Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man X7-X8

Well, time to cap off the Mega Man X soundtracks. This took a bit longer than I was hoping since I've been pretty busy, so I'll probably be putting off the Zero/ZX music reviews for a bit. Mega Man X7 and X8 are pretty weird games in the context of the series, they pretty much feel like a complete reboot in terms of tone and overall vibe, and that applies to the music as well, which goes in a more industrial and buttrock direction. I can't say either of these soundtracks rank among my favorites in Mega Man, but they certainly have their strengths.

 Mega Man X7: I've gone back and forth on X7's soundtrack. I used to call it one of my favorite X soundtracks, then I started to find it a bit generic. Now, it's somewhere in the middle. I quite like the industrial, cybernetic vibe it goes for, but the tracks can range from absolute bangers to pretty generic at times. However, I did enjoy my listen this time a lot more than usual.

Code Crush
While Makenai may be my favorite JP opening in the series, Code Crush is a very close second, it's just so unbelievably badass. The industrial background track, the catchy melody, the powerful vocals from Rina Aiuchi, there is a reason so many fans hold this theme up so highly.
5/5 Stars

Conflict
Going two for two, Conflict is absolutely one of my favorite opening themes in the series. It's this energetic industrial track with some killer guitar riffs, pretty much the apex of everything X7's soundtrack is trying to go for.
5/5 Stars

Awake Road Again
Awake Road Again isn't nearly as good as Conflict, but it's another really solid highway theme. The main riff is pretty great, and that lead synth melody in the first half is quite haunting and melancholic. Sadly the chorus and the second half just isn't as memorable to me.
4/5 Stars

Burning Water
Man, X7's soundtrack really does peak early, huh? Burning Water is my favorite Maverick theme in this game and it's not even close. It's just so tense, from the chaotic string notes in the verse, to the dark background synth, to that booming orchestral chorus. Despite how much of an ear wrecker the boss himself is, his stage theme is a fantastic fusion of techno and orchestra that works really well.
5/5 Stars

Underground
Underground is yet another really great Robot Master theme. It's one of the most upbeat tracks in the game, with a very groovy central guitar riff reminiscent of Jun Senoue, and some very energetic synths in the background and chorus.
5/5 Stars

Mod Electric Wave
Mod Electric Wave is a pretty groovy track with some solid riffs, and a chorus that sounds straight out of X6. It's easily Tanaka's best track out of the ones he worked on for this game.
4/5 Stars

Naval Battle
Mod Electric Wave is a more somber theme not too dissimilar from Awake Road Again, but it lacks the memorable intro that track had. The percussion is solidly intense, but I just find the melody really unmemorable.
3/5 Stars

Ruins N Vains
I get what Ruins N Vains is going for, it's trying to be ethereal and jungle-like. The pan flutes in the chorus work quite well, but the trac held back severely by its ear-grating synth lead in the verses. Half the track is really good, and the other half isn't that great.
3/5 Stars

Higher The Air
Ah, that's better. Higher The Air is a more atmospheric piece, but I actually like it a lot. This is a track that successfully pulls off an ethereal vibe, with airy synths and a groovy central riff.
4/5 Stars

Cyber Geometry
Cyber Geometry goes full EDM for pretty fantastic rave banger. The main riff is addictingly catchy and the more calming chorus serves as a nice counterbalance to the rest of the track to prevent it from getting too repetitive.
5/5 Stars

Bomb Recovery
Bomb Recovery is one of the more forgettable tracks in the game. It's got a solid groove to it, but like with Naval Battle, I found the main melody to be pretty forgettable. The synth solo at the end is pretty solid though.
3/5 Stars

Just Before Red
Just Before Red is another really solid track. It's a fun bit of energetic techno with a catchy synth melody, frenetic percussion, and some fantastic bass riffs. It's a bit on the short side, but it's a very pleasant listen.
4/5 Stars

Infiltration
Infilitration is definitely one of the most industrial-sounding track in the game, it's quite moody though the melody isn't super strong. Rather, it's he background track really carries this one. I love how it starts with some loud percussion before going silent for the second repetition of the verse.
4/5 Stars

Soul Asylum
Does this even count as a track? It's just creepy reverse audio. Fine...
1/5 Stars

Combination
This is a pretty groovy first boss theme, especially with those squelchy-sounding synths in the verse. It doesn't leave the biggest impression, but it is a solid bop and quite lengthy for a track of its type.
4/5 Stars

Decisive Battle
Easily one of the best Mega Man boss themes, and one of the most iconic too. It may be a bit too upbeat for X7 specifically, but its fast melody and unrelenting energy makes for a very enjoyable listen, and it's elevated further by its calming and ethereal chorus. Too bad I mostly associate this theme with the screams of "BURN BURN BURN TO THE GROUND".
5/5 Stars

Relation
Red's boss theme is probably the most forgettable track in the entire series for me, but it's not bad. I actually quite like the tense synth breakdown in the chorus, but like plenty of X7's themes, it's just not one that really sticks in my brain.
3/5 Stars

Our Blood Boils
Our Blood Boils is yet another pretty Sigma theme. It's a fast and frenetic metal piece with energy to spare. The opening riff is already catchy enough, but the climactic synth solo, the fun background track in the second half, and that guitar solo elevate the track further.
5/5 Stars

Conclusion
Conclusion is an orchestral reprisal of Our Blood Boils and it's pretty solid too, it's definitely Sigma's best orchestral final boss theme. However, while I love how intense and dramatic the first half of the theme is, the second half is a bit less memorable.
4/5 Stars

Stage Select 1
X7's stage select theme is fine. It's got a decently groovy background track, but the main melody once again doesn't stick with me too much.
3/5 Stars

Result
The result theme is short, but it's fittingly triumphant and has a pretty great bass line.
3/5 Stars

Option
The option menu theme is a bit of a mess. It's trying to be really groovy, but the different instruments all sound a bit disconnected from each other.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select 2
The second stage select theme is once again a solid improvement over the first. It's a lot more intense with its choir and dramatic main melody, though it is still pretty short.
3/5 Stars

Cutscene Music
Like X4, this game has a lot of cutscene music, more than any other X game. I'm not gonna sift through all of them because most of these tracks aren't really meant to be listened to outside the game, it would put X7 at a disadvantage compared to every other mainline game, and most of all, it would be boring. So just know that it's all pretty serviceable stuff, with the exception of the vibey Revealing and Sigma's banger of a theme, Fate.
3/5 Stars

No Holding Back
Mega Man X7 has demo music, and it's alright. It does a solid job at establishing the industrial vibe of X7's music, but despite the energetic percussion, the melody once again just does not stick with me much.
3/5 Stars

Lazy Mind
Lazy Mind is another rock track from X's voice actor and it's pretty good. The main guitar riff is really catchy, and the slow chorus ties the whole thing together.
4/5 Stars

 Mega Man X8: Mega Man X8's soundtrack veers further into pure buttrock, and I hated it at first. I thought it was the most generic schlock and a massive downgrade for Mega Man music. Yeah, I was stupid back then, X8 has a pretty great soundtrack. While it definitely suffers from a lack of variety at times, X8's high points include some fantastic rock bangers, especially the boss themes, along with some more ethereal tracks fitting the game's setting. Nowadays, I'd easily rank X8's score above X7's. That being said, this is gonna be a big one. With most stages having multiple tracks, it's easily one of the longest Mega Man soundtracks.

Wild Fang
As far as the rockier JP openings go, Wild Fang is probably the best of the bunch. Everything about it feels fast and energetic, from the vocals to the guitar. It's just a really fun track that fits within X8's buttrock-heavy soundtrack.
4/5 Stars

 Theme Of Mega Man X8
X8's main theme starts unassuming with a pretty basic guitar riff, but the guitar solo halfway through and melancholic second half really elevates the track for me.
4/5 Stars

Noah's Park
Noah's Park is easily my least favorite of the opening stage themes not because it's bad, but because I just don't find it as memorable. It's got a solid melody, but it lacks the exhilirating energy or the dripping melancholy that makes for the best opening themes.
3/5 Stars

Intrusion Crabs-Y
Intrusion Crabs-Y is another really solid first boss theme, right up there with Combination. The main riff is super catchy and frenetic and the synth solo at the end is great, though the track can get a bit repetitive after too long.
4/5 Stars

VS Maverick
This is another really fun boss theme, it's similarly energetic though a lot lengthier and more varied than Intrusion Crabs-Y. I especially love that distorted shrieking guitar that carries the melody, it actually works really well here.
4/5 Stars

Troia Base - Passage
This track is more moody and ambient compared to Forwarding, but it's damn moody. The synths sound so pleasing here, and that central riff gives off a ton of mystique and atmosphere.
4/5 Stars

Troia Base - Forwarding
Forwarding is just Passage with an energetic guitar melody and beat playing over it. The guitar sounds fantastic, and the track contrasts Passage incredibly well.
4/5 Stars

Primrose
Primrose is probably my favorite Maverick theme period, it just sounds so mystical and unique. Dare I say, I even get some Klonoa vibes from it. I love the chimes that are used in the background track, and the melody is incredibly groovy and fun, especially the more energetic chorus. Naoto Tanaka did this track and he absolutely killed it, this is easily up there with X Vs Zero as one of his best pieces.
5/5 Stars

Pitch Black - Sneaking
I mean, I shouldn't be too surprised considering this is the stealth level, but this track is incredibly sparse and ambient. However, it lacks the audibly pleasing vibes that Troia Base - Passage had, so it ends up being pretty forgettable in the wider scope of the soundtrack.
2/5 Stars

Pitch Black - Discovery
This track has the opposite problem, it's too loud! It just comes bursting out of the gate with blaring instruments that could give any player a sudden shock. Like yeah, it does give off a solid feeling of panic, but I can't imagine anyone listening to this track willingly.
1/5 Stars

Dynasty
Dynasty is one of the jazzier tracks in the series, which is a nice change of pace for Mega Man. However, it also peaks in the intro, the rest of the melody doesn't quite live up to just how fun and jazzy that part is, though the chorus is pretty solid too.
4/5 Stars

Inferno - Descending
Inferno's Descending theme is one of the more memorable Maverick themes for me. I love its unique 5/4 time signature and the riffs it manages to built around it, along with how the percussion almost sounds like a metronome keeping time. The second half tossing in a 5/4 guitar solo is the icing on the polyrhythmic cake. Give me more Mega Man songs with weird time signatures, this is great.
5/5 Stars

Inferno - Going Up
Unfortunately, Going Up isn't anywhere near as interesting. It's pretty much just a sped up version of Descending without any of the cool complexities it had, it's short and repetitive, though not nearly as much of an earrape as Pitch Black - Discovery.
2/5 Stars

Central White
Central White is easily one of the best tracks in the game, just a damn great energetic rock piece. The wailing echoing guitars in the intro, the tight bass lines, the fast-paced percussion, all excellently done. But what really elevates this track for me is that absolutely nuts guitar solo in the second half, easily ranking as one of the best solos in the entire franchise.
5/5 Stars

Metal Valley - Evade
Metal Valley has a solid rock track with a pretty fantastic chorus, though coming off of Central White, I don't have quite as much to say about it.
4/5 Stars

Metal Valley - Overheat
Once again, Overheat is a more sped-up version of Evade, though it still sounds pretty good this time. I like how the main melody feels like it's building, it almost sounds like Gate's boss theme in X6. It's also actually quite lengthy with a solid chorus to cap the track off.
3/5 Stars

Booster Forest
Booster Forest has one of the most atmospheric tracks in all of Mega Man, and I absolutely adore it. The blend of wailing guitars and spacey synths make for a truly ethereal mix, but it still feels like it's missing something...
4/5 Stars

Booster Forest - Cyclops
Once you get the Ride Armor, Booster Forest's theme gets its main melody, and it's absolutely divine. It does lack a bit of the ethereal energy of the base theme, but those guitar wails and the sheer intensity of the whole track more than make up for it.
5/5 Stars

Vs Boss Demo
This is a pretty simple guitar loop made to hype you up for the boss. It's decently tense, but still a tad repetitive.
3/5 Stars

Vs Boss
Here we are, my favorite Mega Man X boss theme. If there's one thing X8's soundtrack absolutely nails, it's those damn boss themes. Vs Boss is an incredibly energetic metal, with a super fast and fun melody and plenty of killer guitar wails.
5/5 Stars

Angry Boss
Yet another more energetic remix of an existing track. Angry Boss is just lucky Vs Boss has such a fantastic central riff.
3/5 Stars

Jakob
Everyone loves the Jakob Elevator theme, it's easily one of the most unanimously beloved tracks in an X game, even by people who generally dislike X8's soundtrack. It's such a fun and groovy track with a catchy melody, an upbeat and heroic vibe, and an absolutely transcendent melody. Eight games later, we're still getting quintessential pieces of Mega Man X music.
5/5 Stars

Vs Vile
Vile's themes have never let me down, and X8's Vile theme is just as fantastic. It borrows the already fun riff of Intrusion Crabs-Y and expands on it in every direction, on top of also just sounding cleaner. It's got more of a melody, a fantastic guitar solo, and some well-placed organ to carry the groove along.
5/5 Stars

Gateway
Gateway bears a lot of similarities to Final Weapon, it's very spacey befitting the location of a space station. However, while Final Weapon is more haunting and tense, Gateway is a solemn and slow-paced acoustic ballad. I wasn't huge on the track at first, but I'm not gonna lie, it kinda hit me at time. This is some very affecting acoustic.
4/5 Stars

Gateway - Escape
Another short escape theme, though at least this one has an original melody. The synths used sound very pleasing, but the track itself is still fairly short.
3/5 Stars

Vs Copy Sigma
Copy Sigma gets yet another fantastic boss theme, it's a very frantic and chaotic track with some wild guitar flairs, and a truly incredible chorus. Sigma's main motif in this game is also so good, easily one of my favorites in the series. However, as great as this track is, it does get overshadowed by an even better boss theme not too shortly after...
5/5 Stars

Sigma Palace
The theme for Sigma Palace is a tense orchestral piece to hype you up for the game's final boss gauntlet, and it's solid. It's a bit uneven though, parts of it are pretty sparse, but that harp segment is absolutely fantastic.
3/5 Stars

Vs Sigma
Sigma's standard boss theme is Vs Copy Sigma but slower and more forceful, and I think it's even better. This track exudes so much power through its heavy guitar and booming percussion, and the unique chorus is super groovy and puts a nice spin on Sigma's aforementioned leitmotif.
5/5 Stars

Vs Lumine - The First
Lumine's first boss theme is another orchestral track, and it blows X5's Sigma 2 and Conclusion out of the water. The haunting organ and waltz melody sound so great, I get some real Drawcia Sorceress vibes from this track which is absolute a good thing.
5/5 Stars

Vs Lumine Demo
A slower harpsichord piece to set the stage for the second phase. There isn't too much to say here, but it does sound pretty good.
3/5 Stars

Vs Lumine - The Second
Well, we're back to rock music. Vs Lumine's second phase is an absolute head-banger with a frenetic main riff, a very catchy central melody, and a beautiful chorus that brings together the guitar and organ to great effect. But the easy highlight for me is that dramatic climax with the intense booming percussion, definitely one of the best final boss themes in the franchise. Man, does X8 has some stellar boss themes overall.
5/5 Stars

Intermission
Intermission is a pretty standard piece of rock music, I don't even really remember where it plays.
2/5 Stars

Dr Light's Capsule
Yet another piece of really ethereal music for Dr Light. I really like the synth lead used here, but otherwise, there isn't too much to this track.
3/5 Stars

Hunter Base - Going To The Front
Hunter Base has several tracks, but this first one is easily my favorite. Despite not loving X8 all that much as a game, it was one of the first PS2 games I ever got to play alongside Klonoa 2 so this theme really stuck with me. It's has a real sense of determination, befitting a Mega Man stage select.
4/5 Stars

Hunter Base - Doubt
This is a more strained, tense version of the standard Hunter Base theme. It's solid, definitely does its job, but it's nowhere near as pleasant to listen to as Going To The Front.
3/5 Stars

Hunter Base - Wickedness
This hub theme is a lot more ambient. It's got some nice guitar wails, but I really don't have much to say about it.
2/5 Stars

Result
The result theme is also solid but not super remarkable. I like the synth in the background, but the main guitar melody is pretty standard fare for X8.
3/5 Stars

Menu
Menu is a spacey synth theme. It's very short and repetitive, but it is quite atmospheric for what it is.
3/5 Stars

Save & Load
The track always baits me because the start sounds like For Endless Fight but then the track diverges into something far less effective. Otherwise, it's nothing special and it's very short.
2/5 Stars

Option
Another incredibly short piece of menu music. It primarily uses synth and does sound very atmospheric, but it's too brief to really capitalize on any of its ideas.
2/5 Stars

Ending
Huh... no JP ending? That's weird. Any way, this is a fine ending theme. It's a slow and melancholic acousitc guitar piece that sounds very pleasing, a solid end to a solid soundtrack.
3/5 Stars

Soundtrack Retrospective: Len'en

I've been a Touhou fan for roughly five years now, but I've never really thought to look into its weird sister series, Len'en, and I'm not really sure why. I've never been one to look down on games for taking inspiration for others, rather I encourage it and relish in seeing people put their own spin on familiar concepts. And after taking the time to check out the series, yeah, creator Jynx does a lot to make their series stand out from Touhou. A stronger focus on continuity with actual consequences for the protagonists being jerks, more humans to counterbalance the youkais, a cast of entirely gender neutral characters, flashier patterns and more options for casual players, and in the case of the recent games, a visible willingness to experiment not just with mechanics but with entire genres.

And the same applies to the music. Despite using many of the same instruments, once you've heard a few Len'en tracks, you'll immediately understand that Jynx has a vastly different musical style than ZUN. It's hard to really describe without just listening to it yourself, but Len'en tracks quickly develop their own unique chord progressions with a moodier vibe to them, and Jynx is also a bit more freeform in terms of genre experimentation. I also think it's kinda funny that I tend to prefer Touhou's stage themes over its boss themes, but Len'en's boss themes are far and away superior to its somewhat uneven-stage themes. I'll always have more attachment to ZUN's series and music, but Len'en's got some great soundtracks and a good amount of bangers so I wanted to give them the respect they deserve.

Evanescent Existence
Evanescent Existence is far and away the weakest Len'en soundtrack in my opinion. The sound quality is noticeably weaker than the later scores, it can be quite loud at times, and you can definitely tell that Jynx's is still figuring out their style. There are still plenty of really solid tracks like Lost Anchorage, In This World, and the stage 4 boss/theme duo, but there's also a fair amount of duds that don't really work for me like M-Theory and The Untruth Patronizes The Truth. The final and extra boss themes are particularly great, but even they don't quite reach the high points of the later games. It's a solid soundtrack overall, but the later games just sound more refined to me.

Highlights: Empire Power - Eternal Force is a pretty good first final boss theme. That tense piano build-up at the start is pretty fantastic, and once the drop hits, the main melody is a real banger.
3/5 Stars

Earthen Miraculous Sword
Earthen Miraculous Sword's soundtrack is a solid improvement over its predecessor. It sounds crisper and it's more consistent in that there aren't really any weak tracks, though it also takes a while for the tracks to become truly amazing. I also don't feel like Jynx fully nailed their style yet either mostly because of how many tracks sound very ZUN-esque, as they're still using the tried and true Touhou chord progressions for a lot of the tracks. However, what really pushes EMS's score over EE is the incredible final and extra boss themes which easily rank as two of the best tracks in the series. They're phenomenal musical climaxes to this very game and feel like the turning point for where Len'en music becomes something truly special.

Highlights: Below A Deep Vanishing Cloud - Mow Down is my favorite Len'en track, at least right now. It's a fantastic final boss that hits like the best of them, boasting so much grandiosity in its piano, violins, and ZUNpets, and that chorus where that distinctly brisk piano melody combines with a heavenly ZUNpet melody is truly transcendant. Honorable mention to Mono Eye though.
4/5 Stars

 Reactivate Majestical Imperial
Reactivate Majestical Imperial is my favorite Len'en soundtrack so far, Jynx truly refines their style with this one. This is the score where Jynx starts really leaning on those new Len'en chord progressions, along with playing around with some of the other instruments. Despite the story of an endless winter being quite similar to that of PCB, Jynx immediately differentiates this game by heavily using sleigh bells in many of its tracks, and it works! It lends the score a really cohesive feel, and weirdly enough gives me some Crash Bandicoot 2 vibes at point. And that's not even mentioning how good the second half's music is. It's got some of the best stage themes in the series, some fun fusion remixes for the rival fights in Stage 4, and an incredible triple whammy of great boss themes for Shion, Tenkai, and Sese.

Highlights: Moon Child is my second favorite Len'en theme, and an overall fantastic boss theme.  That intro has so much energy coming out the gate, and the track maintains that momentum with its catchy central melody and brisk tempo. Honorable mentions goes to the breathtaking wintery track Each Of Their Thoughts And Footprints, and the... infamous Present World Overhaul, aka ZUNpet spam incarnate (not that its a bad thing).
5/5 Stars

Brilliant Pagoda Or Haze Castle
Brilliant Pagoda Or Haze Castle is a wild game. Jynx really went all out to differentiate this one from not just the previous three games but from the Touhou series entirely by implementing this new roguelike system with three different routes, twelve possibles stages, and multiple potential bosses per stage. And while most shmups boast soundtracks clocking in at around 15-20 tracks, BPoHC has a whopping 54 tracks, around 30-40% of which are remixes of boss themes from previous games. It's a truly staggering achievement of a soundtrack and packs in a bunch of truly fantastic tracks... but I think RMI is overall the better musical package. 

As usual, the stage themes tend to be a bit hit or miss and it's particularly noticeable in a game with twelve of them, and while there are plenty of truly great original boss themes like Killing Superior, Lost Jackpot, and MO-NA-D-1, even they can often feel overshadowed by the remixes. That being said, the sheer scale of the score, the generally high quality of the remixes, and the big jump in terms of sound quality and musical variety still makes this a close second in terms of my favorite Len'en soundtrack.

Highlights: As far as the original tracks go, Haze Castle - Phantom Road stands out as easily one of Len'en's best stage themes for its intense melodies, suspenseful piano riff, and blaring ZUNpets, and Lost Jackpot is a uniquely jazzy piece of chiptune jazz that sounds straight out of a Toby Fox game. However, my absolute favorite track in the game is Necromaster, a similarly jazzy and upbeat remix of Those Dwelling In Unreality. Jynx really nails the jazzier pieces in this game overall, I think it could be an interesting direction for them to explore musically.
4/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man X4-X6

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I think Mega Man as a franchise peaked musically with the PS1 X games. Their blend of crisp synths and hard rock is just perfection, and the soundtracks of X4 through X6 showed two of the series' best composers at the height of their power.

Mega Man X4: I've reviewed a few Toshihiko Horiyama tracks, but this is the first soundtrack to be entirely composed by him, and it's easily his magnum opus. X4's music is just incredible, it's a perfect blend of adrenaline-pumping bangers and sheer melancholy. Horiyama's synth leads and compositional style is so distinct and recognizable, and it lends the entire soundtrack a real sense of cohesion. It's exhilirating, it's head-banging, it's emotional, it's the Mega Man X4 OST.

Makenai Ai Ga Kitto Aru
There would be a lot of fantastic vocal themes in future Mega Man games. Code Crush, Kaze Yo Tsutaete, Freesia, Clover, Innocence, Be One... but nothing tops Makenai Ai Ga Kitto Aru. It's pure, distilled anime OP hype, an aggressively 90s track that perfectly nails the game's tonal blend of melancholy and action. The vocals are powerful, the background beat is a bop, the guitars sound so good, and the synth melodies are beautiful. What an incredibly first impression this opening makes...
5/5 Stars

Opening
Unfortunately, the JP opening is so good that the US opening kinda suffers for it. It's pretty much just your average Horiyama track, with the same sorrowful lead melody, ethereal synths, and heavy guitars in the background. It's solid, but not super remarkable compared to the rest of the soundtrack.
3/5 Stars

Player Select
While it is really short, this is a pretty great character select theme. It's overflowing with energy, and its punchy synth melody does a great job at getting the player hyped.
3/5 Stars

Stage Select
This is easily the best Mega Man X stage select theme to date. It's got such a punchy 80s vibe to it, a great sampler for the tone X4's soundtrack is going for.
4/5 Stars

Opening Stage X
Now that Zero is playable, we get two opening stage themes based on the character. As far as X4 goes, I think X has the better opening stage theme. It's a really somber and dramatic track, with high-pitched synths and a dark minor melody, but the fantastic bass and percussion keep things energetic enough that it still feels like a proper opening stage theme.
5/5 Stars

Opening Stage Zero
Zero's opening stage theme is pure heavy metal, with lots of shredding guitars in both the foreground and background. The melody isn't quite as gripping as that of X's opening stage theme, but the sheer intensity and that incredible guitar solo more than make up for it.
4/5 Stars

Eregion
Eregion's theme is pretty simple and unremarkable compared to most of the other tracks in the game. The short guitar solo midway through is pretty neat, but that's all I can really say about it.
3/5 Stars

Web Spider
Web Spider's theme is one of the most defining tracks of PS1 era Mega Man in my opinion, it just has such a thick atmosphere to it. Befitting the jungle setting, Web Spider's theme is focused entirely around the bass. There isn't really a melody, all the synths and booming drums are there to compliment an absolute banger of a bassline. The key shift in the chorus followed up by a wild synth solo elevate an already great track even further.
5/5 Stars

Cyber Peacock
Cyber Peacock is another series highlight, and a perfect encapsulation of why I adore Mega Man X4's soundtrack. This track is incredibly melancholic, with ethereal synths carrying a bleak, almost lullaby-sounding melody. It's a pretty slow and moody track at first, but the sudden shift to a frantic, fast-paced, and almost desperate-sounding melody is such a powerful payoff.
5/5 Stars

Storm Owl
Storm Owl's theme suffers a bit from its short length, but it's definitely another defining X4 track. The synthwork in this theme is so good, and the main melody is super intense and heart-pumping. I can already think of a bunch of tracks in other games that were visibly inspired by Storm Owl's theme.
4/5 Stars

Magma Dragoon
Magma Dragoon's theme is one of the coolest lava themes I've heard in a game, it perfectly captures the searing, exhausting heat of an active volcano. The pounding drums, tense and rhythmic melody, and the clap-heavy in the chorus give the whole track a haunting tribal feel.
5/5 Stars

Jet Stingray
Jet Stingray's theme is yet another easy highlight. It's just nonstop heart-pumping momentum from start to finish. The thrash riff that permeates through the entire track, the energetic high-tempo melody, and that climactic chorus all make for a serious head-banger of a Maverick theme.
5/5 Stars

Split Mushroom
Split Mushroom is a track that's more akin to Web Spider. It's dripping with atmosphere and boasts an absolutely killer bassline. I love how messed up this track sounds, from the dark minor melody, to the tense chorus, to that very creepy synth distortion right before the bridge. Another winner for X4.
5/5 Stars

Slash Beast
I can't understate how much I adore the synths in X4, and the PS1 era X games in general. They just sound so spacey and pleasing to the ears. Like the stage select theme, Slash Beast's theme has a pretty cool new wave feel to it, especially in the verse. It almost sounds like something you'd hear in a workout video from the 80s, in a good way. It's very powerful and punchy, and the chorus is a real head-banger.
5/5 Stars

Frost Walrus 1
Frost Walrus is the only Maverick to have two themes. His first theme is fairly muted and toned-down, focused more on maintaining a cool, icey feel. It sounds pretty good, I particularly like the jittering background synths in the second half which give off a real Kirby's Aurora Area vibe, but you can tell this isn't the full track yet.
4/5 Stars

Frost Walrus 2
Frost Walrus's second theme is where the main melody actually gets introduced. It has the same hauntingly cold vibes of the first theme, with a melancholic synth melody and some punchier percussion to give the track a bit of extra flavor.
5/5 Stars

Boss
Definitely one of the best boss themes in the franchise, it's just so classic in my eyes. That intense central riff is incredibly memorable and iconic, and the frenetic synth chorus makes the track feel even more hard-hitting.
5/5 Stars

Get A Weapon
Easily one of the best weapon upgrade themes in the series. It's as short as the rest, but it's super fast-paced and punchy, and the core melody is super catchy and memorable without getting repetitive.
4/5 Stars

Stage Select 2
This is a solid second stage theme. It is pretty short, but it's dripping with a menacing atmosphere thanks to those heavy dark synths in the background.
3/5 Stars

Space Port
The stage may be short, but this theme still stands up pretty highly. That tense central riff gives the track so much propulsion and momentum, and I like how spacey the main melody sounds. It does a good job at capturing Space Port as a location, both the race to get to Colonel and its relation to space.
5/5 Stars

Colonel & General
Definitely one of the most dramatic tracks in the game, which fits considering you're having to face off against characters who aren't exactly fully bad guys. That main melody that kicks off the track in particular feels really bleak.
4/5 Stars

Final Weapon
Another really great final stage theme. I love how dark and dramatic so many of these endgame tracks are. Final Weapon primarily uses these heavily distorted synths which both heighten the tension of the situation while also capturing the interstellar setting, but there's also the fantastic bassline and that absolutely haunting chorus.
5/5 Stars

Double
Double's theme is complete and utter chaos. Heavy guitars, sharp synths, and an absolute mess of a composition that still manages to fit together pretty well. It's a fine boss theme, but I do think a certain other boss theme does what it does even better.
3/5 Stars

Iris
Iris's boss theme is up there with some of the most emotionally devastating tracks in the series. Even if the boss fight is annoying, and even if the voice acting ruins the tension a bit, this music really makes you feel the tragedy of Iris's situation. While even X4's more melancholic tracks still had somewhat of a driving percussion to keep it feeling somewhat energetic, Iris's theme is pure hopelessness and despair, and it's effective as hell.
5/5 Stars

Sigma 1st
Flipping the script from the previous Sigma boss fights, Sigma's first theme in this game is the more muted and atmospheric one. While there isn't much of a melody to it, the distorted synths and frenetic background instruments still give off a really menacing vibe.
4/5 Stars

Sigma 2nd
Sigma 2nd's theme is Double's theme but way better. It's just so... scary. The background instruments are so heavy and overwhelming, and the synths and guitars are so loud and harsh, but unlike with Double's theme, there's still a distinctive melody which culminates in a frenetic head-banger of a chorus.
5/5 Stars

Dr Light
Dr Light's theme sounds like a slower and more ethereal version of the weapon get theme. It definitely works as a solid Dr Light theme even if it's way too short to really make an impact.
3/5 Stars

Staff Roll
I adore the US staff roll theme we got for X4, Horiyama absolutely killed it here. The staff roll theme perfectly toes the line between being a sigh of relief and a melancholic reflection of all that X and Zero has lost throughout the game. The main melody is so memorable and hummable, and that chorus is absolutely transcendant. This is definitely one of the best staff roll themes in the franchise.
5/5 Stars

One More Chance
Just as the JP opening blew the US one out of the water, I think One More Chance is weaker than Horiyama's staff roll theme. The US staff roll theme has such a strong feeling of melancholy and sorrow, which fits X4's somewhat downer ending. One More Chance, while still somewhat catchy, sounds like a pretty average piece of fluffy j-pop. It's gentle and cheery, which feels at odds with the rest of the game tonally, especially considering how fitting Makenai was.
3/5 Stars

Mega Man X5: As much as I adore Mega Man X4's soundtrack, though, if I had to pick my favorite overall Mega Man soundtrack, I think it would have to be X5. Say what you will about the game, but in terms of its music, this is the perfect culmination of the X series in every way. It's dripping with finality from start to finish, from a varied lineup of intense and eclectic Robot Master themes, to some phenomenal remixes. X5 is where Naoto Tanaka began composing for Mega Man, and he just gets the X series and how it should sound.

Opening Theme
X5's US opening theme is absolutely incredible, it truly feels like the end of an era. That melancholic piano reprisal of X's main theme hits so hard, and the head-banging guitar/synth solos that take up most of the rest of the track are fantastic. Perfect opening theme.
5/5 Stars

Monkey
While X3 and X4's vocal tracks were more j-pop, X5 and X6 go in a more heavy metal direction. Unfortunately, as far as X5 is concerned, yeah, the US versions blow the JP vocal themes completely out of the water. The instrumental opening felt deliberately crafted to bring the X saga full circle, while Monkey is a really cheesy piece of metal music. It's certainly fun, but it does not fit this game in the slightest.
3/5 Stars

Character Select
Not quite as heart-pumping as X4's, but it's still a solid if short character select carried by some punchy synths.
2/5 Stars

Opening Stage X
This is one of the definitive X tracks in my eyes, it perfectly encapsulates the series and its vibe, especially in the PS1 era. The main verse is super upbeat and catchy, only to segue into a more melancholic pre-chorus and an intense chorus. The synths and bass feel like pure Mega Man.
5/5 Stars

Opening Stage Zero
Unlike in X4, however, I think Zero's theme is even better this time. Like in the previous game, it's a lot heavier and more rock-centric, but the melody is a lot more catchy and head-banging this time. Like many of X5's other tracks, there's a real sense of urgency that fits the game's heavy focus on time. And the synth-heavy chorus is absolutely transcendent.
5/5 Stars

Stage Select
Out of the PS1 games, X5 definitely has the chillest stage select theme. It almost sounds like a news forecast, but it's still quite catchy and fits the futuristic setting well.
3/5 Stars

Grizzy Slash
Grizzy Slash is always my first pick for X5 and this theme is a big reason why, it just fits the game so well. I mentioned that X5 tracks have a sense of urgency, but Grizzy Slash is bleeding with urgency. It's remarkably dramatic, with tense minor chords, punchy orchestra hits, and dark-sounding synth leads. It's so edgy, and I adore it.
5/5 Stars

Squid Adler
Squid Adler has one of the most complex and layered Maverick themes in the entire series, there's just so much to it. Those heavenly synth arpeggios that kick off the track, the laid-back central melody, those shredding guitars, the head-banging chorus, it all clicks together impressively well.
5/5 Stars

Izzy Glow
Izzy Glow's theme is one of the most rocking tracks in the series, it has a big emphasis on guitars. The verse and chorus are both incredibly groovy, but I also the calmer synth-heavy pre-chorus for how well it breaks up the track.
4/5 Stars

Duff McWhalen
Duff McWhalen's theme is a remix of Bubble Crab's theme from X2. Yeah, I know there's an original prototype theme but I'm just focusing on the tracks that actually ended up in the game. Besides, this is still a damn good remix. The decision to use wailing electric guitars for the main melody is pure genius, and it perfectly nails the same balance of serenity and energy that the original track had.
5/5 Stars

Dynamo
Dynamo's theme is so much fun, and you can tell Tanaka had fun making it. The main melody is so jazzy and groovy, and the entire second half of the track is an extended breakdown with a synth solo, a guitar solo, and a drum solo one after the other. Pure brilliance.
5/5 Stars

The Skiver
The Skiver's theme isn't particularly remarkable, but it's still somehow one of the first themes that comes to mind of when I think of X5. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I really do love how the synths sound in the PS1 games and they're on full display in this track. The surf rock-sounding chorus is also a solid bop.
4/5 Stars

Axle The Red
Axle The Red's theme is another pretty busy theme, with pounding drums befitting the jungle setting, an incredibly catchy melody, a distinctive synth setting, some wailing guitars, and an absolute banger of a chorus that pays off the track's somewhat slow build-up excellently.
4/5 Stars

Dark Dizzy
Something I like about Mega Man X5's soundtrack is that it actually has its fair share of more ambient tracks, a rarity for the franchise. Dark Dizzy's theme is this incredibly atmospheric blend of spacey synths and wailing guitars. It may seem sparse, but it generates such a beautiful aura, especially with that breakdown in the second half.
5/5 Stars

Mattrex
Mattrex's theme is just as atmospheric and it's even better in my opinion. Befitting the volcanic setting, this theme is a lot more intense than Dark Dizzy's theme, with harsh background synths and a truly glorious guitar-centric melody. It's such a great song to vibe out as you take in the guitar wails and distorted synths. Where Magma Dragoon's theme captured the oppressiveness of heat through raw intensity, Mattrex's theme captures it through density of sound.
5/5 Stars

Boss
As you'd expect, X5's boss theme sounds particularly urgent and tense. The harsh synths, dramatic melody, and eerie choirs really give off the feeling that time is running out and captures the tragedy of these Mavericks in particular. It's almost my favorite boss theme in the X series, but we'll get there later.
5/5 Stars

Mission Report
The mission report theme is fine. It does sound a tad slow for its own good, but it's certainly memorable.
2/5 Stars

Zero Virus 1
The first Zero Virus theme, which is also used as the second stage select theme, is breathtakingly beautiful. That iconic piano riff sounds so serene yet so melancholic, and when the synths finally butt in for the chorus, it feels so cathartic.
5/5 Stars

Shadow Devil
This remix of the Yellow Devil's theme is unfortunately a bit of a mixed bag. I like the idea to use an organ in there, and the main melody is as addictive as always, but the actual execution can sound a bit overly busy. It's on par with the original, not better nor worse.
4/5 Stars

Rangda Bangda W
Rangda Bangda W gets a remix of Vile's theme from X1, and as I hinted at earlier, I think this version is better. The harsh synths fit Vile's theme perfectly, and give the track a much more intense feel.
5/5 Stars

Zero Virus 2
There's a lot to unpack with this track. For starters, what an absolute banger. Zero Virus 2's theme is a head-bopping rave with a ridiculously catchy main melody and one hell of a guitar solo capping it off. However, I have to address the elephant in the room: Yes, this theme does sound a lot like Reisen's theme from Touhou 8. No, I'm not complaining, it makes this track even better.
5/5 Stars

X Vs Zero
The best theme in the entire franchise. I mean, what do I even need to say about this track that hasn't already been said? It's so good! The dramatic melody, the frenetic pacing, the climactic synth chorus, the intense guitars, it's peak Mega Man music is every single way. It's not just the perfect culmination of X and Zero's relationship but the perfect fusion of the synth and rock that defines the series.
5/5 Stars

Sigma 1st
This is one of my favorite Sigma themes. Like many of the best ones, it's ridiculously fast and frantic, but those chime synths used just sound so pleasing to the ears, and that harsh chorus is a real head-banger.
5/5 Stars

Sigma 2nd
Once again, Sigma's second theme is slower and orchestral, but it's definitely one of the better orchestral Sigma themes. I love how brass-heavy it is, it gives the track a strong militaristic feel along with the solid percussion and tense riff.
4/5 Stars

Dr Light
And of course, we get a remix of X1's Dr Light theme. The addition of X5 synths makes the whole track feel even more ethereal and comforting.
4/5 Stars

Demo
I'll be honest, I don't remember where this track plays. I think it's when the eclipse cannon fires? Either way, it's a solid piece, it definitely has that space-y vibe to it that I like.
3/5 Stars

Zero Dead
Another solid melancholic piece, if short. It took me a while to realize it was a slower remix of X's opening stage theme in this game, which just makes the track hit all the harder.
3/5 Stars

Ending Theme
An absolutely beautiful ending theme, definitely one of the best in the franchise. That piano solo, along with the soft synths, marimba, and strings add up to such an ethereal, melancholic, chill-inducing, and emotional piece. And that chorus is flat-out jaw-dropping, this really would've been a perfect ending to the series if X6 never existed.
5/5 Stars

Mizu No Naka
Well, this track certainly fits X5 a lot better. It's still nowhere near as good as the US ending theme, but it's a lot slower and heavier, and actually feels like it's about Zero's death. The vocals are the real highlight here, Showtaro Morikubo (aka X's voice actor) is really screaming his heart out here. However, I gotta say, for a song that's supposed to be about X and Zero, it kinda sounds like a love song.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
3/5 Stars

Mega Man X6: Despite the many issues with the game itself, Mega Man X6 is regarded by many as having one of the best soundtracks in the series, and I absolute agree. It's got such a slick new wave feel to it. This soundtrack was a solo project by Naoto Tanaka, and while you can tell it was rushed a bit due to the abundance of reused tracks and remixes, the stuff we did get easily ranks among the series' best.

Moonlight & The Answer
So, weirdly enough, X6 has two openings but they're both exclusive to the JP version. I'm grouping them together because they're both edgy rock pieces sung by Showtaro Morikubo once again, and they're both fine. They certainly fit the game better than Monkey did, but at least that track had a lot more energy. Bring back the j-pop, this is kinda boring.
3/5 Stars

Opening Stage
Mega Man X6's opening stage theme is quite unique. It's not all that energetic, instead going for an ambient, sorrowful feel befitting the game's post-apocalyptic setting and X's mindset after the events of X5. The bass and synths give the track a nice groove, and the melody is incredibly catchy and memorable. Definitely deserving of the praise it gets.
5/5 Stars

D-1000
As far as opening boss themes go, this one's pretty alright. It's short but frenetic and has a solid groove to it.
3/5 Stars

Stage Select
Easily one of the best stage select themes in the franchise. The organ gives the track so much intensity, and the synth solo that caps off the piece is absolutely gorgeous.
5/5 Stars

Commander Yammark
Commander Yammark's theme is very much antithetical to a Mega Man piece. It's slow, peaceful, calming, and ambient, and it's still one of my favorite tracks in the franchise. Yammark's theme almost feels like it's out of a DKC game, perfectly toeing the line between groovy and naturalistic. The pianos in the verse, that impeccable chord progression, the jaw-droppingly beautiful flute chorus, everything about this track is so impeccably executed.
5/5 Stars

Rainy Turtloid
Rainy Turtloid's theme is also pretty fantastic. It's a lot more energetic than Yammark's theme, but it still has an atmospheric feel. Once again, the bass and percussion are so remarkably groovy, and some of the synth solos are absolute bops especially in the chorus.
5/5 Stars

Shieldner Sheldon
Shieldner Sheldon's theme has a pretty unassuming first half, but even from the start, it boasts some fantastic slap bass. However, once that ethereal pre-chorus and catchy chorus come in, the track really starts to get good. Shame the level is so short you probably won't even hear it.
4/5 Stars

Blizzard Wolfang
Guitar wails aren't uncommon for Mega Man, but they've never sounded better than in Blizzard Wolfang's theme. This entire track is just a rock ballad, and boasts some absolutely chill-inducing riffs. Yet another incredible ice track.
5/5 Stars

Blaze Heatnix
OH MY GOD, they did not need to go this hard. I mean, do I even need to explain why Blaze Heatnix's theme is incredible, it's just the most unhinged thrash metal riffs with zero room to breath. The chorus including X6's main leitmotif is nice though.
5/5 Stars

Infinity Mijinion
It's the final countdown! Seriously though, this is one of the most 80s tracks I've ever heard in a video game. The guitar riff, that gorgeous synth, the freaking solo in the chorus, it does such an incredible job at pumping you up. This theme deserved a better stage.
5/5 Stars

Metal Shark Player
Metal Shark Player's theme is one of the less remarkable ones, it's a lot more muted and subdued. The first half isn't too special, but the second half boasts some pretty fantastic synthwork, especially in the background.
4/5 Stars

Ground Scaravich
Ah yes, the infamous Ground Scaravich theme. Some people despise this track... I don't. I concede that it's a bit too repetitive, but I like that we have a DnB-sounding track in a Mega Man game and the pianow work in the background sounds pretty great.
4/5 Stars

Boss
I'm not a fan of this boss theme. It's aggressively 80s, almost sounding like the theme song for a buddy cop film with its guitar scratches, but I always found it a bit repetitive.
3/5 Stars

Mission Report
This is a solid mission report theme. It's upbeat, peppy, and catchy, and it doesn't get repetitive like others might, but I still don't find it super memorable.
4/5 Stars

Gate's Laboratory
Sadly, we only get one fortress theme this time around, but it's an incredible remix of Hunter Base 2. Where that theme was slower and menacing, Gate's Laboratory is a lot faster and most frenetic, boasting tons of sick guitar riffs, orchestral hits, and a fantastic reprisal of X6's main motif.
5/5 Stars

High Max
High Max as a boss is awful, but his theme is oddly addicting despite how short and repetitive it is. I don't really know what to say, the synths just tickle my brain in the right way.
5/5 Stars

Gate
Gate's boss theme is also pretty solid. The central background riff is really great, as are the typical X6 guitar wails, but I can't help but feel like I'm hearing just the second half of an even better track.
4/5 Stars

Sigma 1st
Sigma's first boss theme in this game was also used for the entire last fortress level, and I really like it. It perfectly fits his shambling zombie appearance in this game, going for a really heavy and oppressive feel with haunting synthwork, an eerie choir, and some very hard-hitting guitar. In hindsight, it reminds me a lot of Midnight Wandering from Metal Slug 3, and I love that track.
4/5 Stars

Sigma 2nd
The definitive Sigma theme in my eyes, a fantastic fusion of Sigma's first boss themes from X1 and X2. The guitars are going absolutely buck-wild and the uplifting brass in the chorus give the track such a triumphant and heroic feel. Once again, this theme deserved a better boss fight.
5/5 Stars

Dr Light
This is another solid Dr Light theme. It's as ethereal as always, elevated by a touch of orchestral instruments.
4/5 Stars

Alia & Gate
This theme is fine, but I don't really remember hearing it in the game so I'm not sure where it plays. It's a pretty piano piece but I really don't have much to say about it.
3/5 Stars

Zero
An fantastic remix of Variable X that nails that theme's bluesier elements. It's like the Mega Man equivalent of the ending theme for Revenge Of Meta Knight, badass in its melancholy.
4/5 Stars

Ending
Yeah, the US ending theme of X6 doesn't do much for me. Despite having all of the distinguishing features of X6's soundtrack, particularly those iconic wailing guitars, I just don't find the melody all that strong.
2/5 Stars

IDEA
Ah, finally, we're back to the j-pop tracks. IDEA is just a pure disco bop, with passionate singers, a groovy background track, and an incredibly catchy memory. Unlike X4's ending theme which felt like a weird tonal whiplash, IDEA feels like a much-deserved victory after putting yourself through X6.
4/5 Stars

Why I Love Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

If you asked me to describe my ideal video game, it would probably be a lot like Gurumin. Gurumin just checks all the boxes. It's a quirky platformer/action RPG blend from the early 2000s by Falcom where you play as a cute girl wielding a giant drill, with a ridiculous amount of collectibles, a rocking soundtrack, and just enough jank to be charming without dampening any of the game's fun. It's an aggressively joyful experience in every way possible.

Gurumin is about a girl named Parin who moves into a mining town called Tiese where she learns there's a hidden civilzation of monsters, who she quickly befriends. When the monster side of the town gets ravaged by a bunch of phantoms, Parin pulls a legendary drill out of the ground and heads off to stop them. Being a Falcom game, it really shouldn't be much of a surprise that Gurumin's story is pretty great. It's not as heavy of a story as something like a Trails game, but Gurumin's narrative has some pretty solid twists and revelations near the end, and an incredibly heartfelt energy, especially in the ending. It helps that Falcom's character work is as on point as ever, with all the monsters and townsfolk you meet having likable personalities, and Parin in particular being a very charming protagonist. 

As I said above, Gurumin is basically a colorful early 2000s 3D platformer crossed with a dungeon-crawling action RPG. There's a 50/50 split between simple but precise platforming, and chaotic drill combat.  Movement-wise, Parin is surprisingly really fun to control. There's a real sense of weight to Parin's movement, even down to the way she leans left and right whenever you change directions. There's even a really fun wall-run movement that's rarely useful and often impractical, but it gives Gurumin a bit of extra flavor and finding uses for the wall run is incredibly satisfying. The combat is also really well-done. It's fast, there's a bunch of combos you can use, and you can augment your drill with different elements to keep things fresh. Once again going the extra mile, Falcom even adds a rhythm based system where you deal more damage by timing hits to the music. It's all these extraneous features like the rhythm system and the wall-running that add to Gurumin's charm because they're not necessary at all in theory, but are incredibly fun to mess around with in practice.

The dungeon design is pretty stellar too, boasting a variety of biomes each with their own unique focus. The forest area for example mostly contains large, sprawling mazes to explore. Meanwhile, the mountain region has a lot of verticality and tight platforming, and the final world is full of linear obstacle courses that put your skills to the test. There's a perfect balance of combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving and it never feels like you're doing the same thing for too long. There's also so much to explore in each level, tons of hidden collectibles, secret areas, silly easter eggs, and ways to farm money. I've revisited most of this game's stages several times on my playthrough and I still found myself discovering new things about each and every one of them.

Speaking of which, Gurumin is also absolutely flooding with content and replayability, it's a deceptively large game. The main campaign has 10 stages and five bosses, but there's also an optional reverse versions of each stage that's worth doing to help rebuild the monster town. There's also a ranking system, and a frankly ridiculous amount of collectibles tucked away in each stage, really encouraging you to explore thoroughly to get everything in a single run. There's also a ton of upgrades for your drill, hats that augment Parin's abilities that can also be upgraded, hidden medals and unlockable art, optional minigames and superbosses, adorable costumes, multiple difficulties, multiple endings, and even further unlockables like a boss rush and a second playable character. Some of the sidequests you do to unlock all this stuff are also really creative, fun, and just plain weird, ranging from climbing a deceptively challenging jungle gym, helping to run the shop in town, and waiting in one spot for half an hour as a timer slowly ticks up to 999 (yeah, it's bullshit, but it's the kind of bullshit I adore). 

Presentation-wise, Gurumin slots right in alongside other Falcom games from the era in that you can kinda tell it's low budget, but the art direction being so strong more than makes up for it. All the characters have these cartoony chibi looks that hold up incredibly well, and Parin in particular is adorably expressive and full of life. I also love how Ghibli-esque some of the monsters look. The environments have that distinct sixth gen look where the models themselves are fairly simple, but the texturing is incredibly detailed and realistic, and it looks pretty solid. And being a Falcom game, the music is predictably phenomenal. Wataru Ishibashi, Hayato Sonoda, and Takahide Murayama really went outside of their comfort zone to make a far quirky and funkier soundtrack for Gurumin, and I think it ranks among their best work. There are some truly stellar stage themes like Guruguru Majin De Pon, Back The Way You Came, Secret Jungle Survival, Sight Of Silence, and The Mysterious Phantom Egg, but the boss themes in particular are just on another level. Dance In The Forest, Bomber Girl, and Rocky Nebula are incredible, and Murayama's magnum opus Soaring Through Azure Sadness is one of the greatest final boss themes in all of gaming, let alone in a Falcom game.

Gurumin is just such a likable and joyous game, I really can't imagine hating it. The story is heartfelt, the characters are endearing, the gameplay is satisfying and ridiculously fun, there's tons of content to sink your teeth into, the art direction is adorable, and the soundtrack goes tremendously hard. Falcom really swung for the fences with Gurumin but I think they knocked it out of the park, this is one of the freshest and most inventive games of its era and perfectly encapsulates the stuff I love about this medium.

2024 Games I Played: Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown

I wanted to like this game. I wanted to like it so much. I felt like an easy shoe-in for one of my favorite games of the year. I didn't even play the demo because I just knew I was going to love it. I'm already a big fan of the Prince Of Persia games, particularly the Sands Of Time trilogy. I love metroidvanias, especially Metroid Dread and Hollow Knight which this game seems to take direct inspiration from. I love character action games, particularly Devil May Cry. So why, pray tell, is The Lost Crown just not clicking with me?!

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown is the first mainline entry in the series since Forgotten Sands from 2010, and it's a metroidvania where you play as an "immortal" named Sargon as he searches a massive labyrinth for the kidnapped prince. The Lost Crown takes the series back to its 2D roots, which is actually a pretty great idea. As much as I love the Sands Of Time trilogy, Prince Of Persia as a franchise feels tailor-made for the metroidvania format. The core moment-to-moment gameplay is polished and robust, even from the start. Sargon already comes with a wall jump, a slide, and a sprint, and you get even more powerful from there like a very snappy air dash. Your core platforming movement is tight and navigating these spike-heavy obstacle courses feels as satisfying as in any other PoP game. It can feel a bit too streamlined at points, you won't be finding any of the deliberate platforming puzzles you'd see in Sands Of Time, but it's overall well-executed and some of the harder challenges are really engaging.

Prince Of Persia has always struggled with combat, so I'm at least pleased to say that The Lost Crown has what is easily the best combat system in the series to date. Ubisoft visibly took a lot of cues from character action games, as TLC's combat has a wide array of combos, juggles, and a big emphasis on parrying and dodging. Once again, Sargon has most of his really important combat moves right from the very start, so it never feels like the game is kneecapping you early on just for the sake of progression. However, as much of an improvement the combat is in The Lost Crown, it suffers from the same exact problem as all the other PoP games... it drags the pacing to a halt. Enemy encounters just feel really long-winded, partially due to just how tanky the enemies are, and partially due to how finicky the parry feels. Parrying puts you at a standstill, the timing feels inconsistent and sometimes even drops inputs, and messing up causes you to lose a ton of health which discourages me from practicing it. The boss fights are probably where the combat is at their best since they're these dedicated 1-on-1 battles with multiple phases, cool setpieces, and exciting visuals, but in the core navigation, the combat feels more unwelcome than not.

The pacing issues don't end there, though. Despite how fast Sargon feels, The Lost Crown feels bizarrely slow in every way, not just the combat. I feel like Ubisoft tried to compensate for Sargon's fast movement speed by making each room these massive hallways that take a while to work through. There's so many sluggish combat segments and lengthy and precise platforming sequences that only after a few hours, I completely checked out of wanting to explore and find all the collectibles. It also doesn't help that whether or not the collectibles are even useful is a crapshoot between health pickups and weapon upgrades... and useless lore items for a story and world I had zero investment in. I'm not inherently against slow-paced metroidvanias, Hollow Knight is one of my favorites in the genre, but the pacing needs to be consistent. Metroid Dread has breakneck pacing and a constant sense of momentum with combat segments that are over in a second, Hollow Knight is slow and methodical as you take in the world and struggle to survive, The Lost Crown feels like it's trying to do both but fails to do either.

On top of the pacing, The Lost Crown suffers heavily from the dreaded reverse difficulty curve. This is when a game is brutally difficult and punishing at the start of the game due to a lack of resources, an issue games like Symphony Of The Night and Breath Of The Wild suffer from pretty heavily. The Lost Crown starts with you only having three hitpoints. As mentioned before, the enemies are tanky and take a lot of beating, and it takes a while before you can unlock your first few checkpoints, and even longer before you can access a shop to buy upgrades (the initial selection being pretty slim) or a proper tutorial on how to do most of the combos. I died three times in the very first room of the labyrinth alone, frankly I almost quit right there and then.

Now, if you've played the game, you're probably screaming at me that there is a difficulty option system where you can tweak enemy health and damage and parry timing, and that's true. On the accessibility front, The Lost Crown is incredibly robust and that's great. I'm all for accessibility features and being able to tweak your experience, but there's still a caveat there. I'm always going to assume that a game's default settings are the developer's intended experience, and there's a lot of people who wouldn't even think to tweak the settings. So if I find that the default settings have issues in their implementation, I think it's still totally fair to criticize them. That was one of my biggest issues with Mega Man 11, for example. Besides, even tweaking the difficulty doesn't fully fix TLC's pacing issues. Even with tighter parrying time and a more forgiving early game, the world map is still a drag to navigate and the checkpoint starvation is still a real issue.

As far as production values go, The Lost Crown certainly has a lot of them. It's visually slick and polished, there's a bombastic orchestral score and full voice acting even for the in-game dialogue, and it's a big game too. The map is huge, there's tons of collectibles to find and side quests to do, upgrades and skins to get, it'll take you a while to fully complete. However, despite the impressive budget, I found myself with unfortunately little to latch onto. The story is fine but predictable, and while the Sands Of Time trilogy was carried by Yuri Lowenthal's defining performance as the prince, none of the voice acting in TLC came anywhere close to being as instantly iconic. The visuals are probably where TLC's production shines the brightest. The backgrounds showcasing the temporal labyrinth of Mount Qaf are pretty sick and some visuals like the Raging Sea are incredibly creative, and the kinetic anime-inspired boss cutscenes are so fun to watch. However, in terms of the actual world-building, the game just doesn't do nearly enough to intrigue me like other metroidvania settings, even with the admittedly cool focus on Iranian mythology. The soundtrack is also really, really boring and that kills me to say because I love Gareth Coker's work on Ori and Sparks Of Hope. Sometimes, he's able to let loose with a really exciting orchestral tune during a boss fight, but most of the soundtrack is fairly muted Iranian ambience that doesn't do much to keep me engaged.

In theory, Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown is an incredibly well-executed game with tight movement, robust combat, some really cool bosses, a huge world to explore, and a lot of production values. But the pacing is a mess and outside of those few moments of excitement or cool visuals, I found myself the most bored I have ever felt playing a metroidvania, to the point where I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. It feels weird to say The Lost Crown feels soulless to me because you can tell that the devs at Montpellier put a lot of love into it, but there's still this aggressively AAA corporate sheen to it that I can't really shake and it left me feeling kinda cold. If you really liked TLC, that's great, I'm happy for you. For me, though, this was probably my first big disappointment of the year.

3/5 Stars

Mega Man Music Reviews: Mega Man X-X3

 Well, we're finally done with the classic Mega Man games, it sure did take a while. Now I want to go through the music of the Mega Man X games, as they're just as important as with the classic games, if not even moreso. I've kinda realized that not grouping the classic games was probably not the best idea, so I'll be doing that with the X games. I'll start by going over the SNES entries, then the PS1 entries, and then the PS2 games. Like the series itself, I find that Mega Man X is a bit more uneven than the classic games in terms of music. Its high points are some of the highest in the series, and its low points are some of the deepest. The first three entries are the perfect example of that.

Mega Man X: I've been critical of the bias some Mega Man fans seem to have towards the more rock-heavy soundtracks, but I'll cut them some slack with this one. Mega Man X's soundtrack is pretty much just a rock album pasted onto an SNES soundchip and it is absolutely incredible. Damn near every track is a banger, the instrumentation sounds fantastic, like the game itself this is a soundtrack that truly lives up to all the hype it gets.

Title
What a fantastic title theme, a simple but head-banging rock piece that immediately sets the tone for the game ahead.
4/5 Stars

Password
This password theme was the first piece of music Toshihiko Horiyama made for a game, and it seemed to impress Capcom so much that he's been a company mainstay ever since. It's not hard to see why either. His quirky blend of adrenaline-pumping energy and subtle melancholy is on full display, and compared to the often short and repetitious password themes, MMX's password theme is surprisingly long boasting a calming extended chorus.
3/5 Stars

Opening Stage
With Mega Man X, we have the introduction of the opening stage. While many future entries in several other series (7, & Bass, X5-X7, Zero 2, ZX) would all boast fantastic opening stage themes, I still don't think anything has really topped this first, it's just too good. It's such a badass and rocking piece with an incredibly iconic melody, some stellar percussion, and a triumphant chorus.
5/5 Stars

Vile Intro
While definitely memorable, this is a pretty short loop meant to generate tension whenever a bad guy shows up. It does its job but it's obviously gonna be the weakest track in the game.
2/5 Stars

Vile
While similarly a bit repetitive (and slightly worse than its remix in X5), the Vile theme in this game is still really tense and anxiety-inducing thanks to its relentless pace, earwormy melody, and expertly-utilized high-pitched notes.
4/5 Stars

Enter Zero
Zero's first theme is still definitely one of his best. That riff is just so cool and iconic, it really gives off the vibe that Zero has gotten everything covered.
4/5 Stars

Variable X
And here we have X's theme, and it may just be the definitive Mega Man X theme for me. It perfectly captures X's inner conflict between his need to fight and his desire for pacifism. Once again, the more emotional version in X5 (we'll get there) is even better, but this more upbeat initial version is still one of the best tracks in the game.
5/5 Stars

Stage Select
Solid stage select theme. It's definitely got a nice rock energy to it, but it's still a bit on the short side especially compared to the later ones in the series.
3/5 Stars

Launch Octopus
It always brings me joy to hear orchestra hits in an SNES game, and Launch Octopus is filled to the brim with them. It has a bit of build-up to that incredible guitar solo in the second half, but the groovy bass and punchy orchestra hits keep the track enjoyable to listen to throughout.
4/5 Stars

Chill Penguin
Even in the X series, the ice levels have some very chill tracks. Chill Penguin's theme is easily the slowest in the game, but the intro with the arpeggios and chords is fantastic, and the main melody is absolutely beautiful. It's a nice breather track in an otherwise heavy soundtrack.
5/5 Stars

Flame Mammoth
Flame Mammoth's theme is probably the weakest one because of how weak and sparse the verse is, but that shredding guitar in the second half, especially in the solo, more than makes up for it.
4/5 Stars

Boomer Kuwanger
Surprise Yuko Takehara track! It should not come as much of a surprise that this is one of my favorite pieces in the game, Takehara's punchy and deliberate style works so well for rock anthems. I can't understate how godlike the chorus is, it feels like the type of melody the audience at a concert would burst out singing.
5/5 Stars

Sting Chameleon
I really warmed up to Sting Chameleon's theme over time. I originally found it a bit unremarkable, but now I can't get over just how god. damn. groovy it is! The main melody is so smooth, everything flows together really nicely, and the perfectly-timed orchestra hit at the end of the chorus ends the track on a high note. Criminally underrated track that holds up reall well.
5/5 Stars

Spark Mandrill
Yo, this song is really good! This is easily one of the most popular songs in the game thanks to that TerminalMontage animation, but it really is that just. It's just constant shredding guitar from the word go, culminating in quite possibly the best solo in a game with incredible solos.
5/5 Stars

Storm Eagle
Storm Eagle's theme is also very iconic, and is one of the first tracks that comes to mind when I think of Mega Man X. It's got this superheroic feel to it that perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the series, though unlike other MMX tracks, I think the verse outclasses the chorus this time.
5/5 Stars

Armored Armadillo
Armored Armadillo is one of those tracks that you don't fully appreciate until you hear it in-game. It's already one of the most energetic and adrenaline-pumping tracks in the soundtrack, but when coupled with the chaotic minecart sections in the actual game, you get absolute bliss. And when that last guitar solo comes in, mwah, perfection.
5/5 Stars

Boss Intro
Yeah, there isn't much to this one. Like the Vile Intro, it's really just there to hype you up for the boss with some orchestra hits.
2/5 Stars

Boss
Another very iconic track. That downward scale is already pretty iconic, but the wild arpeggios and more dramatic second half is what really elevates the track.
4/5 Stars

Get A Weapon
Unfortunately, unlike the password theme, the weapon get theme is still pretty meh. It's got some punchy bass, but not much more in terms of catchy melodies.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select - Sigma
I actually prefer this over the first stage select, it's a lot more memorable to. The orchestra hits, menacing arpeggios, and darker vibe really sells the threat of Sigma to the player.
3/5 Stars

Sigma Stage 1
Not too dissimilar from MM7's Entrance, the first Sigma Stage theme substitutes the usual energetic rock you'd get from an endgame track with a more dramatic and atmospheric vibe. The bass is obviously the star of the show, but that powerfully climactic chorus only heightens the mood. Considering that this is the longest, hardest, and darkest part of the game, such a bleak-sounding piece makes total sense.
5/5 Stars

Sigma Stage 2
Here it is, my favorite track in Mega Man X and one of my favorite endgame tracks in the series. With Zero (seemingly) dead and X forced to step up, Sigma Stage 2 gives off a sense of solemn determination, with an incredibly dramatic and climactic main melody, and a chill-inducing reprisal of X's theme.
5/5 Stars

Sigma Stage 3
After two incredible tracks, this theme is... fine? It's pretty dinky sounding with those weird "pew pew" noises, but it still has a decently groovy riff carrying it along.
3/5 Stars

Sigma Stage 4
Another ambient piece made to hype you up for the final confrontation with Sigma, and it gets very repetitive fast.
2/5 Stars

Sigma 1st
Sigma has a ton of incredible themes and Sigma 1st is a great start. It's a bit on the short side, but it makes up for that with its sheer energy and sense of chaos. It's just nonstop, relentless thrash and I love it.
5/5 Stars

Sigma 2nd
The second Sigma theme is a slower orchestral track, and it's pretty good too. While I do generally prefer the rock of the rest of the soundtrack, this track does a good job at feeling menacing and threatening.
3/5 Stars

Dr Light
Dr Light's theme is another very important MMX track, it's very healing and fits Dr Light's role as a mentor in these games. That being said, once again, the X5 remix is still a lot better and more emotionally impactful.
4/5 Stars

Ending
X1's ending theme is pretty good, even if I don't have too much to say about it. It's very melancholy
and fits X's mood at the end of the game, even if some of the instrumentation doesn't fully work for me.
3/5 Stars

Cast Roll
Out of the multiple ending themes in X1, I think the cast roll is the best. It feels like a comforting farewell after such an intense adventure, and the main melody is very catchy.
4/5 Stars

Staff Roll
The staff roll is a fun jazzy piece, but once again I don't have too much to say about it beyond it just being pleasant to listen to.
3/5 Stars

Mega Man X2: While X1 was a perfectly executed rock album with great instrumentation and complex melodies, X2's soundtrack sounds... really limp by comparison. I do appreciate the unique prog influences this OST has, and the drum and bass loops are pretty stellar throughout, but the guitar samples took a serious hit here and most of the tracks are less than a minute long. There's still plenty of great tracks here, but it's hard not to feel a bit underwhelmed coming off the heels of X1.

Opening/Laboratory
Mega Man X2's opening theme is quite fun. It's super upbeat and energetic, but its short length and repetitive nature can make it sound a bit grating after a while, and I have no idea why it's also used as the laboratory theme.
3/5 Stars

Password
Well, we're back to the bad password themes again. X2's password theme feels like it's trying to be groovy, but the awkward guitar sounds and jittery tempo just make it sound like a bit of a clusterfuck.
1/5 Stars

Opening Stage
It's impossible for an X game to have a bad opening stage theme, and X2 is no exception. It's not as heavy as X1's, but between the exciting chord progression that kicks off the song and the dramatic and catchy melody, it still leaves a solid impact even if the guitars are... ehhhhhh.
4/5 Stars

Another Boss 1
An incredible short and repetitive guitar loop meant to hype up the boss. There really isn't much to say here.
1/5 Stars

Another Boss 2
Ehh, this one's mixed. The frantic bass is nice... but it doesn't really mesh well with the percussion. I like the orchestra hits... but the guitar sounds really limp. This will be a problem with a lot of X2's tracks.
2/5 Stars

Demo
Another fairly ambient track. I feel like it should sound better than it does, but the dinky instrumentation keeps holding it back.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select 1
Have I stated how much I hate X2's guitars yet? This could've been a really rocking stage select if it just didn't sound so off.
2/5 Stars

Wire Sponge
I've rambled about how uneven X2's instrumentation is, but I'll give it some credit. The synths and bass are X2's strong point, and they really shine in Wire Sponge's theme. The laid-back and melancholic melody sounds really good, the jazzy breakdown by the end is very impressive, and the bass is super punchy and snappy.
4/5 Stars

Morph Moth
Morph Moth's theme has a pretty unremarkable melody, but the erratic percussion and the way it interacts with all the other instruments really carries the track, even if the guitar-heavy second half still sounds pretty weak.
3/5 Stars

Flame Stag
This is the one guitar-heavy X2 track that I actually really like. It's a very fun thrash metal piece with a frenetic pace, a catchy melody, and more pitched-down guitars fitting the heavier feel. However, it's still pretty short, and I can't help but wonder how good this track would've been if it had X1's instruments.
4/5 Stars

Magna Centipede
This is a pretty all-over-the-place track. It's bursting with energy and I love the epic middle section, but the guitar solo at the end is a bit of a mess.
3/5 Stars

Overdrive Ostrich
Overdrive Ostrich's theme is a definitive SNES track in my book. Guitars be damned, that main synth melody is such an energetic bop that has a really iconic sound to it.
4/5 Stars

Bubble Crab
Bubble Crab's theme is easily one of the best tracks in the game, and not just because it's completely lacking in guitars. It has such an elegant and gentle feel to it befitting the underwater setting while still having an energetic bassline, and the stellar chord progressions and smooth synth melody are both so memorable. Even if the X5 remix is once again superior, the X2 original holds up incredibly well.
5/5 Stars

Wheel Gator
Man, I really wish those guitars sound better. The first half of Wheel Gator's theme is so good, with a groovy blues feel with a lot of momentum. However, once those wimpy and whiny guitars come in for the second half, all that momentum is immediately lost. Oh yeah, and this track is also like 30 seconds long, how fun.
3/5 Stars

Crystal Snail
Crystal Snail has easily the best basslines in the game, it's so dynamic and plays off the cozy chimes incredibly well. There's a bit of DKC3 in the bass progression, it sounds really good. While Crystal Snail is pretty heavy on guitars, they actually work pretty well towards the slower, more ethereal vibe the track is going for.
4/5 Stars

Boss 1
Another short loop meant to hype up the boss. It's ridiculously brisk and the guitar bend at the end sounds so hilariously bad.
1/5 Stars

Boss 2
As for the boss theme, it's fine. It's really short and lacking in any sort of intensity, but the frenetic bassline makes up for that somewhat.
3/5 Stars

Get A Weapon
Another meh weapon upgrade theme. Solid melody, but the guitars really bring it down a bit.
2/5 Stars

Stage Select 2
Once again, the second stage select theme is better than the first. With tense orchestra hits and a menacing bluesy melody, it does a solid job at making Sigma feel like a big threat.
3/5 Stars

X-Hunter Stage 1
Easily the best track in X2, barring its disappointingly short length. It bursts out of the gate with incredibly energetic drums and bass, and packs in a super epic and intense synth solo, using the guitars sparingly for extra impact. It's a very well-balanced and climactic piece.
5/5 Stars

X-Hunter Stage 2
Man, it's almost hard to go back to the X2 original after spending so much time listening to the phenomenal X6 remix. I like that it's a lot slower and heavier, and the melody is still fantastic, but it's also like 30 seconds and the guitars bring it down a bit.
4/5 Stars

Zero
Zero's theme in X2 is incredibly epic and badass... in terms of its composition. The instrumentation once again really brings it down, but it still captures Zero pretty well and really fits the boss fight.
4/5 Stars

Sigma 1st
Once again, Sigma's first boss theme is fantastic. It's super fast and chaotic, and stands right alongside Sigma 1st from X1. No wonder X6 squeezed both of them into a single remix.
4/5 Stars

Sigma 2nd
And once again, Sigma's second boss theme is slower and more orchestral. It's fine, not quite as memorable as the X1 theme, but it's still pretty dramatic and the cymbal clashes add some extra spice to the whole thing.
3/5 Stars

Dr Light
Dr Light's theme in X2 sounds like a slower and more laid-back version of the opening theme, and yeah, it fits quite well. It's not as ethereal as the X1 Dr Light theme, but it's got a nice comforting vibe.
3/5 Stars

Ending
X2's ending theme is once again held back by the instruments, but the sheer creativity of its composition manages to make up for it. It sounds like a sparse, tense original piece, but as the song goes on, you slowly start to realize that it's a slower remix of X-Hunter Stage 2. Very cool twist.
3/5 Stars

Staff Roll
This is a pretty good staff roll theme. The upbeat and cheery lead synth melody that kicks off the track sounds really nice and comfy.
4/5 Stars

Mega Man X3: Mega Man X3 is arguably the most polarizing soundtrack in all of Mega Man, and for good reason. The original SNES soundtrack is very heavy on the overdrive guitar, and while some like how gritty it sounds, others find it cheap-sounding and ear-grating. However, we also got a PS1 release with a redbook audio soundtrack, which is equally divisive. Some find it insulting to the original's rock vibes, while others find it way more pleasing to the ears. How do I feel about it?

Team PS1, all the way. I genuinely don't understand how people seem to love the SNES score so much, it's so grating and every guitar note has the same exact sound. Is it just because it's rock? Are people really that biased? Personally, I'm a sucker for that synthy redbook audio sound so the PS1 soundtrack is a feast for my ears, even if the soundtrack as a whole still suffers from some short loops. So, I'm going to focus my reviews on the PS1 versions of each track though I'll bring up the SNES one if needed.

One More Time
With the PS1, Mega Man games would begin to get multiple opening and ending themes, one for Japan and one for everywhere else. The JP openings are basically lyrical anime OPs, while the others are usually instrumentals by the soundtrack's lead composer. The first opening we'd get would be for X3's PS1 release, and it's a solid showcase of what to expect from these JP opening themes. It's an upbeat and fun j-pop track with energetic vocals from Kotono Shibuya and a very catchy chorus. It's not my favorite of the JP openings, but it's a very good first showing from Capcom.
4/5 Stars

Intro Stage
While probably the weakest of the SNES era opening stage themes, X3's intro stage is still pretty solid, with a catchy melody and a sick guitar solo that actually got translated to the PS1 version quite well.
4/5 Stars

Zero's Theme
Due to being vastly overshadowed by the many other themes Zero has had over the years, I tend to forget how much a bop his X3 theme is, especially the PS1 version with its groovy saxophone solo.
4/5 Stars

Stage Select 1
The SNES version of this track is one of the most annoying tracks in the franchise due to its short, ear-grating loop. The PS1 version is certainly more pleasant to listen to, but it's still comedically short and annoying.
1/5 Stars

Stage Select 2
The second stage theme is pretty muted and ambient. It's once again really short and there isn't too much to it, but it's less annoying than the first stage theme so that's something.
2/5 Stars

Blizzard Buffalo
I'm putting my foot down on this one, the PS1 version of Blizzard Buffalo is objectively better. The icey synths and wind sound effects complement this track's haunting and isolating melody so incredibly well, it makes for one of the most atmospheric X tracks.
5/5 Stars

Toxic Seahorse
Toxic Seahorse's theme is fantastic, it's such a hard-hitting banger that sounds really heavy even in the PS1 version. It shouldn't be much of a surprise that Shusaku Uchiyama of RE and MM8 fame did this remix, he absolutely nailed the tense vibes this track needed.
5/5 Stars

Tunnel Rhino
I love how spacey and echoey Tunnel Rhino's theme sounds in the PS1 version. That repeated phrase that permeates through the track is surprisingly catchy, and I love that weird "bwee" sound that plays throughout the track.
4/5 Stars

Volt Catfish
Volt Catfish's theme is another really catchy piece with a great sense of momentum, from that banging verse, to the wild guitar solo in the pre-chorus, to the haunting chorus that sounds straight out of X4. And of course, this was a remix done by X4's composer Toshihiko Horiyama.
5/5 Stars

Crush Crawfish
Crush Crawfish is a bit shorter than some of the other tracks (which is already saying something), but the groovy verse and synth solo by the end still makes for a fun track. It's interesting how so many X3 tracks have such similar sounding guitar solos.
4/5 Stars

Neon Tiger
Neon Tiger's theme is probably the least remarkable X3 theme regardless of the version. I like the heavy background tracks used in the PS1 version which help the track feel more jungly, but the actual melody isn't anything too special.
3/5 Stars

Gravity Beetle
Gravity Beetle is the one track where I can actually tolerate the SNES version, mostly because the melody is just that good. It's ridiculously catchy and badass-sounding, and the chorus is incredible. That being said, I still think the PS1 version blows the original out of the water for its jazzier feel, the fantastic percussion and bass, and just how much grander the chorus feels.
5/5 Stars

Blast Hornet
Yoshino Aoki of Battle Network fame did two remixes, and hers made a lot more changes to the original that I'm actually a bit split on. I'm not a huge fan of Blast Hornet's new opening, it's a bit too loud and overwhelming, but the new guitar solo Aoki added at the end is fantastic. So overall a mixed bag.
3/5 Stars

Dr Doppler Stages 1-2
Dr Doppler 1 is the other Aoki remix and once again I'm a bit split. On one hand, I think it starts wonderfully. The trumpets in the opening, the driving background track, the fantastic bass, it all gives the track a great sense of energy. However, it feels a bit too light-hearted compared to the SNES version, particularly with how plucky the lead instruments are. It's still a fantastic track and I'd take the PS1 version any day for simply sounding good, but I can admittedly see why SNES purists might not like this rendition.
4/5 Stars

Dr Doppler Stage 3
The other Dr Doppler stage theme is a lot less complex and fun than the first, it's a bit more repetitive, but it does create a pretty good ambience and I like the tense background synths.
3/5 Stars

Boss Battle
This is a pretty meh boss theme. Once again, it's really short and repetitive regardless of the version, and the looping feels pretty clumsy.
2/5 Stars

Dr Doppler Boss Battle
Dr Doppler's boss theme is an improvement over the first. It's a lot more dynamic and interesting, but it's still pretty short and repetitive. That being said, don't think I didn't notice those X4 synths in the PS1 remix...
2/5 Stars

Vile Stage
I love the Vile Stage theme, it's such a head-banger and sounds incredible in the PS1 version. The main melody is super groovy, and the softer synths that pop up in the pre-chorus give the track so much tension and gravitas, not to mention the spacier synths in the climax that sound straight out of Mario Galaxy.
5/5 Stars

Sigma 1st
Man, three boss themes this time?! Okay, the first Sigma boss theme is solid, certainly catchier and more fun than the previous two boss themes. The synths used do sound a little goofy in the PS1 version, but the incessant overdrive guitar makes the SNES version sound just as silly so I can't complain much.
3/5 Stars

Sigma 2nd
Kaiser Sigma's boss theme is certainly the most memorable boss theme in the game. It has this intense, militaristic vibe to it that gets conveyed really well in the PS1 version thanks to the booming percussion and clanking metal in the background.
4/5 Stars

Sigma 3rd
The music for the lava chase at the end of X3 is decently tense and ambient, but it's definitely not really meant to be listened to on its own or for more than like fifteen seconds.
2/5 Stars

Ending Theme
Despite still being a remix, the addition of pianos and synths, transform a solid ending theme on the SNES into pure 90s bliss. I absolutely adore the PS1 version of this track, it sounds so good.
4/5 Stars

Staff Roll
The staff roll theme is just as good if not even better on the PS1, blowing the original completely out of the water. This version is way more energetic and upbeat, mostly being carried by ridiculously groovy acoustic guitar which lends the track a fun tropical vibe.
5/5 Stars

Believe
X3's JP ending theme is pretty great too. It's a really groovy track with a fantastic catchy chorus... that admittedly kinda reminds me of Simple & Clean from Kingdom Hearts? Not complaining though.
4/5 Stars