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Not long ago a JRPG came out called Time and Eternity. It didn’t blow anyone’s socks off but it did remind people that they like socks and wish that people still made such comfy socks like those in the ‘90s. (Wow, that became a strained metaphor awfully fast.) It’s a fun but rather flawed experience. Check out Julian’s review here for specifics. The soundtrack, however, is top notch and no wonder. It was composed by none other than Yuzo Koshiro.

For much of the soundtrack Koshiro abandons the styles heard in most JRPGs, like epic orchestral or over the top prog rock, though you’ll find bits of each in places. For the most part the soundtrack to Time and Eternity is unapologetically bright and cheery, opting for more of a chamber orchestra feel rather than an epic hundred-piece orchestra sound. Just listen to the piece for the game’s opening marriage scene. Primarily using smaller groups of instruments, like flute or guitar with piano, it fits the concept of the occasion to a T. Or the music for the royal palace, which opens suitably grand but then shows the relaxed posh life inside, again with a smaller group of instruments. One of the more interesting tracks, I think, is "Cursed Forest’s Theme," which continues the same approach to instrumentation, but changes things up with the actual instruments used, like a focus on acoustic guitar and saxophone. How often have you heard a sax get a solo in any game? This track also trades in the cheery demeanor of the tracks that came before for a healthy dose of mystery.

Of course, any RPG worth its salt will have some awesome battle music and Time and Eternity is no exception, though Koshiro again subverts our expectations. There are two main battle themes, one for each of the souls, Toki and Towa, that inhabits your player character. (Toki and Towa are the Japanese words for “time” and “eternity.”) Toki’s battle theme is the more traditional of the two. Several electric guitars are on display as well as a rock organ and drum kit. These elements are juxtaposed against a full complement of strings and a surprising amount of brass in the background. A piano underpins much of the song, which maintains an unbroken forward momentum. Man, you’re ready to pound some face with this music pumping behind you!

Towa’s battle theme is another beast altogether. Featuring roughly the same set of instruments, it gives a greater focus to its orchestral components, the brass in particular. An electric guitar solo does sneak in over a repeating rhythmic/melodic accompaniment (which reminds me of some of the original music of Super Smash Bros. Brawl) before a trumpet swoops in and takes the solo over. Despite a few spots of rhythmic culmination, it keeps that same driving energy of its sister song. These two pieces have the same goal but you would be hard pressed to find a better example of variation within an instrumental set.

We do find some truly epic pieces later in the soundtrack. "Dragon of Ancient Times" takes a strictly orchestral approach and is grand in every sense of the word. Makes me wonder what’s happening in the game that warrants this musical display. Again, it’s refreshing to hear so much brass. Immediately following that is “Memory Disorder,” an obvious final boss song that will give some flashbacks of “One-Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII. A large choir and electric guitar set the tone right away for an epic fight rather than focus on a melody you’ll find yourself humming. Notably absent is the brass that has seemed near ubiquitous so far, and with it goes the cheery atmosphere. Whatever you’re fighting is out to frickin’ kill you and that’s that.

Several more songs wind down the soundtrack. Of particular note is “Precious Feelings,” a beautiful song that returns to the chamber orchestra feel of the first few tracks, featuring solo piano and violin, and makes a nice denouement to what has been an unusual but excellent soundtrack. The game Time and Eternity may fail to live up to hopes and expectations but Yuzo Koshiro again does not disappoint.