantasy score would sound like.
Shimomura is an industry veteran, having worked with Capcom, Square Enix and Nintendo for almost 30 years. "I've been a fan of Final Fantasy for a long time, and I never thought that I would get the chance to do it," she says. She's a calm, dignified bundle of sunshine. The downbeat atmosphere has had little effect on Shimomura's mood, however. It's a cramped, gloomy space - a typical refuge, I suspect, for sound engineers - filled with squishy chairs, mixing desks and other high-end recording equipment. We're in a room overlooking Studio One, where the London Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing the game's tracks later that evening. I'm meeting Shimomura at London's iconic Abbey Road Studios. But overall, from a musical perspective, the concepts that we wanted to use from the start, they're pretty much as they were. There have been some changes, small scenario tweaks and the game's functionality itself has changed. "They're quite similar to what they were originally. "The basic scenario and story concepts haven't changed that much," she explains, speaking through a translator.