Although both instruments are used for their strengths in their respective tracks, “The Flatlands” brings the oboe back for a brighter overworld theme, whereas “The Cliftlands” and “Melancholy” use the flute’s lower ranges for more pensive pieces. The melody this time is less sweet and more melancholy, and the flute eventually takes over the melody by the end. “Therion, the Thief” uses an oboe (later paired with a flute) for its melody, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. While it picks up some strings, soft horns, and a harp as it continues, the flute stays front and center for the entire piece. The very first character theme, “Ophilia, the Cleric”, has a solo flute playing a simple lyrical melody. I was especially delighted at how prominently he used woodwinds of all types, and how he combined them. Already from this track, we get to hear two of Nishiki’s strengths that carry across the score: use of instrumentation (even in this track, each section of the orchestra gets a chance in the spotlight), and motif.įirst, Nishiki makes use of the full set of instruments at his disposal throughout the score. The album opens with “Octopath Traveler – Main Theme”, a spirited theme performed by a full orchestra.
The album tracklist follows that pattern rather than the order the tracks appear in the game (which may change depending on which characters the player chooses to play as). The soundtrack of Octopath Traveler is divided very traditionally, Final Fantasy VI-style we have a set of character themes, area themes, and battle themes, culminating in an Ending Theme that brings together motifs from the game. Unlike Revo, Nishiki seems to have been aiming straight for JRPG nostalgia when he composed Octopath Traveler. The same team development is now behind Octopath Traveler, but with newcomer Yasunori Nishiki in the composer’s seat. When composing the soundtrack to Bravely Default, Revo certainly took inspiration from classic JRPGs, but was equally interested in embedding his own sound, leading to memorable tracks like “The Snake That Devours the Horizon”. If Bravely Default was a love letter to Final Fantasy V (with its four crystals, four protagonists, and a retro job system), Octopath Traveler is a love letter to Final Fantasy VI, with its colorful cast of characters, each with their own background and reason for journeying across the game.
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