Bloodstained Philosophy

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is one of my favorite games in recent years. Its soundtrack, however, is one of my favorite albums, let alone soundtracks, ever. Composed by various composers, the music for this flight simulator is beyond exceptional. It’s fun, intense, dramatic, and ultimately moving. While the primary composer is the illustrious Keiki Kobayashi, who contributed most of the songs to the soundtrack, I will exclude his pieces from this review. His work on Ace Combat 7 is some of the best video game music I’ve ever heard, and because there are so many songs and composers attached to this project, I thought I would highlight a few other composers who also contributed important pieces to this project. I will dedicate an entire separate piece to Kobayashi’s compositions For Skies Unknown.

Ryo Watanabe

Ryo Watanabe, mostly known for his work on the IDOLM@STER series, has had a hand several Namco titles including Beautiful Katamari, God Eater 2, Ridge Racer (2012), and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. His style is generally electronic, infused with disco & house. I personally love his track, Sliding Beat for Ridge Racer (2012). Around the same time he made that song, he also contributed 4 songs to the Nintendo 3DS exclusive, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.

About 7 years later, Ace Combat 7 was released. For this project, Watanabe adopted a larger, orchestral concept, aligning with Kobayashi’s general sound for the game. The very first song you hear when you start the game, as well as the first track on the soundtrack, is Watanabe’s title screen theme, Skies Unknown. This illusive piece sets the tone for the game. It can be seen as peaceful or calming, but I like to see it as cold and machine-like. The Synthesizers almost sound like metal. That, contrasted alongside the roaring jets in the background, is a good foreshadow of the game’s primary theme: AI vs Human.

Ryo’s next two songs, Magic Spear I & II, sound more like traditional Ace Combat tunes. Magic Spear I sounds as if it is trying to emulate Kobayashi’s heroic sound with the electric guitars, driving drums, energetic strings, and overall cowboy feel heard throughout the soundtrack. The song sounds as if it’s slowly building up to something. Then just about 3 minutes in, it all accumulates to a triumphant climax, as a melodic guitar leads the song into a Spanish flavored ending, reminiscent of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.

Watanabe’s two final contributions, Last Hope I & II, take a more somber approach, reflecting the night city atmosphere of mission 16. The almost melancholy emotion to the tracks is fitting, considering, not only the beautiful night sky & water of the level, but also the uncertainty of the mission at hand. You and your team are unsure of who’s who in the battle. There is a lot of hesitation. You don’t want to harm the wrong people. The main melody of the song, played on hauntingly dreamlike piano, is perfect. Every time I hear this track, it is destined to get stuck in my head for a couple of days. The distant, soft wailing guitar adds to the dreamlike feel of the compositions. Both Last Hope tracks are some of my favorites in the soundtrack.

Mitsuhiro Kitadani

Mitsuhiro Kitadani, another IDOLM@STER regular, has also worked on various Namco games including PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION, DAEMON X MACHINA, Tekken 7, and more recently Tekken 8. His compositions for Ace Combat are not as large in scale compared to Kobayashi’s or some of the other composers. While tracks like 444 retain the western cowboy guitar, his songs generally sound as if though they could have easily fit in Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies. Many of this work for Ace Combat 7 fall into a more traditional game music sound, reminiscent of earlier PS2 games. Waiapolo Mountains, one of my favorite songs and segments of the game, sounds like it could be a part of some early 2000s RPGs. LRSSG Briefing III, LRSSG Debriefing II, and Homeward remind me of certain sections of Final Fantasy X & XII, or The Last Remnant.

While LRSSG Debriefing I is an electronic song and not an orchestral track like his others, you could have told me that came out in 2008 and I’d believe you. Then there are more unique titles such as 444th Air base Hanger where an underlying jazz rhythm holds the song together, along with some smoother piano chords, all the while the top layer is covered in more familiar Ace Combat style orchestral work.

Other songs such as 444th Debriefing, New Arrows Air Base Hangar and LRSSG Briefing I have a standard sound to them. Not really standouts, but they do help bring a classic sound to the soundtrack, as they allow the player to breath since most of the soundtrack already contains many large, almost epic, songs. This is appropriate, considering most of Kitadani’s work for Ace Combat 7 revolves around many briefings and debriefings.

This brings us to the LRSSG Briefing IV. The final moments before heading off to the final mission of the game. A beautifully somber composition that carries a lot of emotional weight. At this point in the game, having just defeated the second Arsenal Bird, Justice, the future of humanity lies in the upcoming battle. The song has a lot of nobility and honor. It’s not promising a successful mission, but it gives the player a sense of responsibility, aiming for a triumphant ending. All of this works especially well when the song for this final mission is Kobayashi’s grand Hush, which continues the somber, but noble energy LRSSG Briefing IV started.

Hiroshi Okubo

Hiroshi Okubo has been with Namco for 30 years. Having worked on several Tekken, Ridge Racer, and Ace Combat titles (as well as the all too familiar IDOLM@STER), perhaps we will go over Okubo’s work another day, as there is a lot to say about his credits and contributions to game music. He deserves his own spotlight.

While he only composed 4 songs for the main campaign of Ace Combat 7, they are still significant pieces to the larger body of work. Two-Pronged Strategy is a terrifying introduction to the cold & soulless, Arsenal Bird. This giant unmanned plane catches the player off guard, and the accompanying music helps reinforce the magnitude and horrifying implications of this machine. The song is nothing grand, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s just a preview of things to come.

Okubo’s other contributions having a very Hollywood feel to them. They are as intense as they are cinematic. Tail Man gives the player a sense of urgency, with its constant tribal drums and droning synthesizers. It constantly stays on edge, almost static with its furious energy, that is until the orchestra slowly creeps in with its feeling of desperation & determination. Afterwards, a choir, later echoed in Kobayashi’s Archange, joins, bringing more scale and weight to an already intense piece. 

Werewolf is the second longest song in the entire soundtrack, only behind Nakanishi’s 9-minute masterpiece, Lost Kingdom. Okubo’s almost 9-minute tune, much like Tail Man, takes its time building up to something big. It’s calculated and emotional. It takes breaks and detours, but it never loses focus. The melodic strings and horns are heroic and majestic. It’s a journey I recommend. Supply Ship is more scaled back in scope (and length), but it nevertheless is just as intense as the two previous tracks. It’s not as remarkable as his other compositions, but it gets the job done.

Tetsukazu Nakanishi

The only composer on this project that has been working in the industry longer than Hiroshi Okubo is Tetsukazu Nakanishi, who’s career started in 1992. Having also worked on multiple Ridge Racer & Ace Combat titles, he also contributed to multiple games in the Soul Calibur series. With only 3 compositions for the main campaign, Nakanishi still managed to become a standout composer on Ace Combat 7.

Stonehenge Defensive has this very modern & cinematic sound. With tribal drums and synthesizers scattered throughout, its string & horn are nostalgic. Much like Mitsuhiro Kitadani’s songs, this song takes me back to the Playstation 2 era. It feels adventurous and inviting, while still maintaining a sense of importance. This is quickly followed by the more dramatic Dragon Breath, which feels like a more aggressive version of Stonehenge Defensive. I particularly love the rhythm and loud synthesizer arpeggiator that jumps in every now and then.

It is Nakanishi’s final piece Lost Kingdom that is most definitely a standout track in the entire soundtrack. I feel like this the main reason I wanted to write this whole piece. Lost Kingdom is a song that can bring tears to my eyes. A sad piece that takes its time, this heavy-hearted composition starts off with an empty, mysterious feeling. Sporadic chords and marching drums playing on and off with no other accompaniment, until the soft, delicate strings join, followed shortly by a subdued horn. There is feeling of loss. Appropriate, given the mission.

About four minutes in, the entire orchestra and drums culminate to a beautiful, heavy movement, yearning for something. The emptiness comes back for a short while, when suddenly the whole song reaches an emotional and explosive climax. It almost serves as a requiem to the fallen, innocent civilians killed in this mission. As one of the characters states during the mission, “No one knew what they were fighting for anymore”. Lost Kingdom perfectly encapsulates the feeling of sadness, dread, and ultimately the effects of war. It’s a piece that reaches beyond the game.