Last month, on September 24, 2022 – Final Fantasy thirty fifth Anniversary Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy Coral continued its ongoing worldwide tour in Los Angeles, California. Taking place on the Microsoft Theater inside LA Live in Downtown LA, RPG Site had the possibility to attend the exhibiting because of an invite from Square Enix PR.

Starting off, the present typically adopted the sequence in chronological order, with some exceptions – consequently, after an association of Prelude, we have been shortly thrust right into a medley of songs comprising Final Fantasy I, II and III. While the NES trilogy has much less memorable songs than a number of the sequence’ later outings, the orchestra’s preparations for these basic tracks nailed the sensation of taking part in by way of them nonetheless. All the whereas gameplay from the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters performed on-screen for instance the video games that the music initially debuted in; this was particularly highly effective when Final Fantasy II’s iconic Rebel Army theme completed up the association. This phase was completed up with Eternal Wind from Final Fantasy III, earlier than the orchestra continued forth to the SNES video games.

The shift into performing music from the SNES video games began, very similar to Final Fantasy IV, with the theme of The Red Wings straight into the Kingdom of Baron. Much like with the earlier songs, gameplay from Final Fantasy IV’s Pixel Remaster performed on the display screen; on this case, the opening moments of the sport with just a few cuts right here and there to intensify the shifts within the music. As far as I can inform, whereas the earlier tracks had already appeared at Distant Worlds up to now, The Red Wings was model new for this tour; the association was stuffed with power and captured the bombastic opening hour of Final Fantasy IV’s story. 

After taking part in IV’s important theme, the present transitioned to Home Sweet Home from Final Fantasy V, a private favourite of mine; together with an integration of Music Box. While others might need most popular a extra instantly recognizable set of songs from V, personally I couldn’t consider something that higher represents my recollections of V as a complete – and to listen to it dropped at life by the orchestra had me tearing up on the sounds of it.

The SNES part was completed off with The Phantom Forest, The Phantom Train and the Veldt – with a dense medley of Final Fantasy I-VI’s battle themes to tie every little thing collectively. With the subsequent part – the PlayStation 1 entries – I have to confess to not having as a lot first-hand data of them particularly as others. This part began off with Liberi Fatali, and in contrast to the primary half of the present – from right here on most songs have been accompanied by cutscenes from their respective video games, along with gameplay pictures. 

While I hoped for one thing else from Final Fantasy XI, it was nonetheless good to see Treasures of Aht Urhgan represented with Ragnarok; I’ve been taking part in by way of the 20-year-old MMORPG since final yr alongside one other employees author Bryan Vitale, and it felt good to have any kind of connection to the FFXI illustration. After Final Fantasy VII’s Aerith’s Theme, we have been handled to Final Fantasy XII’s Flash of Steel, and at last, the evening’s visitor RIKKI took the stage to accompany Suteki Da Ne from Final Fantasy X.

Again, my private expertise with the Final Fantasy sequence has been principally relegated to the primary 6, and the 2 MMOs – regardless of missing any private connection to many of the songs within the latter half of the present, nevertheless, it’s arduous to disclaim that the orchestra didn’t do a incredible job regardless. 

After ending up with the remainder of the monitor checklist (with a particular look of Yoko Shimomura within the viewers for the efficiency of XV’s Apocalypsis Noctis), we have been handled to an encore together with Zanarkand and One Winged Angel. All in all, each mainline numbered Final Fantasy was represented all through the present. Walking away from the expertise, I’d should say that probably the most putting side of all of it was how everybody – not simply the followers in attendance – genuinely appeared to be having the time of their lives. Distant Worlds just isn’t a brand new factor; Conductor Arnie Roth has been at it now for 15 years, but the eagerness nonetheless stays.

More than something, I’m wanting to return sooner or later – and already I’ve been contemplating choosing up tickets for the upcoming, smaller-scale A New World live performance later this yr. That, and as quickly as the discharge calendar lightens up on my finish, I’ll be diving proper again into my sequence playthrough.