Hey! It’s everyone’s favorite part of the game! This is my favorite version of the “The Promise” motif; the slower tempo befitting the vast field you’re running around in. Other than the fact that I love this melody, I’m a big fan of the heavy drums, and that little part where they hold back to let the melody shine through (which is also the part where the notes do that thing where they pull on my heart aaaaa). Perfect song for accidentally getting stepped on by an adamantoise to.

By all means, considering the context of this song, I should hate it. The amount of times I got doomed or launched into the air and smacked around, is ridiculous. But this song is so fun (especially in theatrhythm). I love the really heavy part where the rhythm gets real bouncy with the triplets, and also the part with the heavy dissonant chords, and the melody they create (buuuuuuuh buuhbuuhbuuhbuuuh buh buuuuuuuuh) it sounds so cool!!!

After the intro to the game, you’re immediately thrown into a fuckin war, and this is what plays. That intro piano is such a unique opening, giving you that feeling of stress very unfitting of the start of most FF games, and then the rest of the song starts to build it up. The strings adding more stress and rising the song further, throwing in the percussion to add that heaviness to the song and the synth to show the vast and futuristic nature of the area, not to mention using the sound of a train stopping as an instrument (wording this as a joke but in context it’s fitting)??? This song starts out so cool. But my absolute favorite part is when the fiddle (I think) comes in, and just goes absolutely bonkers with the sickest solo you’ve ever heard. You can say what you will about this game but goddamn the atmosphere of the opening is amazing.

Similar to Desperate Struggle, I should hate this song for the very same reasons, but it slaps way too much for me to hate it for any reason. The entire song feels like constant buildup, never truly having a full melody or release, but I think that works perfectly for the stressful and timed nature of the fights it primarily plays on. I love the constant rhythm in the back, the heavy drums and the looping synth; and the guitar is fuckin rocking out the entire time. This whole song is a headbanger, also bringing in the orchestra to keep the same XIII vibe. The echoey nature of the end of the song, the guitar sounding like it’s shredding in the distance, is my favorite part.

This is THE XIII song. This is the trailer song, this is the second of the two main motifs, this is the battle song, this returns in the next two games constantly, and all of this for good reason! This song fucking bangs!!! The start is a perfect classic FF battle buildup while having its own unique nature, the drum set and guitar combined with the orchestra perfectly shows you the nature of this entire game’s soundtrack, and not to mention. The melody. That violin. That violin is absolutely legendary. I don’t really know how to word it, but the way it’s composed is like crack for my ears. The high notes it hits, that main BUUUUUUH NUUUUUUUUUH BUHNUHHH NUUUUUUUUUH section is musical gold, and every single time I hear it in any other song that plays in this entire trilogy, I feel nothing buy joy and pure positive emotion.