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The year is 1992, and a young musician by the name of Yasunori Mitsuda enters Square. At first he is credited as composer but is actually assigned the task of Sound Engineer, and his first project was to assist Mr. Koichi Sugiyama on Hanjuku Hero. Some other notable projects include Seiken Densetsu II and Romancing SaGa II. And it was somewhere in 1994-95, that he got tired of being a sound engineer when he was supposed to be a composer, so he made a complaint to Vice President of Square, Hironobu Sakaguchi. He had threatened to leave Square if he wouldn't be given a composing job. Sakaguchi agreed to let him compose on their next big game and assigned lead composer Nobuo Uematsu to assist him. There was also Ms. Noriko Matsueda, a rather new recruit at the time, just coming out of her Front Mission project with Yoko Shimomura. Obviously, virtually everyone knows that Mitsuda made a name for himself with his first project. And the rest is of course history. So let's see what this amazing soundtrack has to offer, shall we ???
Disc 1
- A Premonition : The tick-tock sounds start up the lovely little track that serves as title theme, not much to say about it, but it's a great way to start off the adventure.
- Chrono Trigger (Crono's Theme) : The introduction theme sports an amazing and catchy melody, the drums, harp and percussions really bring this track to life as it ends with an epic tone.
- Morning Sunlight : The track starts off with various SFX, then a peaceful melody takes place as our hero, Crono, wakes up to start his adventures.
- Peaceful Days : The theme to the town of Truce, it is very relaxing and cheery, Yasunori did well here.
- Memories of Green : The theme to the world map in 1000 AD is an arrangement of Crono's Theme done mostly with a piano and a flute, it is very epic and suits the quiet but still endangered regions of Guardia nicely.
- Guardia Millennial Fair : This rather Celtic-oriented track definitely gets you in the mood to play games and have fun, you get to hear some nice synthesized accordion and a flute. It's perfect for Leene Square during the celebration.
- Gato's Song : This rather short track is used when meeting the karaoke-fighting robot, it is somewhat jazzy in mood and tone.
- A Strange Happening : Uh oh, something's wrong here.... The mood is quite unnerving as we see Marle being warped away in time, that wasn't supposed to happen...
- Wind Scene : The map theme for 600 AD, is somewhat mischievous and epic at the same time, and again, it fits the mood nicely for the medieval ages.
- Goodnight : Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
- Secret of the Forest : Ah, a most beautiful area/mini dungeon theme, the Guardia Forest is usually quite calm, but there are some monsters about, the piano here gives off an added effect of sacredness, of everlasting peace.
- Battle 1 : Yes, time to fight !! The theme is pretty good, not as epic as Uematsu's Final Fantasy ones, but it does the job. The xylophone passage gives off a traditional Japanese feel to the music.
- Guardia Castle ~Courage & Pride~ : The drums and brass instruments here gives off a serious and majestic feel, which reflects Guardia Castle nicely, now go see the King, for he needs to have a talk with you.
- Huh ? : Ya, my thoughts exactly... :P
- Manoria Cathedral : This theme is a rather quiet one, complete with a fake choir, sounds like music for a church, yep.
- A Prayer to the Road that Leads... : A rather short organ piece used to uncover secret doors...
- Silent Light(NU) : Finally, a real dungeon theme, it has a mysterious tone to it as you are searching through the Cathedral to find the missing queen.
- Boss Battle 1(NM) : Noriko shows off her jazzy music skills she learned from her experience in Front Mission. It's a rather short theme done with a piano and trumpets, but it does give off the impression that you are battling a stronger foe.
- Frog's Theme : Yay !! The theme for the amphibious knight is among the most heroic ever heard in an RPG, the flute seems to give off the feel that he has been through many battles, and never gives up his goals no matter what.
- Fanfare 1(Lucca's Theme) : A rather cheery theme for a cheery and bright lady.
- The Trial : The Trial seems to be a joke, as the music is quite mischievous, but it has a serious side when a more epic passage plays through, definitely a memorable theme.
- The Hidden Truth : The theme played when Crono is brought to jail after the trial, it gives off a feel of uncertainty as one may wonder what will happen to poor Crono...
- A Shot of Crisis : This is the panic theme, fast-paced and energetic, this theme easily gives off the feel of an emergency escape is necessary to survive. And after that, we're going in time, complete with the warping SFX, which annoys quickly.
Disc 2
- Ruined World : We start off with warp SFX, then move on to the 2300 AD map theme. The wind blows as you discover a world totally destroyed, very depressing theme...
- Mystery of The Past(NU) : A short, piano-based theme that something very ancient lies there... But what is it ???
- Dome 16's Ruins :A decent beat-ey theme used in the abandoned labs filled with monsters... Nothing more I can say, really.
- People Who threw away the Will to Live(NU) : A rather depressing theme when entering domes that actually have people living, but not in a healthy condition, a very interesting piece, but oh-so depressing.
- Lavos' Theme : The organ used here reflects the evil nature of the alien parasite, after a few organ passages, we move on to a more hopeful passage, but still the impression of a malicious being doesn't go away.
- The Day the World Revived : This serves as the game over theme, but also plays when the inhabitants of the future start to get some hope of survival, it is basically the hopeful passage in Lavos' Theme arranged in a quieter way.
- Robo Gang Johnny : Oh hey !! Look !! It's.... the MAN !!! A free-spirited theme for the racing android, will you challenge him in a race ??
- Bike Chase(NU) : Not exactly your high speed racing theme, but it works.
- Robo's Theme : A rather cheery theme for your robotic friend, Robo !! It has some interesting passages throughout the track.
- Remains of Factory : The Factory theme starts off quiet, but the beat and the mechanical sounds used here give off that there is still some activity within despite that no humans are running it.
- Battle 2(Unreleased Track) : A much more beat-ey theme, this one sounds a lot more epic and interesting.
- Fanfare 2 : Yay !! You've learned Magic !!
- The Brink of Time : The theme used for the End of Time is rather slow paced and quiet, but it still has a mystery feel as the Guru of Time explains to you the events.
- Delightful Spekkio : This is the theme for the Master of War, it sounds rather goofy and fun, but strangely it is used as you fight him for prizes.
- Fanfare 3 : You've found a Tab !!
- Underground Sewer(NU) : Another mischievous but interesting dungeon theme, you also hear running water throughout, which is a nice touch.
- Boss Battle 2 : Ohhh yes, this is mostly reserved for the more powerful enemies, such as MasaMune. The decent instrumentation makes up a very epic battle theme, hang in there and don't let your guard down, or you'll likely lose...
- Primitive Mountain(NU) : The drumbeats here easily represents the dinosaur-infested mountains in 65 000 000 BC, the passage by the end gives the feeling that something is sneaking up behind you...
- Ayla's Theme : An exotic theme for the strong cavewoman, this easily shows off Ayla's amazing uhhh...... strength ! :P
- Rhythm of Wind, Sky and Earth : A nice drum based theme for traveling around on the map in 65 000 000 BC.
- Burn ! Bobonga !(NU) : This theme is used during the party at Ayla's village, I guess it fits the mood and that's it...
- Magus' Castle : The short theme used for the introduction of Magus' Castle, very foreboding.
- Confusing Melody : A very ambient theme, quite creepy, it gives off the feeling of fear easily, but it can grate on one's nerves quickly.
- Battle with Magus : By far the most popular theme in the game, this battle theme has it all, it has perfect instrumentation, it's epic in mood and tone and really keeps you in the rather long fight vs the mighty wizard, then it ends with warp SFX... yuck.
Disc 3
- Singing Mountain(Unreleased Track) : Warp SFX (Ugh) then a bit of wind blowing and a lovely melody, this would have been the map theme for the Dark Ages (12 000 BC), and it would have worked perfectly.
- Tyrano Castle(NU) : A heavy theme used for the fortress of the Reptites' Clan, by the end, we get to hear a rather beautiful interlude.
- At the Bottom of Night : This is the Sad theme used throughout the game, it conveys the emotion really well, especially when Lavos is on his way to crash into Earth.
- Corridors of Time : A rather enchanting piece, it is used for the beautiful Kingdom of Zeal, the bells and chimes here really give it a sacred/exotic feel.
- Zeal Palace : This rather creepy theme is mostly used for events concerning one of the sub-villains, Queen Zeal. It has " Evil " written all over it, and it gives off a chill down my spine.
- Schala's Theme :Chimes and drums make most of this theme used for the daughter of Queen Zeal, who is rather gentle and understanding, compared to her mother, the music gets those traits right off the bat.
- Sealed Door(NU) : A sad and tragic theme, which shows what tough times The Guru of Reason has gone through while making his research alone in the future.
- Undersea Palace : One of the best dungeon themes of the game, it gives the feeling you're on a very important mission as you race to stop Zeal from waking Lavos.
- Crono & Marle ~Far off Promise~ : A lovely theme used for that one moment that Marle hugs Crono and asks him never to leave her side again, the music box used here just makes you go " Awwwwwww ".
- Epoch ~Wings that Cross Time~ : The airship theme, it's not exactly epic, but it does the job.
- Black Omen : Another interesting theme, you get the feeling that you're really close to your ultimate goal as the track progresses.
- Determination : Used only if you choose to sacrifice Epoch to attack Lavos, it has a lot of SFX in it, and it's not that great, really...
- World Revolution : The theme used for the second form on Lavos sounds almost militaristic due to the extensive use of the drums, but as you hear the music, you know you're fighting, not just for yourself, but for the entire world.
- Last Battle : The track starts off with Lavos' odd roar, then it gets into a trance/techno like melody, the way the track progresses works nicely with the random changing background flowing as you fight the final form of Lavos, at the end, you'll hear the " poof " effect when it dies, followed by it's last cry and a bunch of SFX when you finally beat it. A very fitting theme for a decent enemy.
- First Festival of Stars : The theme used for the Moonlight Parade is definitely uplifting and happy, yes, we celebrate our hero, Crono !!
- Epilogue - To Good Friends : It starts off as A Far Off Promise, but then builds up to a very emotional theme that will bring a tear to anyone listening to it.
- To Far Away Times : The majestic ending theme, this one brings a tear of joy as well, not to mention that is wonderfully wraps up the adventure into a memorable finale. Yasunori has done very well.
Conclusion
Should you buy this soundtrack : Why do I even bother ? :P You should know by now what I'm gonna say. If you loved the game, goodness, snatch it up as it is readily available even today thanks to its amazing popularity.
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