Nothing about fates was bad except for the writing, and even some of that was passable in the supports. Conquest has some of the best gameplay in the game, the art direction is great, et c.
Since I first found out the guy that composed the ost of Okami was gonna get to play with eastern instruments again I knew it couldn't go wrong but holy shit. Rei kondoh is a fucking wizard man, has to be the most underrated composer in the industry.
The one thing no Fire Emblem game has gotten wrong is the music. I’ve always been blown away by how much of the narrative can be expressed through music in these games. One of the best examples is FE4’s Chapter 5 theme. It feels so grandiose and victorious, but there’s an underlying sense of dread that perfectly complements the feelings of both the player and the characters.
Except for 3H for me. The electronic/drum machine stuff took me out of it SO hard. I love a few tracks, but the overall feel is so cheaply anime compared to the rest of the (orchestrated) games.
What's even more brilliant about the chapter 5 theme is how it's a remix of Conversation 1. The entire outcome of the chapter is foreshadowed as soon as the map starts, but it's done in such a subtle way that 99.9% of players won't pick up on it.
@@DrZaiusDrZaius-xp5fw Oh, yeah. Leitmotifs are allll over those composers’ stuff. They did Awakening as well and both games do tricks like this all the time. It’s awesome!
Ah yes. The song of my people. Fates may have faceplanted its story and characters, but it nailed nearly every aspect of mechanical systems design and music. A Dark Fall still remains peak FE lategame music.
When I first heard A Dark Call on the soundtrack (out of context), I immediately thought "I shouldn't be here." Pretty fitting for the place, of course!
Yeah the characters and story had a lot of potential that was thrown straight in the trash and then set on fire but the gameplay and music are all on point
Road Taken was always my castle’s theme. It’s just so good so seeing it be analyzed like this is exciting. Even if I’ve got no idea about composing music. Wish I could though.
It's super widely known lol. FE:Fates had two things going for it, presentation, and conquest. Well, also Camilla's two things, but you know, different story.
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi There's honestly no reason why there weren't more music from Fire Emblem Fates (or even a new stage based off a location from it since Ryu, Cloud and Bayonetta came with new stages) being added beyond Corrin's development being potentially rushed, leading me to believe that if someone else was made playable instead of Corrin, they wouldn't have come with a new stage or much new music either.
It makes a ton of sense that Fire Emblem Fates borrows elements from a Western Musical Tradition (Jazz) and incorporates it with popular Eastern (J-Pop) sensibilities when you consider that the game was about a conflict between Nohr, a Western influenced nation and Hoshido, a distinctly Japanese influenced one. A lot of the songs on the Fates soundtrack play with this idea of Western meets Eastern sounds like Justice RIP, Dusk Falls, No Justice, Conquest, and End of All to name a few. Road Taken is my personal favorite of all these tracks. There is even a version of this song that incorporates Rock into its arrangement that comes from Fire Emblem Warriors.
Road Taken has been one of my favourite songs of all time. It was one of the first songs I learned when becoming a pianist, and I've played it so much that it's been ingrained into my muscle memory. Thanks for analyzing it : )
So happy to see one of my favorite Fire Emblem tracks get the 8-bit Music Theory love. If you ever get the chance to do more from games in the Fire Emblem series my personal top of the list picks would be: "How Fire Emblem Awakening's Don't Speak Her Name Makes Us Cry," "The Power of Leitmotif, an examination of 3 Houses' Main Theme," and "Remake Reinterpretation: How Shadows of Valentia Re-imagines Gaiden's Soundtrack."
More like “how not to use leitmotifs, chill the fuck out they shouldn’t be in a third of the songs, why 3h gets criticized for having a repetitive soundtrack”
Go for it! I've gotten through Music Theory II, and it's hard as hell but helps me actually understand videos like this a lot more. It still goes a lot farther than I've studied, though...
You can definitely go for it, but honestly dude this channel will actually go farther and has a wider scope on theory (even with its video game niche focus) than most college theory courses. That might disappoint you. Unless you go to a college that has tons of great theory classes like Berklee or something. Many colleges will barely discuss modern music in their theory classes. Often, even their discussion of classical music is lackluster and uninspiring. I have a bachelor's in music.
I am into my second year of being said major, and theory is among the most fun for me. This channel is a nice add-on when I want to explore VGM and its theory, especially since it is what got me to major in the first place.
I'll always see fates as a whole as an incredible idea that couldn't live up to its premise for several reasons. But the soundtrack is the greatest in the series, and honestly one of my favourites in games as a whole
Fates has a special place in my heart too, it has a great basic concept that could have explored some interesting themes. I felt like it was held back by its desire to imitate Awakening’s success
The gameplay is also some of the best. I prefer Fates gameplay to Three Houses. All I want is Fates Gameplay, Shadow Dragon Atmosphere, Radiant Dawn/Shadows of Valentia Writing and Three Houses Graphics-- is that so much to ask for? :3
Fire Emblem tracks are always so good and this one is no different. I'm glad 8-Bit did a video on this, since Fire Emblem is my favorite franchise and the music is one of my favorites bit about it :D
Wasn't expecting this. Road Taken is my favorite song from Fates. The calm version is so peaceful it makes me cry, and the amped version pumps me up for life. Your analysis helped me understand why it affects me so much. Great video
I tend to judge my music theory by how well I understand 8-bit Music Theory videos, and I was surprised to see I actually understood most of it! Thanks for the amazing lessons! I not only learn a lot from your channel, but I also discover a lot of amazing tunes!
Fates did a lot of things wrong, but my goodness they nailed the music. Too bad you rarely hear half of it because they just want to show off all the renditions of Lost in Thoughts All Alone they made.
if you look closely enough, the last phrase of lost in thoughts all alone is in the last line of this piece at 14:24 heheh, another stroke of genius from the composer with the motifs
You’re videos are very inspiring to me as a musician and have made me actively want to study music theory. I was wondering if you could make a video on how Ace Attorney music creates tension. Thanks for doing what you do 8-Bit, I really enjoy your content.
I think warmth is gone is easily one of the best tracks in this game. It gives me chills everytime from being seemingly simple yet emotional and beautiful.
This song gives me such a specific feeling: As though I'm fighting a battle for the side of good, but it's been happening for a long time already. I'm beaten down to the point where my body and mind are on autopilot, fighting because it's the only thing I know to do. But still, there's that little voice in my head saying "you can win this". That probably sounds pretentious. :L Awesome analysis as always Mr. 8-Bit!
@@jackgarcia5926 Hard disagree on the art direction, that was just plain good and I really wish they had stuck with Kozaki (or, y'know, fuckin' Hidari) for Three Houses instead of that mediocre otome artist they got. The gameplay is a bit harder to pin down. There's some great pieces and then there's the entirety of Revelations. I will give all three versions of the game this though, nearly every map is memorable for one reason or another.
Thanks, Chris Martinez! My favorite song just got an explanation, how exciting! I didn't understand a lot of this video, but I understand that I need to study jazz.
This is not only my favorite piece of music in Fire Emblem, but my favorite piece of video game music period. It has been ever since I got Fates when I was 16, and I can't believe there's an entire video about it
It is crazy how deep music theory can go. Like I used to play the bass (I taught myself how to play), but I never learned any kind of music theory. It is beautiful...complicated, but beautiful
Holy shizz, you're a fan of Dirty Loops?!? I would LOVE a video on them even though they're not video game music. I would be stoked to have my favorite music theory channel do my favorite jazz fusion band!
When he showed Ebmaj7 followed by F/Eb, I thought "I bet a million dollars Dm7 is coming next" and then he put Dm7 on screen and I went YESSSSS ...I'm learning from these videos! :)
This is one of the few songs in games that made me put down my system/controller to just listen to the music for a minute. Road Taken just left me in awe.
The version of the chord progression you isolated when talking about minor 2nd approaches kinda reminded me of that famous video of Angelo Badalamenti playing the keyboard and talking about how he composed Laura Palmer's theme
Excellent video!! FE Fates has one of my favorite soundtracks from any game so its wonderful to see appreciation for it. Keep up the great work, your videos are always a treat!
Haha yes! I understand all of the words you said and I agree! Roots and harmonies and all that jazz I never know what you're talking about but I like it
