Final month, on September 24, 2022 – Ultimate Fantasy thirty fifth Anniversary Distant Worlds: music from Ultimate Fantasy Coral continued its ongoing worldwide tour in Los Angeles, California. Happening on the Microsoft Theater inside LA Stay in Downtown LA, RPG Website had the prospect to attend the displaying due to an invite from Sq. Enix PR.
Beginning off, the present typically adopted the collection in chronological order, with some exceptions – in consequence, after an association of Prelude, we had been shortly thrust right into a medley of songs comprising Ultimate Fantasy I, II and III. Whereas the NES trilogy has much less memorable songs than among the collection’ later outings, the orchestra’s preparations for these basic tracks nailed the sensation of taking part in via them nonetheless. All of the whereas gameplay from the Ultimate Fantasy Pixel Remasters performed on-screen for instance the video games that the music initially debuted in; this was particularly highly effective when Ultimate Fantasy II’s iconic Insurgent Military theme completed up the association. This phase was completed up with Everlasting Wind from Ultimate Fantasy III, earlier than the orchestra continued forth to the SNES video games.
The shift into performing music from the SNES video games began, very similar to Ultimate Fantasy IV, with the theme of The Pink Wings straight into the Kingdom of Baron. Very like with the earlier songs, gameplay from Ultimate Fantasy IV’s Pixel Remaster performed on the display screen; on this case, the opening moments of the sport with just a few cuts right here and there to intensify the shifts within the music. So far as I can inform, whereas the earlier tracks had already appeared at Distant Worlds prior to now, The Pink Wings was model new for this tour; the association was stuffed with power and captured the bombastic opening hour of Ultimate Fantasy IV’s story.
After taking part in IV’s important theme, the present transitioned to House Candy House from Ultimate Fantasy V, a private favourite of mine; together with an integration of Music Field. Whereas others may need most popular a extra instantly recognizable set of songs from V, personally I couldn’t consider something that higher represents my recollections of V as an entire – and to listen to it dropped at life by the orchestra had me tearing up on the sounds of it.
The SNES part was completed off with The Phantom Forest, The Phantom Practice and the Veldt – with a dense medley of Ultimate Fantasy I-VI’s battle themes to tie all the things collectively. With the following part – the PlayStation 1 entries – I have to confess to not having as a lot first-hand information of them particularly as others. This part began off with Liberi Fatali, and in contrast to the primary half of the present – from right here on most songs had been accompanied by cutscenes from their respective video games, along with gameplay pictures.
Whereas I hoped for one thing else from Ultimate Fantasy XI, it was nonetheless good to see Treasures of Aht Urhgan represented with Ragnarok; I’ve been taking part in via the 20-year-old MMORPG since final yr alongside one other employees author Bryan Vitale, and it felt good to have any type of connection to the FFXI illustration. After Ultimate Fantasy VII’s Aerith’s Theme, we had been handled to Ultimate Fantasy XII’s Flash of Metal, and eventually, the evening’s visitor RIKKI took the stage to accompany Suteki Da Ne from Ultimate Fantasy X.
Once more, my private expertise with the Ultimate Fantasy collection has been largely relegated to the primary 6, and the 2 MMOs – regardless of missing any private connection to many of the songs within the latter half of the present, nonetheless, it’s exhausting to disclaim that the orchestra didn’t do a unbelievable job regardless.
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After ending up with the remainder of the monitor listing (with a particular look of Yoko Shimomura within the viewers for the efficiency of XV’s Apocalypsis Noctis), we had been handled to an encore together with Zanarkand and One Winged Angel. All in all, each mainline numbered Ultimate Fantasy was represented all through the present. Strolling away from the expertise, I’d must say that probably the most putting facet of all of it was how everybody – not simply the followers in attendance – genuinely appeared to be having the time of their lives. Distant Worlds shouldn’t be a brand new factor; Conductor Arnie Roth has been at it now for 15 years, but the fervour nonetheless stays.
Greater than something, I’m desperate to return sooner or later – and already I’ve been contemplating selecting up tickets for the upcoming, smaller-scale A New World live performance later this yr. That, and as quickly as the discharge calendar lightens up on my finish, I’ll be diving proper again into my collection playthrough.
