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From the liner notes of Telos: "Forest of Anatre (East). Speaking of forests, Kurihara likes them. This is also an arrange I wanted to do in Zero 2. It’s turned out into a rather thick feeling (laughs)." ...not much to say on the song itself, but it's worth noting that they romanized _anatolē_ (Greek for East) wrong. To that end, let's discuss two particular things: the boss and the weird recurring motif of red eyes hidden across the maze at the forest's heart. In Telos' creator's chat section, a curious bit of information clues us in on the use of the eyes in the Forests: *Honda:* The Zero 2 forest dungeons are DASH (Legends) style (laughs). They’re all loaded with the mood to make fan-service so if you look at it from another PoV it’s pretty mild stuff. The eyes inside these mazes scarily look like those of the Reaverbots. We're never exactly told *what* they are or where they came from, and considering Neo Arcadia was left abandoned for years after Zero, and presumably remained ruins all the way to ZX and Legends... what are the odds the systems in these forests became the source of the Reaverbot threat we see in Legends? It'd be similar to how Beepy from Nier became the forerunner of the Machine Lifeforms in Nier Automata. ...as for the boss, Hanumachine himself: Hanumachine is a weird mixture of Hanuman and Sun Wukong. It might seem spurious, but there's a possibility that this reflects how Hanuman was likely an inspiration for the myth of Wukong according to some scholars. If one assumes the historical Sanzang/Tripitaka's journey to India and return involved taking some texts back with him, it's not unlikely he or those who travelled with him also took back tales of an apelike deity, who in turn was syncretized with some preexisting Chinese myths about dangerously cunning monkeys, such as Wuzhiqi, a river demon that most accept is the earliest and likeliest prototype for Wukong. ...by the way, Hanumachine was actually part of Phantom's Cutting Shadow Squadron, and was, as per the notes from the OST for the first game, tasked with assassinating Zero while Leviathan led the operation to destroy the base. This wasn't easy to demonstrate in-story due to game limitations, but it would be quite compelling in a hypothetical anime. Also: localization *completely* butchered Hanumachine's character in the first game: he insults Zero as an out-of-date Reploid in the English text, but in the JP text, he drops a massive bombshell that would pay off big-time in Zero 3: "You are Zero-sama, the Ancient God of Destruction, aren't you?" ...was he aware of the connection between Zero and Omega? Was *that* why Weil brought him back in this game?

From the liner notes of Telos: ""This is the lifeline of Neo Arcadia, named Under Arcadia. What will the truth lying on ahead inflict to Zero? The door to Hell has been opened. There’s a hidden boss in this stage. It’s a character who’s very loved by the development staff and his revival was greatly desired (laughs)."" In Which Zero Goes Dante's Inferno and Delves Into the Deep. ...wait, does that make Phantom his Vergil? ...after playing the duel with Phantom, part of me wishes that other than the usual Reploid-on-Reploid duel, he'd have had a secret use of his Armed Phenomenon Mode, the massive batlike boss hidden away in the concept arts that he never got to use due to dying early on. It would've been an interesting twist on him testing Zero.

From the pages of Physis: "The track of the prison infiltration. A facility built as a frontline base from where to command “Operation Ragnarok”. Hel the Giant, the boss, was sentenced as an Irregular by Neo Arcadia and imprisoned, but it was brought there by Vile and turned into a watchman. Vile told that he'd set him free if he beat Zero, the intruder. But even if he achieved that, would’ve Vile set him free…?" ...the tragic part about this is that Hel was lied to, and lost his life at the hands of Zero, begging for light. His final lines in battle are _Hikari wo… hikari wo kure!_ (Light... give me light!) In short, he was condemned to eternal darkness in the depths of a prison, begging for a hope he'd never have. ...also, note that the materials explicitly call him a Reploid. *Not* a Mechaniloid, _a fully-sentient Reploid._ The implications are terrifying: we've faced similarly massive bosses before, but they were passed off as being merely Mechaniloids. Except Eregion the dragon, X4's intro boss. Imagine giving sentience to something that massive, so much that when you deprive it of freedom, the inability to move is amplified...

From the pages of Physis: "A Cyber Elf research facility shut down after the end of the Elf Wars. Defectives and failed models of Repliroids strengthened by Elves are sealed here using cold sleep devices, and it looks just like a haunted house. It supports the “suspicious SE-like rhythm” image. Melt the snow, the card key, the light bulbs, the steel pipes… It’s full of gimmicks. Fenrir was a military Repliroid of the Elf Wars, who’s been revived by Vile." ...y'know, it's fitting that this stage lets Zero pick up the Iron Pipe he once used against Sigma all those years ago for a duel to the death with Fenri Lunaedge. Especially when you consider that the Complete Official Works describes Fenri as: "Fenri went berserk due to a bug in the altered Cyber-elf he was trying out. To stop him from running wild, he was put to sleep in cryogenic stasis and the entire building was demolished. He was later revived by Dr. Weil for the purposes of Operation Ragnarok. As Popla Cocapetri and Noble Mandrago both have skills related to cryogenic stasis, Fenri has an inherent aversion to them." ...why does this sound suspiciously like Zero? A Reploid driven insane, sealed away in a lab, never to be found again? Only this time, what came out was loyal to a shady old -lava lamp- scientist, _just as Zero was _*_supposed_*_ to be?_ I wonder sometimes if Zero felt the parallels when he had to -Ol' Yeller- -Jason Todd- Fenri with the iron pipe. ...by the way, Fenri's role as a member of the Einherjar is a funny paradox: apparently when the original mythical Norse Einherjar arise, they're meant to fight the forces of the end, like Loki and *Fenrir.* And Fenrir himself is supposed to be a fearsome world-ending wolf who in turn will devour Odin. Instead, he ends up on the side of the Einherjar... but in practice, they're the forces of the end bringing about Ragnarok.

From the pages of Physis: "The huge electrical current that Magnaxe has changed into a magnetic field and generates abnormal gravity on the surroundings, sucking up the rubble of the previous civilizations buried in the ground while tearing up the lands. I tried arranging the track to give an electric image. “Magnetic and gravitational abnormalities make the body turn lighter or heavier”: this idea was led to the making of this stage. But it’d seem it was very hard to express that (in-game). Magnaxe was a Repliroid that worked as part of a mass driver facility that served to transport huge amounts of mass. He joined the Operation Ragnarok out of a very simple reason: if he obeyed Vile he’d get plenty of energy." ...Magnus, you absolute simpleton. A simpleminded glutton who can't even speed up his sentences. No wonder there's no respect afforded to you, even if being interrupted is your pet peeve. ...I wonder if the years of working with magnetism weakened the data processors in his brain. Being a machine built around magnetism, such that he can split himself up into multiple limbs and a core, doesn't seem like it would be good for long-term mechanical brain development. I kinda agree with the writer though, I feel the magnetic gimmick in this stage wasn't used fully. The ingame mechanics of just increasing your floaty jumps or crushing you downward with magnetism made it a bit of a weird slog to play through, (though, to be honest I did like the floaty jump segments a whole lot. The weightlessness is so fun to play with). If you instead had mechanics that used the polarity of the magnets to pinball around the stage in a physics puzzler sort of way, it might be a little more exciting. ...by the way, a Mass Driver is an electromagnetic launching system designed for hi-speed transportation of goods, usually in the context of launching goods skyward into outer space. Neo Arcadia would find these systems very important, since many of its key infrastructures that the Resistance can't reach are higher than the clouds, such as Copy X's tower, which was once an orbital elevator. (There's unconfirmed speculation it could've been X8's Jakob Orbital Elevator, just repurposed.) With that in mind, Magnus had a very key role... but then he got greedier for more. ...that or he's just a hungry boi.

From the pages of Physis: "Totally Controlled City and the tower at its center, “Dominion”" "The stage is a city from a previous civilization that’s been discovered, and which is practically intact. It was becoming the hideout for some folk who hid in the surface, but Vile took over the city. The rebels were either petrified by Cocapetri, and a virus program made the city itself gain a “will” of its own to then attack humans and Repliroids. It’s a very bull’s-eye track in my opinion. Cocapetri is a Repliroid specialized in electronic warfare, such as jamming or cracking. Once Hacker Cyber Elves were implemented, he hated that was being phased out so he volunteered to join the Einherjar. Has an image of an old guy made fun of by lovebirds." Cocapetri, the pettiest old rooster this side of the Einherjar. A Reploid solely defined by pettiness, from his grudge with Zero over being insulted, to the very reason he joined Weil's wicked warriors. For the record, the wiki makes this claim about his powerset: "Cocapetri is a Mutos Reploid who specialized in electronic warfare, including software hacking and communications interference. He is equipped with weaponry that allows him to backdoor computer systems and interact directly with main coding; one favorite method of his matching his cockatrice motif is that he is able to exploit a failsafe protocol through laser etching inscriptions onto a Reploid's optical units, that subconsciously activates a manufacturer built in self-containment sequence and override virus that takes over the CPU of the victim, deactivating them as if they were petrified. As such, he loves fighting by making foes helpless and using attacks that forces his foes to stay in place." ...curiously, this seems like a hell of a sci-fi shoutout: they specifically highlight that Cocapetri does not actually turn people to stone, but instead uses -epilepsy beams- lasers to trigger failsafe containment sequences and enact viruses inside a hapless Reploid's optics, with potentially-fatal effects. This sounds suspiciously like the eponymous cognitohazard from the short story BLIT (Berryman Logical Image Technique), which features the use of graffiti used as weapons that take advantage of certain patterns that the brain cannot safely process, killing whoever looks at them. These patterns gained a reputation as "basilisks", as catching a glance of them would be fatal. Now, while Cocapetri is more based on a cockatrice, cockatrices tend to be semi-synonymous with basilisks. The distinctions between them depend on who's writing (as they're both creatures that are half-chicken and half-reptile/amphibian, but this depends on which interpretation you read), but it's safe to assume Cocapetri's creators shrugged and mixed them up when naming him. Yet another thing that likely will rile that ol' rooster up when rung up. ...by the way, it's eerie how the City he took over looks suspiciously similar to Abel City, or some of the older cities from the X series. Scary if it used to be the city where X began his journey, ruined further by a petty ol' peahen. What's worse is that we don't know what became of the humans and Reploids supposedly suppressed by Weil's armies, and the game never shows any trace of their bodies, only a city full of crushing blocks and fatal spikes...

I wonder what is the guy behind this channel trying to acheive Yet i love it

Oh my god, Channel 4 sounds so spooky and terrifying, I love it!! 💕

Ah yes Zero the express UG...engine

From the pages of Physis: "The miniature artificial sun which is being experimentally operated stage. By greatly increasing the output, it’s being repurposed into an environment destruction weapon that desertifies the surroundings. I did think of making the track have a “sizzling” image to it. Titanian was the manager Repliroid of the facility, but since her partner and same type (Repliroid), Oberon (rational circuit prioritized, in charge of calibrating the heat), was accidentally destroyed during the takeover of the facility by the Vile Army, she, the survivor, went berserk and turned the takeover troops into charcoal. Rather than “joining” the Einherjar, she’s just following Vile because it matches her own destructive impulses. She’s the younger (in mental age terms) and very selfish. She doesn’t get along with Mandaroga. The original motif was the butterfly-shaped Fairy King “Oberon” but the design was changed to be a girl and so she became the Fairy Queen “Titanian”." The bits of the gyaru butterfly's backstory we get are quite tragic. Not only does she lose someone close to her, her "Oberon", but she ends up spitting on them by joining the people who took their life, being so broken she'd rather break everything than be the better 'bot, or even avenging them. ...Weil, you sick old lava lamp past its shelf life. Everything you touch, you corrupt.

Channel 1 and 6 are awesome! But then again, so is this track! 💕

Hell the Giant!!🔥

Este es mi soundtrack favorito de megaman zero 4

From the pages of Physis: "The track of the human settlement stage. An arrangement of the Area Zero theme. The settlement is set on the outer perimeter of the Area Zero crater, on the shores of the lake that formed there. Trailers and tents are placed there and they quietly live along with nature in detail. The advancing Vile Army appears there as well as Kraft, who’s searching for Neige. The quiet settlement is dragged into the spiral of strife." Interestingly enough, the entry point into Area Zero is different just for this version of the stage, as instead of the teleporting approach taken in the usual selectable stage, or by leaving the Resistance mobile base to head there on foot, Zero needs to take a longer route that takes him past the ruins of Eurasia's environmental control module, a lake full of debris and frog-robots, and a cave filled with relatively-new scaffolding (likely built as observation towers by the human refugees) before leaping out from the cave and towards the burning camp. One might think that there's something off with the geography, but I personally subscribe to the idea that when you take the road ahead of the truck to enter the Area Zero camp, a lot of the hard parts of getting there that Zero has to deal with in the stage are just "dealt with offscreen", as ingame Zero goes there without any issues, other than being lambasted by the human refugees at the beginning. Another theory of mine explaining why you needed to take a different entry route into the camp is because Neo Arcadia activated emergency jammers preventing anyone from using any possible Transservers to escape the camp or enter and provide support. We know as far back as Zero 1 you needed specific frequencies to use specific Transservers to get into places as secure as Copy X's sanctum, so who's to say they can't "reverse polarities" and instead jam frequencies that would normally allow you to escape?

I think channel 5 might just be a chiptune noise

This one has a very Nightwish vibe to it, sorta feels like ghost river

From the pages of Physis: "A mobile fortress moving across the skies while spitting thunder clouds that spread thunder and acid rain, it’s the celestial gardens stage. The intro guitar and the rimshot are emblematic parts of the song. This slightly oriental melody matches the image of the oriental shrine design, Pegasolta’s (taste?). Pegasolta was a weather control huge mid-air unit’s controller. He’d always wanted to be transferred to a battle unit and it looks like Vile helped that wish come true. When the Ragnarok Operation began, seeing how Kraft was subtly being inconsistent, he was thinking of replacing him as the commander." ...more reasons to despise that arrogant pegasus prick, I see. Pegasolta loves playing high and mighty, and his pre-battle lines reflect a keen narcissism that would have gotten him labelled a Maverick back in the day. "I will smite the worthless vermin down below... Lord Weil came up with a plan as beautiful as myself. All ugly things must bow down before me. Pegasolta Eclair will send you to the depths below!" ...I've seen comparisons between him and X5's -Spiral Pegasus- The Skiver, but in reality, both 'bots are as different as they come. The Skiver's loyalty to Repliforce and Colonel is comparable to Kraken's loyalty to his long-lost unit and master, while Pegasolta is a Starscream in the works towards Kraft.

From the pages of Physis: "A heavy and death metal track. It originally was a multi-floor base for a rebel group apart from the Resistance but the colony of nanomachines that devour machines, released by Mandrago, took root across the whole of the base as if they were vegetables’ roots. Mandrago was originally used solar-powered nanomachines to preserve and regenerate the environment, but Vile’s alterations made her conclude that “nature must be put under total control to regenerate it, and if needed, momentarily destroy it” thus becoming one of his underlings. The Zero Knuckle can be usefully used in both the stage and the boss. " ...that's seriously hardcore and horrifying. If ever you're wondering why the entrance to the tree's roots requires you to open a mechanical door, and why there's a bunch of mechanical doors inside this stage, it's because some resistance group used to live here before Mandrago wiped them out. We're never told how, but considering the nanomachines supposedly devour machines, and there's barely any humanoid Reploids save for her mechanical plant minions (plus one fire-breathing ant with explosives)... ...Ciel's commentary after the mission concludes is a bitter thought to consider. Neo Arcadia was one of the last places on earth capable of sustaining a functioning environment (until Area Zero came to light), with their domains having semi-artificial forests such as Notos, Dysis, and Anatre, and their inner sanctums having lush greenery. Mandrago's job as an environmental control system for plants means in a post-apocalyptic world like Zero's, she's a vital part of keeping the world and its people alive. "Artificial plants... How ironic that the very technology meant to protect nature is destroying it. Humans are capable of the most wonderful and the most terrifying things with the power of science. As a scientist, it makes me shiver just thinking about it." ...it's a bitter thing to swallow, knowing that Weil manipulated her such that what she was supposed to uphold became something she decided to dominate and possibly destroy. That old lava lamp's probably been feeding every Reploid he controls his nasty orange Kool-Aid. He might as well be a human Maverick Virus with how he distorts their own personalities and drives to suit his twisted ends...

From the pages of Physis: "The stage of the crust destroy ship with a giant drill which is diving deep into the ocean’s abyss. It will eventually self-destroy within the crust and seeks to create a huge earthquake and calamity. It’s an aggressive track, yet it makes you feel the abyss of the sea depths, although I remember that it was hard to make it… Kraken is a survivor of the Cutting Shadow Army but now that all of the 4 Heavenly Kings are gone, their armies and their ranks are gone too. He joined the Einherjar hoping to avenge Phantom, whom Zero defeated." From the Official Complete Works: "Previously the leader of a special group within the Cutting Shadow Squadron that took their orders directly from Phantom. Due to the fact that his main duty involved the investigation and elimination of traitors within their own ranks, his presence was always shrouded in mystery. After Phantom's defeat, he completely disappeared, only to emerge before Zero, seeking vengeance. " "Tech Kraken, who uses ice-based attacks, is covered in ice from head to toe and constantly emits cold air." If there was ever any Reploid who reflected his faction's leader's ethos the most, it would have to be Tech Kraken. Just as Phantom was a shinobi willing to throw his very life on the line for the sole purpose of fulfilling his objective, Kraken here is undertaking a mission he *damn well knows* will result in his death. If you let him defeat you, his post-battle speech has him proclaim: "Tech Kraken: Now I only need to run this sub into the ground and cause a great earthquake! Are you prepared to sink with me to the bottom of the ocean? Phantom... I will be joining you soon!" ...sadly, this devotion to his master ultimately blinded Kraken to _why_ Phantom did what he did: he died in the belief he was stopping a threat that would harm his Master, Lord X, and thus harm humanity in the process. Phantom then had the fortune to meet the real X in Cyberspace upon his passing, and is implied to be why in Zero 3 he takes a role as a threshold guardian, challenging Zero to a duel in Cyberspace to give him a potentially game-breaking upgrade to serve him well against Omega, and testing his mettle as a warrior. Kraken never had that chance to reassess his beliefs. That said, Kraken was still aware to some extent that what he did would damn him, as his defeat line proves: "Hragh! I have lent my strength to Weil, and now I must pay. There's no way for me to save Phantom's soul... But... I did what I had to do! Phantom! Forgive me!" Perhaps this moment of mournful reflection is why instead of being confrontational with Zero during the rematches on Ragnarok, he instead encourages him to go and defeat him, the way he defeated Phantom. Channel 4 has some of my favorite parts in the song. It's got a very playful tune for a stage where you're confronting a cyber-ninja kraken mournfully avenging his master. Hearing Channel 5 solo actually subtly sells the ninja theme Kraken has, when I think about it: the pipes sound like they'd fit in a Japanese-themed stage from the older Mega Man Classic games.

Pease do area zero next man love you bro

日本語表記、リベレートミッションが正解です…

The bass line is pure heaven Really ties the song together

wait this is actually fire asht

This is my favorite song in Z4 mainly because it's one of the few songs that doesn't have the Z4 guitar in it

Omg not the Shark! XD RUUUN!

Very cool

I don't know why, but I love the remastered version of this music.

love the snare drum in the drum loop, very numetal

I had no idea channel 6 and 3 were so integral to the overall feeling of the theme. They really never made something this amazing to listen to since.

jsyk, i will watch every single track deconstruction. from z1-z4. if you make it, i will watch it

This theme fittingly feels holy

And here it is, THE SONG for me about this game and honestly i dislike how much the internet remixes this theme and forgets the sounds channel 1, 3 and 6 suppose to give So many people overloads it with guitar that they forget the hope and calmness this theme is supposed to give So thanks for uploading this to show the whole process of this theme

From the pages of Physis: "The track of the giant particle cannon, which uses a heat generation plant that gets its energy from solar light, and Genblem’s own generator’s power. It’s also been used in promotions so you might already be familiar with it. Suzuki’s “go-go-beat” is used at full power here! The diagonal terrain at the beginning of the stage is the solar system and if the weather is sunny they will send energy as they shine. Genblem is an honest soldier who’d been working with Kraft before. He joined Operation Ragnarok while understanding Kraft’s feelings." Further elaboration on Genblem's character from the pages of Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works: "A large Reploid with a very hard body, high firepower, and surprising agility uncharacteristic of such a large frame. Under his reinforced multi-composite armor, he carries a power reactor for his energy cannons. The excess energy produced by his reactor can be expelled to allow temporary flight. Being a rather serious and straightforward warrior, he follows his orders dutifully, though his loyalties do not lie with Weil." Fascinatingly, we see this aspect of Genblem as a loyal, no-nonsense soldier all throughout his voice lines... but alas, he has committed one breach of Japanese military protocol, sadly endemic to fiction. When he declares the start of his battle with Zero during his first encounter, he bellows "状況開始！ (Jōkyō kaishi!)" In practice, this declaration isn't meant for declaring the start of *actual* military operation, _it's meant as a cry indicating the start of a practice exercise._ One could argue this means he sees fighting Zero as mere training, but still, it sticks like a sore thumb when you consider he's already put himself into an actual mission involving the use of the particle beam cannons.

This song is straight fire, because it literally is. Figuratively as well, i will be appeased by electric guitars, they always sound good. I never noticed that channel 6 sounds incredibly dissonant compared with the rest of the track

The first noise on channel 7 is a slow pick scrape on electric guitar, while the second is a double handed one

I didn't know I needed this, but thank you!!

Extremely heavy, like a ton of bricks weighing down on you. Its so good, the guitars carry this song up to being one of my favorites. What can i say except guitars go hard?

Give the channel 7 drummer a raise!!!

Omega Zero: "My theme song has 11 channels!!! HAHAHAHA!" Zero: "......" Zero: "......" Zero: "........................" (Yeah that's what Zero would say)

From the notes of Physis: "The theme of Kraft, a veteran who’s made it through many disorders ever since the foundation of Neo Arcadia. Since Neo Arcadia is actually crumbling by Vile’s actions, humans and Repliroids choose the only way to survive and that is abiding to Vile. All the story insofar had been about X, Omega and Zero, special characters, but Zero 4 is drawn from the point of view of people who aren’t heroes, Neige “a mere human” and Kraft “a mere Repliroid”." Ah, Kraft. My favorite among the Zero "rival" characters, in that he's basically a remix of Colonel, but horribly depressed. Kraft's major character flaw is his defeatism, ironic for his name that means "strength". Spending most of the story believing he can do good by serving evil, his noble characteristics ultimately end up being his own downfall, when even his one act done in the name of the greater good leads to more suffering. ...his parting words end up being what cement for Zero his decision to sacrifice himself. So long as old soldiers like Kraft and Zero still live and still make the same mistakes, the world will keep falling into conflict. (Spoilers follow.) ...I do wonder, and this is a bit of headcanon, but he was *still* wired into Ragnarok upon his death. What if the reason Weil's sudden "warning shot" didn't destroy Area Zero was because Kraft's dying consciousness hijacked Weil's attempt at using the controls at the last second? What if Weil was blindsided by his treacherous minion truly doing something heroic, one last time? ...also I wish he'd have gotten a Biometal. So much. It would've been *so* easy to justify! Biometals are all technically Model W fragments by default, but with the heroic essence of Zero, X, and the Four Guardians stored inside them suppressing and bypassing their bases' corrupting nature and using their abilities to fuse machine and man together to let people Megamerge/Rock On. And since Kraft was _still_ wired into Ragnarok, he could have easily retained a bit of himself in a fragment and become a Biometal. Maybe even become the protagonist's Biometal for a third game, redeeming himself in this run!

From the Physis notes: "The track used in restless demo scenes. Even though the threat of Omega is gone, Vile, who has control over Neo Arcadia, continues his oppression. It’s a dark age, and the Ragnarok Operation by the Einherjar 8 Warriors is beginning. The jaws named destructions crush it all and swallow it all… The twilight of humans and Repliroids is… close." ...according to the bonus material *Vile's Incident: Eden dome, its sin and rebirth,* an in-universe retrospective on the events of Mega Man Zero from the eyes of one of the Neo Arcadian citizens who left the ruins of Neo Arcadia, Neo Arcadia had lost the illusion of living in peace and prosperity when Dr. Weil rose to power. Some passages from the text itself, pages 8-9: "It is a hard truth that in times of peace, many of us humans had no interest in reporting the facts. Just as Ms. Neige chose a caravan instead of a camera when she tried to confront the real crisis of the Vile regime, the media in Neo Arcadia was nothing more than a sweet snack for comfort." "The dictatorship made us watch the press as a thin lifeline for survival, while simultaneously instilling fear in the population. The inhabitants continued to be at the mercy of clever brainwashing. A prime example of this was the destruction show by the Einherjar Eight Warriors, whose commander Kraft flipped up his blue-green cloak and gave the order for Operation Ragnarok. We shuddered when he appeared as the head of Vile's private army, having been a senior mercenary of the utopia. This is because in the interview with Ms. Neige, he was known as a friendly Repliroid in town, not a superintendent like the Big Four." "In the early days of his regime, Doctor Vile always made decisions himself, with the help of his close aides, the Eight Gentle Judges. That is the way the original dictator, Vile, did it. Yet, during Operation Ragnarok, he left the command to Kraft with a great deal of freedom. Not only that, many Repliroids not made by Vile were incorporated into the Eight Warriors." "The dictator wanted the Repliroids to go to war again. He wanted them to fight a war where there would be no winners or losers, where all would despair before a desolate and deadly land, where there would be no justice, no nothing. That's why Kraft, who was close to the humans, was chosen as the commander." It's pretty clear at this point that Weil's sadistic nihilism and cruelty meant that *nobody* was spared. Given that Weil intentionally named his space station Ragnarok, and his recruited warriors the Einherjar, he was definitely going for an apocalyptic Twilight of the Gods/Gotterdammerung scenario where all life (organic and mechanical alike) would be scoured (and if some speculation regarding his eternal agony as an undying immortal lava lamp and how he goaded Zero into slaying him in their final battle is to be taken into account, _he was also likely seeking a way out of his unending misery, but not before making everyone else suffer just as he did_ ). That said, Weil did not take into account the final passages of Gotterdammerung telling of a story of hope: the last survivors of the old world will hide in a wood so secret and so isolated from the world together, weathering the worst of the world's end sheltered by the boughs above, and finally, emerging at the end to create a new world. Perhaps he should have read his myths better before invoking them. (all passages from Vile's Incident cited off the translations in the Mega Man wiki. Physis notes are cited from Rockman Corner.)

WHO HERE BESIDES ME MEMORIZED THIS SONG WHILE BEING STUCK ON BEASTMAN FOR 30 FIGHTS?! (I wa maybe 11 and this was my first mmbn. So beastman was my first real test.)

God I love the bass line so soothing

i expected the gba versions to be way more different but upon closer inspection all they did was combine some of the samples into other channels (and in worse quality ofc). the ds tracks are definitely the more interesting files to break down on an instrument basis. a part of this story that the video doesnt too explicitly showcase however, is how the harmony on some of the channels are baked in at the sample level! the channel 2 guitars are actually all one note at a time in the song data, the *sample* itself has that quartal harmony built into it. channel 3's guitars have that bass sound programmed into them as well (and in fact they were originally part of channel 2 on the gba, so there were likely some constraints there) but something like the channel 6 pianos are actually multiple notes being played at the same time what a clever trick to get around polyphony limits and give it the complexity that makes cannon ball what it is

One of the greatest video game songs ever written, without a doubt

This piece of music is definitely a fucking masterpiece.

From the Physis booklet's notes: "The theme of Area Zero. Apart from the game, it’s made to appear by all possible means, it’s used in the official site too, and can be named the main theme of the game. According to Yabe (scenario and backgrounds), “We’ve poured into Area Zero, the stage of the game, that both humans and nature have a strength that allows them to rise over any hardships”. This stage boss is “Carnage Force 0”. We have a little fun shortening it to “CF-0” (laughs)." Speaking of the mix mentioned here, someone else found the Zero 4 website version and posted it elsewhere. There's some differences between the website version and the Physis disc mix, though that would require a finer knowledge of music to find these specific points of divergence. Esperanto... the language of the ones who hope. The real life language was an ambitious project designed to give humanity a common tongue, bridging the differences between them. ...it was *not* as successful as its creator hoped. The language itself had no originating culture as a base, it was poorly designed and executed, and _it was something completely artificial, anathema to the natural way languages form over time._ In fact, the concept itself was derided enough that the language was publicly banned, and in some extreme cases, violent purges of its speakers were carried out by tyrants. Still, the sentiments behind the language were noble, and they are echoed in the story of Zero as a story of "people striving for a better future together." In the end, Zero 4 is the natural conclusion of Ciel's drive to try and solve the crisis that drove a wedge between humans and Reploids, a story of hope granted by a hero who finally found what he was fighting for.

Oh hey, another peak climbed.

this just shows why the original is still better than all of the remixes, the piano and the guitar from channel 2 complete the song.