_ C R I S T A L E S _
OST is out now! Download on Steam or Bandcamp! Also streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Qobuz!
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_ Reviews and praise for the soundtrack _
The game is visually stunning and the music is some of the best I've heard. The diverse assortment of instruments and vocal performances used to construct the unique themes for each kingdom really helps differentiate each setting, but the underlying similarities between each one also audibly convey an unspoken unity between all of the cultures. And I just think that's really neat.
The bangin' soundtrack strengthens the story's themes of finding unity even amongst diversity.
The score is also phenomenal with one of the best battle themes I can think of from the last few years, a simply sublime boss encounter track, and a theme for each location that is both distinct and thematically relevant to it.
A JRPG can live or die by its score, and composer Tyson Wernli provides a brilliant soundtrack. Wernli's exploration pieces are enchanting, deploying tenderly plucked guitars, soft percussions, and broad horns that set it apart from many more classically-minded JRPGs. Taking a page from Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy playbook, Wernli switches to hard rock to get the blood pumping in combat.
...an earhole-strokingly epic score that manages to oscillate between more twee strings and instrumentals to the sort of raucous, pulse-thumping orchestral battle anthems that one would expect to find in a contemporary JRPG.
...but a great art style only gets you half of the way towards building a great world. A great soundtrack is also a requirement and once again Cris Tales nails this. It matches the game's set pieces perfectly and it never feels monotonous, unlike many JRPGs out there.