“Oukoku Battles” bursts with more electric guitar flair and then soars with sweeping melody, “Desert Battles” calls back that Middle Eastern feel and features some nice chanting and “Beast Arena Battles” dances wildly with punchy brass and sawing synth. This doesn’t even include the boss battles! Though many of these overworld encounters can be finished in seconds, each is a unique aural adventure of its own. Super Chibi Knight has us covered here as well with five different themes based on locations in the game world. Next to the overworld theme, the only music more repeatedly heard in an RPG has to be the battle music. Alongside those tracks are the slow, earthy bounding of “Wise Old Man” and “The Butcher”, the whimsical singing of strings in “The Barn” and the airy, almost Middle Eastern feel of “Muncher Alter”. On the light side are “Firefly Guy” that flutters by with a minuet for harp, “A Worried Mother” that dotes on the ear with a dancing flute melody and “Manna Well” that echoes with the subtlest of female hums. For Super Chibi Knight’s starting zone that’s a handful of tracks that retain the playful pace but replace the instrumentation to define smaller regions or characters. I really wish that section lasted longer before the loop started but it’s still a great and fitting piece as it is.Īlways close to the overworld music are the themes that accompany the nearby towns. The bridge this time is a bright chorus of male and female voices that seemingly lifts you to the game’s top-down vantage point in the sky. Again, horns and strings intermix with driving percussion that beckon you out to adventure. So I’m happy to say “Oukoku Overworld” is a delightful piece with that same emotional core as “Menu”. It’s one of the defining tunes in any action/RPG as it’s one of the first pieces you’ll hear repeated over and over early on in the game. Holmes regularly strikes the delicate balance of playful, serious and emotional throughout the rest of this gargantuan playlist.Īh, the overworld music. Bombastic horns and strings carry you to an airy bridge that brings the loop back around and lends a sense of importance to the playful bravado. Shortly after another cinematic piece you’re introduced to one of the game’s repeated melodies with “Menu”. These sounds and styles will be repeated and played with throughout the album.
In just 23 seconds you’ll hear the orchestral synth sounds of heavy percussion and the proud staccato of horns and strings with just a bit of electric guitar sound peppered in for an edge. You don’t need to go any farther than the first track, “Opening Cinematic Music”, to hear what Super Chibi Knight’s soundtrack is all about.
So grab your sword and shield and let’s explore this album. It’s an unfortunate concession but understandable even for a digital release when there’s so much excellent music to cover. Most were designed as loops for the game so many of the tracks are short and fade out just as I started to get into them. Returning composer, Brian Allen Holmes, has created an immense collection of 74 tracks for Super Chibi Knight. It’s super expanded from the original Chibi Knight and looking at this tracklist makes that extra apparent. A new wrinkle is the sorcerer/beastmaster dynamic which changes how Super Chibi Knight plays, which areas you’ll see and how the game winds up. From that description, you may not expect the game to be anything either but it promises a nostalgic mix of platforming and action/RPG in the pre-64 Legend of Zelda style. For the sequel to a Flash game created by a 30-something guy and his 8-year-old daughter, you may not expect the music of Super Chibi Knight to be much of anything.