Note: This is a rewrite of my old review because I feel I didn't give the OST the more detailed write-up it deserved the first time around. Please enjoy this new and (hopefully) improved review.
I can think of quite a few Playstation games off the top of my head that were (and are) unfairly overlooked, such as the amazing platformer
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile or the cinematic and suspenseful
Heart of Darkness. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a video game as unjustly forgotten as
Jade Cocoon. Yes, the game is pretty much a mix between
Pokemon's breeding system and
Final Fantasy's fighting system, but there was so much more to this experience than the critics would have you believe. The characters were compelling, the graphics were some of the best of the era (especially those amazing hand-painted backgrounds), and the mixture of typical RPG storytelling and intriguing folklore was a great blend. But what really sells
Jade Cocoon is the atmosphere; this is some incredibly mystical and almost new age-driven stuff... and at the center of it all is one of the best soundtracks out there.
Even when the story of this game isn't sucking you in, the incredible music composed by Kimitaka Matsumae is always there to pick up the slack. Blending folk, classical, jazz, and new age, every piece of this OST is integral to
something going on in the game. The folk and new age elements are really what put this soundtrack on another level, though, and are what add so much of the intrigue and distinctive atmosphere of
Jade Cocoon as a whole. But of course, many of the tracks use folk music to a quirkier effect such as the fast tribal percussion of "Yamoo Tribe" or the bizarre wailing that pervades the "Neverending Corridor" theme. In any case though, the slower songs are still where the score really shines. The flute playing, as displayed in "Sirus Village," "Spider Forest," the
Shadow of the Colossus-esque "Binding Ceremony," as well as countless other compositions, is wonderfully implemented into the soundtrack and crucial to the vibe the game has. Furthermore, some tracks such as "Night of the Funeral" actually integrate sounds of nature (like insects and other wildlife) to give the music a more organic feel. But there are some tunes that almost defy analysis because their beauty is incredibly difficult to describe. The biggest example is my personal favorite track, "Moth Forest"; the strings and flute blend together to bring about a sound that's both haunting and gorgeous. I got the same feeling listening to the "Forest of Mystery" theme of
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past; it's just an incredibly compelling combination of moods.
However, there's something else that needs to be brought up. In my write-up of the
Spirited Away OST back in 2012, I stated that the only reason the soundtrack couldn't receive a perfect score was that it was stronger when combined with the film. Well,
Jade Cocoon doesn't have that problem. Whether you decide to play the game or not, the brilliance of the score still manages to come through on its own. A big reason for this is that the tracks perfectly convey what you feel you
might see happen in the game. For example, the aforementioned town known as Sirus - the home town of the main hero Levant - is a bit of a tragic one as a curse falls upon the land over the course of the game (I don't want to give too much of the plot away). If you look at the tracklist of the OST, you'll notice that there are four Sirus themes; what makes them so special is that each theme is more bleak and melancholic than the last, symbolizing the darkness gradually pervading the plot. That's really creative, and is incredibly well-spaced throughout the soundtrack's progression. The first theme is relatively chipper and has a bright flute-based sound to it, but once you reach the third theme "Chrysalis," the music is a dark symphonic dirge that gives the listener a sense of tragedy and melancholy not often heard so strongly in a video game score. Finally, I should mention the battle themes; they're pretty standard, but still get you suitably pumped up. The normal battle theme "Drill" is pretty fun, with a low piano line and drums comprising the rhythm section and some ominous orchestral instrumentation leading the way. However, the boss theme is much more interesting. There's barely any percussion, with orchestral strings doing pretty much all of the work; it's minimalist but still ends up being bombastic and entertaining for each big showdown.
There's not a whole lot else to say here.
Jade Cocoon is one of the most underrated RPGs ever made, and its soundtrack is a huge reason of why this is the case. For all the praise we continue to heap on composers such as Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo, I think it's time that Kimitaka Matsumae got some recognition for this brilliant score. Luckily, he's also gained some recognition for other projects, such as being one of the programmers behind the legendary
Street Fighter II and one of the composers of
Final Fight, so he's not completely obscure. Either way, he definitely deserves more attention for this wonderful piece of work.
Jade Cocoon is an amazing game and its score stands as my favorite soundtrack, not just of video games, but of all time.
