The thief gave the princess a chance to make things right. The thief gave the automaton a purpose to live. The thief gave the knight the ability to choose for himself. The thief gave the chef an experience to forever remember. The thief gave the huntress a reason to fight for the future, rather than the past. The thief gave the child hope for companionship and family. The thief gave the criminal clarity towards teamwork and camaraderie. And they, in return, give the thief his strength and identity. As they face death, they stand together, knowing that they're not alone.
I think the biggest importance about Zidane feeling alone is because the game is all about identity struggles for every character, or how identity is a reflection of who they are: -Vivi struggles with being an automaton, the core of the them of the game -Freya struggles with the fact that her lover lost his identity, and memory of her -Steiner struggles to understand stand if he's the kingdom's knight or Garnet's knight -Garnet struggles as an adopted child, with an identity in summoners and royalty -Eiko struggles as the only living human and Summoner she knows of among moogles -Amarant struggles to understand his place among power. He follows anyone he admires -Quina is just a Qu. S/he has no identity, not even a gender identity. S/he's the freedom from this struggle. Everyone is figuring out who they are, or in some cases, dealing with a direct result of being misidentified. Zidane, the whole time, is the only person who doesn't suffer this problem, and his levity carries everyone else through their issues. Until he realizes he's not even from this planet. That he's also a weird creature. And it's at this point that he starts to suffer the same issues he's been helping everyone else through. They pay him back by reminding him of something that Zidane himself has proven time and time again: you're not alone.
Adding on to the identity aspect of FF9, there was an eye motif going on throughout the game. Like the giant eye of the Invincible, the eye feature common to many Terran structures, and also the design of the final arena. Hades was also originally intended to be the final boss and his design incorporates many eyes, before he was cut down to a secret boss. Anyway, the common use of eyes being presented as frightening, threatening, or otherworldly makes me think that it was intentionally used as a symbol of a gaze into the characters' own identities. Like a penetrating stare into a person's true identity when it might not be something the character is able to come to terms with yet. Like how Garnet faints multiple times when seeing the eye of the Invincible, and it always brings back painful memories of the destruction of her homes, both Madain Sari and later Alexandria. The eye is symbolically seeing painful truths about her identity as a Summoner and as Royalty of Alexandria. I also think it showed nice character development at the end of the Terra section when Garnet and Zidane go together to the teleporter. Zidane is freaked out by all the staring eyes, but Garnet is no longer bothered by them, saying "They're just eyes," which surprises Zidane considering what she's been through. Garnet has come to accept her identity and is now unaffected by these penetrating stares, and Zidane who's just been pulled out of his own identity crisis, is learning from Garnet to not be bothered by the gazing eyes either.
The video can be resumed in that sentence : Nobuo Uematsu is god damn genius and many childhoods dwelled in his fantastic musical work. FFIX is a philosophical masterpiece to me :)
I never hated Necron like other people. He’s the physical embodiment of the fear of the inevitability of death. And that’s a powerful moment in the series.
Especially when you understand that the game is based on the idea of death. Every character is tortured by the idea of death, not forcibly their own but also the others. As of that, Necron is a powerful final boss. Since he is the incarnation of death, he is the natural ennemi of pretty much everyone in the party.
When I got that curaga from Dagger I actually started to cry. I played it at a time when I was pushing friends away, but they refused to leave me. Never related to a game character more.
The first time I witnessed this scene, it made me feel the most powerful emotion I had ever felt in my 17 year old life. The music was the single most powerful part to me (not to discount the other aspects of the scene and the buildup to it and the events of it, of course). For me, this theme enveloped the emotion that Zidane was feeling as he was thrown for this twist. Despite the truth of his birth, he pushes on to save Gaia from Garland, despite all odds of him being able to take Garland on alone being stacked against him. He felt terrible for involving his friends and he was determined to make it right with them. This was the most intense feeling that Zidane had ever felt to this point. The most raw emotion ever known by him. And seeing him go through his journeys and experiencing the world of Gaia and its inhabitants had made me feel like I was Zidane at this moment. So connected with the character that you knew exactly what this bundle of polygons was feeling. So engaged with this story that this scene kicks you in the chest just as hard as it does to Zidane. The music unleashes this emotion; makes you realize it more than just feeling it. It makes you recognize the emotion. This is a part of the game where it would be preposterous to put the controller down at. You're attached completely at this point, and you know for a fact, at this point, that you will beat this game.
You just summed up my first experiance of the scene and every subsequent playthrough of FFIX, having to see Zidane go through it every single time ;w; (15+ playthroughs for 15+ years, I lost count)
Cried my ass of during this sequence on a recent playthrough. It had been some years since the last time I'd played through it, and due to the scarcity of the song in the game, I'd (temporarily) forgotten it. The passing of time the tragedy that life can be and my childhood came flooding back and I just fucking lost it, let alone the actual scene itself. Love it man.
Second favorite tune of FFIX, it blew me away I had no idea how to even comprehend that entire scene, it was so emotional. My favorite being Place of Memory, Memoria's theme. It sets in everything that happened throughout the game into a very somber vibe that leads to some amazing tunes to end the story.
I envy you your insight into this music. It's like a door I always wanted to peer through but couldn't figure out how to unlock. What you were saying clicked for me as soon as Aeris's theme played and I knew, as soon as I saw that scene, that we were going to see the fight with Jenova. And I thought to myself "This man gets it!" I'm very much looking forward to your next video!
*Spoilers for Final Fantasy IX* One thing I was thinking about while watching the video. Correct if I'm wrong, but doesn't the plot twist involve that fact that Zidane wasn't from this earth, but from a entirely different place (the same one Kuja comes from)? Given that, don't you think that the strangeness of "You're Not Alone", so different from the rest of the songs that take inspiration in european music, also reinforces that? Of the way that Zidane feels alone and detached from everything else around him?
Oh you are absolutely 100% correct. I wish I had realised that and made the link explicit in the video. You definitely explained something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Thank you!
I thought more or less of the same thing. "You're not alone" may refer to Zidane being an alien in that context, and that may be why the song is so "unfitting", although the title is pointing towards this conflict you pointed out (Zidane feeling alone and detached) and how his friends may help him . There is also "Branbal, the souless village" which is the theme for the whole city and its inhabitants (who are aliens to Garnet, Freya and the others)that is a piano set, kind of european-ish. That being said, the focus on this particular theme may be in melancholy and not in trying to set these "aliens" apart from the world of Gaia and its 'medieval' tone. Garland's and Kuja's theme, if I recall it correctly, are also more alike the rest of the OST, using organs (don't really know if that is the name in english of the instrument) and piano. But I really have the impression that the second Kuja theme is much more like You're not alone than the rest of the OST. Just trying to add some insights to these nice comments :)
I wanted to tell the context of his dilemma but I realized that I would be spoiling the story. I recommend to play the game. I think its the one of best if not the best of everything FF series has to offer that came from the PSX era. Though FF7 is my favorite. As a game FF9 is the one I come back to.
This is why Final Fantasy IX is easily my favorite in the series. There is so much character development in this game. Each character had their own unique flaws and problems and Zidane helped each of them through their problems. These character developments was so important for the You're not Alone scene because when the roles were switched and it was Zidane that was in need, you see everyone help him come back to his senses. You don't see character development like this in FFVII or FFVIII. I honestly did not care for Selphie, Zell, Irvine etc. FFVIII focused too much on the relationship between Squall and Rinoa and ignored all the other characters. Squall barely had any interaction with the other characters. Same with FFVII. Too much focus on Cloud, Tifa, and Aeries and not enough on the other characters. FFIX and Zidane were so underrated. I hope Zidane appears in the new Kingdom Hearts. He deserves it.
I'll defend the Stand By Me moment in FFXV til the day that I die. That opening scene itself subverted expectations in that most FFs started in media res, and here you are pushing a dead car with your grumbling friends over a gorgeous rendition of the theme song of one of the best coming-of-age/friendship movies ever made (not to take away from how classic the song is in and of itself, but it was clearly homage to the movie). I thought it couldn't have been more perfect and I had the biggest smile on during that whole scene that I've had since playing video games as a kid. I feel like most of the bad feelings are because people are too used to the traditional FF convention and were too upset about the anticlimactic opening to realize how well done that was.
A few weeks ago I listened to the FFVIII soundtrack again after several years and all the old emotions returned and nearly overwhelmed me. I thought to myself "That's how you know it was a good game and good, good music." Now you've done the same for me with FFIX. I'm going to be going back over the entire soundtrack tomorrow (it's late as I'm posting this). Thank you!
I have watched this video so many times, in its entirety, I genuinely can't count. But it must Must be over a hundred by now. It defines my love for Uematsu. This video itself is a love letter to his style and I tear up every time. If the project our studio is working on (still a secret atm) has even half as much love for his style displayed through it's musical composition..I will die very happily. Thank you so much for making this!
also reminds me of the scene in FFX when you get to Zanarkand for Yuna's sacrifice. But the music there you have been hearing almost all the time, only to see it get turned into it's own track. Because for that game this part of the journey was not a plot twist, but an expectation since the very beginning,
You're Not Alone is to this day my favorite track from the entire series next to many others, it's just perfect and you can feel how Zidane was feeling. :
I don't know how I was never subscribed to you before today... but that problem is officially rectified as of this moment. You're Not Alone has brought tears to my eyes since the first time I heard it mere days after the game released so many years ago. Among the countless moments of inspiration, fear, loss, and triumph throughout the Final Fantasy franchise, few moments rival sharing in that feeling of disillusionment and hopelessness with Zidane and realizing how beloved he is by those who have chosen to support him, while reflecting on the people in your own life for whom the same might be said when you yourself are at your lowest. This song is another testament to Uematsu's genius, and will remain on my personal list of "best video game tracks" for the remainder of my time in this world.
The same “song plays over battles” trick is used again (beautifully i might say) in FFX , when the party comes to Zanarkand and a large traumatic truth gets revealed to the Protagonist Tidus
What's better than the same emotional song doesn't replace the normal boss battle music? The same emotional song played for the entire frickin ruins! I still remember how somber the mood was during the entirety of Zanarkand ruins. I even feel A Fleeting Dream is more emotional than To Zanarkand. And To Zanarkand is somber enough. LoL
Excellent! Played this part when I was like 10-11. Always stuck with me. I’m 30 now. I remember humming this tune in school before I even knew what it was called....
That trick of keeping the scene music thru the battles... I immediately tought of Chrono Trigger and the Ocean Palace theme. Indeed is a simple but powerful trick when used in the right moments
In Final Fantasy X, when you're in the Zanarkand Ruins, the "Zanarkand Ruins" theme keeps playing during battles as well. It really helps drive home the point of just how tragic the location is, being the protagonist's ruined hometown after 10000 years or something like that.
Astounding breakdown on this piece of music. FF9 was the first "new" Final Fantasy game I played (I still have my Vivi pre-order plush next to my gaming PC), and this part of the game became my instant favorite of the series that nothing has come close to topping. It is truly a masterpiece from Uematsu's brilliant catalog.
Wow! This is fantastic, Mathew. You make a very persuasive argument here. I haven't fully completed any of the Final Fantasy games, but as a casual listener, I've always preferred the soundtrack of FFIX over all the others.
+James Covenant thanks so much, James! I'm grateful for your support. I do like your Mario 64 video and am looking forward to what you're working on next.
In two videos you've managed to cover three of my favorite games -- Bastion, Transistor, and my favorite Final Fantasy -- where music is as much a part of the story as any other aspect. In fact, this actually gave me new appreciation for You're Not Alone: as you've pointed out, it's tonally different than any other piece in the soundtrack. This threw me at the time, but it took your video pointing out that it works on the player in the same way that [FF7 SPOILER] does -- it is meant to grow on the player as the scene progresses, giving them space to sort out their feelings against the context of what's happened onscreen. Now I need to play through FF9 again, those clips brought tears to my eyes. Personal favorite from each soundtrack so far: Bastion - Spike In A Rail Final Fantasy IX - Freya's Theme (Transistor's a tough one -- I have a hard time thinking of that as anything other than a full album to be listened to end-to-end) TL; DR: Thank you and keep up the good work. I liked, I subscribed, and I'll be sharing this.
Oh don't worry, when I was editing this video there was times when I had to stop and have a little cry because FFIX is just so moving. Now the pressure's on me to make my third video to be your fourth favourite game! And thanks so much for the support, let me know where you share it. :)
I love the final fantasy XV stand by me (in no part cause i adore florence and the machine) but i see where you are coming from! You're not alone is beautiful!
Uematsu-sama is a master! Final Fantasy IX is by far my most favourite Soundtrack ever made! It fits absolutely perfect to every single scene inside the game and is so incredibly memorable after finishing the game. I am really proud to have an original "made in japan" copy of the original soundtrack, that is also signed by Uematsu-sama himself, and Arnie Roth.
Thank you for introducing me to leitmotif, I've been aware of it in Final Fantasy games (and games and media in general), I just didn't know that there's a specific word or concept behind that!
I can't agree with you more. 'You're Not Alone' was a powerful moment during the game. A total culmination of all the relationships that the characters had. It was a determined 'hell yeah!' and a tearful, emotional 'we've got this' it really moved me as a kid and worked so well.
...Huh. Back when I was in high school, shortly after experiencing this scene, I had a rough time for a while with bullies (In grade 10 I got lucky; my school was new at the time and since most of my bullies were jocks and therefore very sports oriented, they managed to get themselves transferred to the high school with a reputation for having a good sports program, but grade 9 was rough.) There were times that I just set You're Not Alone on loop and listened to it for hours. It's over a decade ago now, and I still get choked up just thinking back to that time. I've never understood why You're Not Alone helped - certainly my conscious interpretation of that scene at the time wasn't exactly optimistic - indeed, at the time I kinda saw the track's name as being rather ironic. (I've was a depressed teenager, don't expect optimism or intelligence.) I now understand what it did for me. Thank you. (And holy shit, I was not expecting it to hit me that hard.)
Another great example of this - sustaining a musical theme through the scene's battle so as not to take you out of the emotional moment - though not via Uematsu, is the Bahamut fight in Bevelle Underground in FFX-2.
I think you should reconsider the impact Stand By Me over the logo had. When first starting the game I had the same impression, it felt hollow and shallow the way that Leona Lewis song did in FF XIII. However when you've completed the game and it wraps up with credits, photo's of the gang and the song, you have spent 80+ hours with these characters who prove to Noctis they will stand by him, it takes on a whole new meaning and honestly had me in tears.
maybe it's just me, but i found when i was playing through this scene recently, that i was reading the dialog almost in time to the music. the bits where zidane would get angry, or lash out seemed to time to the long, lower notes, while his friends response came in around the same time as the plucky string sounds. correct me if i'm wrong, but this is one of the main scenes in the game where your walking pace in the overworld is altered, and the monster fights are at set spaces. i think it tries to deliberately keep that pace to match the emotional beats to the literal beats of the song.
I just first experienced the Zidane depression arc and his friends reminding him who he is. Brought a tear to my eye when I called out a heal from dagger lol
not kidding around now. somewhere on a trailer for Ff15 I was criticizing the use of "stand by me" being played in a Final Fantasy trailer. "next thing is they putting it into the actual game." and people were hooting me, shaming me, ridicule me. no way that would happen I should relax.
Tears almost came thanks to you excellent video and the beauty of this game. Thanks... (PS: I remember litterally doing a face palm when seeing the logo of FF XV...)
This is a little off-topic, but after being just as confused as everyone else by the final final boss of the game at first, I actually came to appreciate it a lot after looking back years later. You mentioned the game's themes in the video and you are not wrong, but I think one of the most major themes is actually that of life and death. It's been forever, so I might be misremembering some bits, but Queen Brahne turned evil after the death of her husband, Kuja and Zidane get existential crises after learning that they are artificial and "have no soul", just like the black mages that were created for warfare... The final battle with Kuja takes place at the beginning of creation, the source of all life, and Necron is summoned by his fear of death. Fear of death has been the catalyst of all the tragedies of the game's story. And I'd argue that this is true for real life as well. Much like Necron's silly Yoda reference says, all human cruelty comes from fear of being hurt, of losing out, of being left behind, of dying. And just as Necron says after the battle, as long as there is life, he will be there. The final battle has you literally going to the source of all life and defying the personification of the source of all evil and suffering that has been at the core of the game's themes. And I think that's amazing, if perhaps a little downright avant-garde for the context.
I think you got the life and death thing right. Even the weird last boss of the game; even though its not Kuja, its name is synonymous with death. Kuja goes crazy after learning he will die and that Zidane is his replacement. It does make sense once you think about it. When Kuja casts Ultima for the last time, some people believe that your party actually does die and meeting Necron symbolizes that.
You might be onto something, since concept artwork for the Hills of Despair (Necron's battle arena) showed Hades in Necron's place, implying Hades was originally intended to be the final boss. And as any fan of Greek mythology would know, Hades is the Lord of the Dead, which I think works even better for the death theme. The fourth disc of FF9 definitely feels like it had a lot of main story content removed or rewritten late in development, but some of the traces and themes are still there. I would really like to see what they had planned with Hades as the final boss, since his design also reflected the giant eye motif which had been constant throughout the game like with the Invincible and parts of Terra. Perhaps the giant eye was thematic in that its penetrating stare was like it was seeing parts of the characters they didn't want to be made known.
I figured that was the whole point of Necron as its name is basically "The Death", it appears after Kuja attempts to end life itself and all it's speeches rely that it's here to do just that. Its the only reasonable conclusion. I'm not trying to act all _"I am very smart"_ as I didn't even know IX meant 9 so I wasn't exactly a bright kid but I'm shocked so many were confused by Necron's presence. Hades may have been a better choice design wise since Necron (oddly) isn't even tied with Terra's creepy face/mask designs but it's appearance continuing the theme of life/death didn't seem like that big of a leap to me at age 10.
Tbh, knowing ff xv and the fact it's a road trip between bros, stand by me at the begining with the logo while they are pushing a car makes sense. Not many know, but there is a movie called "stand by me", that is also a journey of self discovery between four young boys on a trip.
When you went to reference that residing battle theme factor i was expecting bombing mission, then the white materia came into view and my feels hit the roof...I've been a nobou fane since 7 released btw
When I first heard this song during playing the game I knew it was a very important moment just by the music alone. It was so different from all the other songs. I feel that every Final Fantasy game has "The Moment". A point where everything changes. The risks become greater, the choices more important, and the game grows into adulthood. Some Final Fantasy games even have several moments, I think.
6:40 thanks! there really was no need to mention what was happening in that scene and you did perfect. Very nice video btw! (I can't help but feel there's a IX comeback coming in the future, just wait for it)
Well rumors are pretty heavy now days for a Remake and an Animated series!! Your predictions might just be correct!! This game definitely deserves more and I believe the youth these days need a game (or at the very least a story) like FF9!!
@@thevangsta9892Haha yeah absolutely! I got the game when I was in elementary, It changed my perspective on the world and it's been my favorite game of all time ever since. Nowadays I get to play with my kid and re-experience it through her eyes which is also very magical like playing for the first time 💜 I so, sk hope a remake gets to hit those exact right feelings. Otherwise, the classics will also be here for us to play 😁
@lolindirlink sounds like fun!! Hope your daughter enjoys the game as much as we do!! When I heard about the rumor of the Remake it made me go back to play the game and even got the Excalibur 2!! Definitely my favorite game of all time! Hope the remake lives up to the type of game FF9 is!! Of course if they use the new combat style they have for FF now days I'd enjoy it as long as the challenges story and characters stay true to the original!!
@@thevangsta9892 Yeah she loves the world of Gaia just as much as we do. The SeeD has been planted! It'll only grow haha. (SeeD because Final Fantasy 8 is next on our list!😅👍)
@lolindirlink that's awesome! I decided to play the series myself recently just finished FF1 currently working on FF7!! Figured if I'm gonna call myself a true fan of the series I'd better play them all lol!! The only Final Fantasys I've beaten up to this point were 9, 10, and 10-2 I beat those as a kid! I've played all the other ones just haven't beaten them yet!! Skipping the MMO ones like 11 and 14 but I'm replacing those with Mystic Quest and Type O!! Have to say 9 is still my favorite and I don't see that changing anytime soon!!
The video I have been looking for my entire life. When I first heard You're not Alone it hit me in the face so hard I sat there mouth open. Me a 7 year old kid who has no idea of what good music is (safe of the music my mom loves which coincidentally also is what Uematsu was inspired by alot) Possibly my favourite memory of playing this game.
Ah, I adore this song. Might be my favourite of the FF games I've played. Ironically I spent most of the car journeys in XV listening to this song on repeat.
I’ve never played a game where every track was a track I absolutely adored but what do you know! FFIX is that game. I’ve lingered so many times in different locations just to hear the music on loop (Lindblum especially), and the music in this game really does tug at my heartstrings. By the way, the technique of playing the same track even during battles is so powerful. When they did it in FFX when they reached Zanarkand, it just felt like a punch in the gut.
I'm surprised you mentioned leitmotif and yet somehow didn't catch that You're Not Alone actually quotes Melodies of Life. That to me is what truly makes this piece, and Nobuo Uematsu, remarkable.
He's referring to certain sections of You're Not Alone incorporating fragments of the Melodies of Life motif/melody. An example of it would be around 20 seconds into the piece. You'll notice how it sounds like the beginning of that reoccurring theme.
IX was the first FF game I played. This game resonated with me so much, and continues to be my favorite of the series by far. The only other to come slightly close is VI.
I got into FF relatively late in life, and this was the first piece of FF music I ever heard and loved. Some older friends with more nerd cred than me had made a goofy Flash movie about ninjas, and You Are Not Alone was a prominent part of the soundtrack, along with Green Bird. It was at that point that I pretty much had to check out Final Fantasy (and Cowboy Bebop).
How are you so good at laying out exactly why some songs work better than others? This is a perfect example of how (for me) The modern final fantasy games are just a bit thin compared to the older ones. Loved the video.
Spoilers for XV I have to say, stand by me has more to do than just lead us into the game. It sets up the undertones of the 4 man band and brings us back to this in the end when it plays again, and leads into the flashback to the final campsite. Playing it over the silly car push scene is worth a amil3 and helps the game start off on a light note. But playing it again at the end, as the photos of your journey flash by, brings you back through the game as if you were the 5th member of the gang, right there with them. If it had been a one and done song, it wouldn't be worth mentioning, and maybe it's just me and my emotional investment, but I think having it repeat at the end as you reminisce through the credits is brilliant.
It was and I think the YTer may have not completed FF15 or forgotten the depth of the end in respect to the song. I do understand his point but I disagree and you nailed the reason.
Completely agree! I honestly really like the opening of FFXV, its simple but i think get the point across. When the song played again at the end I started crying
I'm so happy you did this one! 'You're not Alone' is my favorite song in the whole series - it's a powerful song for a powerful scene. Gah, IX was so good!
Electric guitars are heard all the time in FFIX, a guitar features prominently in the battle theme, that's probably the most heard piece of music in the game and then there's the airship theme too at the very least. But "You're Not Alone" is incredible, when I had it on my Iphone 3GS it was my most listened to track. I think the reason it's so powerful is because it plays non stop throughout battles and cutscene alike. It's a powerful scene with a wonderful track. It actually reminds me of how a moment close to the end of FFVIII was handled, during the time compression and fight with all the sorceresses you hear this amazingly haunting music that only plays at this one time and then the battle track plays non-stop while you fight sorceresses from throughout time, it really helps set the mood. I think "Stand by Me" works just as well though, but it is used differently by book ending the game. It works in a similar way to how you describe the leitmotifs use. Oh and Zidane is pronounced Zid Anne not Zid ayne.
You are a criminally underrated YT channel. Music may as well be rocket science as far as I'm concerned, but you clearly and entertaining-ly(?) Explained a lot. And HEY the necron theme was good!
I haven't, but I have just started a series going through Final Fantasy game-by-game, so we will get there eventually! I am very excited for the episode on X, even though it's probably at least a year away, hahaha.
I'm not quite through the game yet but I've listened to the soundtrack- I always assumed this was a credits song it sounded so different. The whole soundtrack is incredible though. I look forward to hearing this in-game
I really hated it when Stand By Me was announced as FFXV’s theme song! While it was composed beautifully and Florence’s vocals were amazing it just felt so... lazy. Like yes, let’s remix this classic song with lyrics mildly relating to our game and add a FF flare to it! And get a kinda famous singer to sing it! Its so mindless... Like c’mon guys... you can do better than that.
All this time I thought it was just a song they used for the commercials, not that it was actually XV's theme song and was remixed specifically for it. Wow....I just....wow ಠ__ಠ
I don't know that I ever actually thought of it as the game's theme song, personally. Not over Somnus, for sure, though FF's have a weird habit of picking theme songs that don't seem especially central to the game when you're playing them over ones that do. I honestly forget it's even in there all the time, especially when it has such an incredible score otherwise. But seriously Somnus feels 100% more like the game's theme song to me.
I hate when regular songs make it into videogames' soundtracks, unless the game itself is literally generic zombie slaying coop or something. Part of the magic of videogames for me is them having their own soundtracks, with their own style and flare. If I want to listen to normal songs I will. If I want to listen to videogame music, I will play a videogame (or look up the soundtrack on youtube). Final Fantasy in particular is a series where I've loved pretty much every soundtrack. Hearing 15's Stand By Me was just lame.
Oh my lord can I feel your salt over Stand By Me. Don't worry, I share your opinion. Just about every other voiced song like it has occurred in either a meaningful point in the story or during the end scene or credits so having it open the game was kind of a failure. Now Somnus being the main menu theme and then returning in its fully voiced glory when you return to Insomnia? *Oh my God the feels.* That was done right. This was a great breakdown, I only just found your videos and I love your analysis of the soundtracks.
In my opinion the most subtil theme in FF9 is EIko's one because "Melodies of Life" which represents Garnet is hidden in it ( very simple to find if you follow the bass line ) and that shows the bound between the princess and Eiko way before you learn about her story .
I wish this scene was better written. Well, actually it was (dialogue wise other than Zidane)... but it wasn't given any time to sink in. Zidane's 5 second character crisis and subsequent 5 second "return to form" just felt rushed and it gave me the impression they added it just for the sake of it, rather than yet another deepening of the characters. If it had had more screentime it would've felt way more natural and way more powerful. And that's where the soundtrack comes in. "You're not alone" absolutely carried this sequence. Even if it felt kinds rushed and lame, it's still one of my favourite parts of the whole game, that is because the music was so good and also because of Steiner (my favourite character). Those 2 saved this minuscule arc and turned it into a blast to watch/play.
Would be really interesting to hear you talk about Don't Speak Her Name from Fire Emblem: Awakening. To be fair though I'm not sure if that section is as incredible as it is just because of the quality of that track, might be a better thing to just talk about from all around game design. Now that I'm thinking about it stuff like Eternal Bond, The Black Night's Theme, or A Grasping Truth in Path of Radiance and/or Radiant Dawn may be more interesting from a pure music perspective (now I'm just a rambling Fire Emblem fan who wants to hear everyone talk about Fire Emblem lol).
The thief gave the princess a chance to make things right.
The thief gave the automaton a purpose to live.
The thief gave the knight the ability to choose for himself.
The thief gave the chef an experience to forever remember.
The thief gave the huntress a reason to fight for the future, rather than the past.
The thief gave the child hope for companionship and family.
The thief gave the criminal clarity towards teamwork and camaraderie.
And they, in return, give the thief his strength and identity. As they face death, they stand together, knowing that they're not alone.
This may or may not have given me teary eyes reading. Damn nostalgics.
You said the words...
You couldn't have said it better my friend. I too read this with tears in my eyes.
Beautiful!
A Thief that gives huh? :)
I think the biggest importance about Zidane feeling alone is because the game is all about identity struggles for every character, or how identity is a reflection of who they are:
-Vivi struggles with being an automaton, the core of the them of the game
-Freya struggles with the fact that her lover lost his identity, and memory of her
-Steiner struggles to understand stand if he's the kingdom's knight or Garnet's knight
-Garnet struggles as an adopted child, with an identity in summoners and royalty
-Eiko struggles as the only living human and Summoner she knows of among moogles
-Amarant struggles to understand his place among power. He follows anyone he admires
-Quina is just a Qu. S/he has no identity, not even a gender identity. S/he's the freedom from this struggle.
Everyone is figuring out who they are, or in some cases, dealing with a direct result of being misidentified. Zidane, the whole time, is the only person who doesn't suffer this problem, and his levity carries everyone else through their issues. Until he realizes he's not even from this planet. That he's also a weird creature. And it's at this point that he starts to suffer the same issues he's been helping everyone else through. They pay him back by reminding him of something that Zidane himself has proven time and time again: you're not alone.
Urrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh
Adding on to the identity aspect of FF9, there was an eye motif going on throughout the game. Like the giant eye of the Invincible, the eye feature common to many Terran structures, and also the design of the final arena. Hades was also originally intended to be the final boss and his design incorporates many eyes, before he was cut down to a secret boss.
Anyway, the common use of eyes being presented as frightening, threatening, or otherworldly makes me think that it was intentionally used as a symbol of a gaze into the characters' own identities. Like a penetrating stare into a person's true identity when it might not be something the character is able to come to terms with yet. Like how Garnet faints multiple times when seeing the eye of the Invincible, and it always brings back painful memories of the destruction of her homes, both Madain Sari and later Alexandria. The eye is symbolically seeing painful truths about her identity as a Summoner and as Royalty of Alexandria.
I also think it showed nice character development at the end of the Terra section when Garnet and Zidane go together to the teleporter. Zidane is freaked out by all the staring eyes, but Garnet is no longer bothered by them, saying "They're just eyes," which surprises Zidane considering what she's been through. Garnet has come to accept her identity and is now unaffected by these penetrating stares, and Zidane who's just been pulled out of his own identity crisis, is learning from Garnet to not be bothered by the gazing eyes either.
My goodness, it really isn't just nostalgia when we say they just don't make games the same way they used to, huh?
The video can be resumed in that sentence : Nobuo Uematsu is god damn genius and many childhoods dwelled in his fantastic musical work.
FFIX is a philosophical masterpiece to me :)
I never hated Necron like other people. He’s the physical embodiment of the fear of the inevitability of death. And that’s a powerful moment in the series.
Especially when you understand that the game is based on the idea of death.
Every character is tortured by the idea of death, not forcibly their own but also the others.
As of that, Necron is a powerful final boss. Since he is the incarnation of death, he is the natural ennemi of pretty much everyone in the party.
IX is my absolute favorite Final Fantasy game.
2nd favorite for me. But it's very close some days. FF X comes first.
Viúvo da SEGA this person right here has taste
Ff9 is a masterpiece!!!
Playing through it with my wife, who grew up playing different types of games 😊
Why? It's fuckin shite. Not as bad as FFVrrsus13, but certainly down there.
When I got that curaga from Dagger I actually started to cry. I played it at a time when I was pushing friends away, but they refused to leave me. Never related to a game character more.
I’m 34 years old and played this in my early teens still brings tears to my eyes 😢
The first time I witnessed this scene, it made me feel the most powerful emotion I had ever felt in my 17 year old life. The music was the single most powerful part to me (not to discount the other aspects of the scene and the buildup to it and the events of it, of course). For me, this theme enveloped the emotion that Zidane was feeling as he was thrown for this twist. Despite the truth of his birth, he pushes on to save Gaia from Garland, despite all odds of him being able to take Garland on alone being stacked against him. He felt terrible for involving his friends and he was determined to make it right with them. This was the most intense feeling that Zidane had ever felt to this point. The most raw emotion ever known by him. And seeing him go through his journeys and experiencing the world of Gaia and its inhabitants had made me feel like I was Zidane at this moment. So connected with the character that you knew exactly what this bundle of polygons was feeling. So engaged with this story that this scene kicks you in the chest just as hard as it does to Zidane. The music unleashes this emotion; makes you realize it more than just feeling it. It makes you recognize the emotion. This is a part of the game where it would be preposterous to put the controller down at. You're attached completely at this point, and you know for a fact, at this point, that you will beat this game.
You just summed up my first experiance of the scene and every subsequent playthrough of FFIX, having to see Zidane go through it every single time ;w; (15+ playthroughs for 15+ years, I lost count)
Cried my ass of during this sequence on a recent playthrough. It had been some years since the last time I'd played through it, and due to the scarcity of the song in the game, I'd (temporarily) forgotten it. The passing of time the tragedy that life can be and my childhood came flooding back and I just fucking lost it, let alone the actual scene itself. Love it man.
This song represents my favorite moment in a video game. It’s a big reason Final Fantasy IX is so important to me.
Best final Fantasy game to ever to be released
Started tearing up the moment I heard the ost again
this is for real my favorite game ever, and as a musician, I flipped shit when I saw this vid. mad props to you, and keep up the great work!
Second favorite tune of FFIX, it blew me away I had no idea how to even comprehend that entire scene, it was so emotional. My favorite being Place of Memory, Memoria's theme. It sets in everything that happened throughout the game into a very somber vibe that leads to some amazing tunes to end the story.
I envy you your insight into this music. It's like a door I always wanted to peer through but couldn't figure out how to unlock. What you were saying clicked for me as soon as Aeris's theme played and I knew, as soon as I saw that scene, that we were going to see the fight with Jenova. And I thought to myself "This man gets it!" I'm very much looking forward to your next video!
The part about the door is probably my favourite thing anyone has said about a video of mine! :D Thanks Mike!
I envy you to write such poetic comments :)
Probably my second favorite moment in the entire game (1st goes to B&S protecting Alexandria).
Such an epic moment!
*Spoilers for Final Fantasy IX*
One thing I was thinking about while watching the video. Correct if I'm wrong, but doesn't the plot twist involve that fact that Zidane wasn't from this earth, but from a entirely different place (the same one Kuja comes from)? Given that, don't you think that the strangeness of "You're Not Alone", so different from the rest of the songs that take inspiration in european music, also reinforces that? Of the way that Zidane feels alone and detached from everything else around him?
Oh you are absolutely 100% correct. I wish I had realised that and made the link explicit in the video. You definitely explained something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Thank you!
Also the spoiler warning should be for IX, not XI.
Oops! Edited it, now it's correct.
I thought more or less of the same thing. "You're not alone" may refer to Zidane being an alien in that context, and that may be why the song is so "unfitting", although the title is pointing towards this conflict you pointed out (Zidane feeling alone and detached) and how his friends may help him . There is also "Branbal, the souless village" which is the theme for the whole city and its inhabitants (who are aliens to Garnet, Freya and the others)that is a piano set, kind of european-ish. That being said, the focus on this particular theme may be in melancholy and not in trying to set these "aliens" apart from the world of Gaia and its 'medieval' tone. Garland's and Kuja's theme, if I recall it correctly, are also more alike the rest of the OST, using organs (don't really know if that is the name in english of the instrument) and piano. But I really have the impression that the second Kuja theme is much more like You're not alone than the rest of the OST. Just trying to add some insights to these nice comments :)
I wanted to tell the context of his dilemma but I realized that I would be spoiling the story. I recommend to play the game. I think its the one of best if not the best of everything FF series has to offer that came from the PSX era. Though FF7 is my favorite. As a game FF9 is the one I come back to.
Man, that moment... that music... all these years later, Its still one of the most beautiful moments from any game I've played.
This is why Final Fantasy IX is easily my favorite in the series. There is so much character development in this game. Each character had their own unique flaws and problems and Zidane helped each of them through their problems. These character developments was so important for the You're not Alone scene because when the roles were switched and it was Zidane that was in need, you see everyone help him come back to his senses. You don't see character development like this in FFVII or FFVIII. I honestly did not care for Selphie, Zell, Irvine etc. FFVIII focused too much on the relationship between Squall and Rinoa and ignored all the other characters. Squall barely had any interaction with the other characters. Same with FFVII. Too much focus on Cloud, Tifa, and Aeries and not enough on the other characters. FFIX and Zidane were so underrated. I hope Zidane appears in the new Kingdom Hearts. He deserves it.
I'll defend the Stand By Me moment in FFXV til the day that I die. That opening scene itself subverted expectations in that most FFs started in media res, and here you are pushing a dead car with your grumbling friends over a gorgeous rendition of the theme song of one of the best coming-of-age/friendship movies ever made (not to take away from how classic the song is in and of itself, but it was clearly homage to the movie). I thought it couldn't have been more perfect and I had the biggest smile on during that whole scene that I've had since playing video games as a kid.
I feel like most of the bad feelings are because people are too used to the traditional FF convention and were too upset about the anticlimactic opening to realize how well done that was.
Well put!
A few weeks ago I listened to the FFVIII soundtrack again after several years and all the old emotions returned and nearly overwhelmed me. I thought to myself "That's how you know it was a good game and good, good music." Now you've done the same for me with FFIX. I'm going to be going back over the entire soundtrack tomorrow (it's late as I'm posting this). Thank you!
VIII has the best ost imo.
I have watched this video so many times, in its entirety, I genuinely can't count. But it must Must be over a hundred by now. It defines my love for Uematsu. This video itself is a love letter to his style and I tear up every time.
If the project our studio is working on (still a secret atm) has even half as much love for his style displayed through it's musical composition..I will die very happily.
Thank you so much for making this!
also reminds me of the scene in FFX when you get to Zanarkand for Yuna's sacrifice. But the music there you have been hearing almost all the time, only to see it get turned into it's own track. Because for that game this part of the journey was not a plot twist, but an expectation since the very beginning,
Come for Zidane, stay for Kuja then get surprised by Aeris. GREAT VIDEO and analysis you did there.
You're Not Alone is to this day my favorite track from the entire series next to many others, it's just perfect and you can feel how Zidane was feeling. :
I was 14 when I got to that part of the game and played through it just once. I'm 30 now, and "You're Not Alone" is seared into my memory.
I don't know how I was never subscribed to you before today... but that problem is officially rectified as of this moment.
You're Not Alone has brought tears to my eyes since the first time I heard it mere days after the game released so many years ago. Among the countless moments of inspiration, fear, loss, and triumph throughout the Final Fantasy franchise, few moments rival sharing in that feeling of disillusionment and hopelessness with Zidane and realizing how beloved he is by those who have chosen to support him, while reflecting on the people in your own life for whom the same might be said when you yourself are at your lowest.
This song is another testament to Uematsu's genius, and will remain on my personal list of "best video game tracks" for the remainder of my time in this world.
The same “song plays over battles” trick is used again (beautifully i might say) in FFX , when the party comes to Zanarkand and a large traumatic truth gets revealed to the Protagonist Tidus
What's better than the same emotional song doesn't replace the normal boss battle music? The same emotional song played for the entire frickin ruins! I still remember how somber the mood was during the entirety of Zanarkand ruins. I even feel A Fleeting Dream is more emotional than To Zanarkand. And To Zanarkand is somber enough. LoL
Excellent! Played this part when I was like 10-11. Always stuck with me. I’m 30 now. I remember humming this tune in school before I even knew what it was called....
That trick of keeping the scene music thru the battles... I immediately tought of Chrono Trigger and the Ocean Palace theme. Indeed is a simple but powerful trick when used in the right moments
Some excellent analysis here! Glad I came across this video. I didn't expect to leave with an even higher appreciation for 'You're Not Alone'!
FF IX is a colossal game, nuff said - i have the remaster for the pc which im probably gonna finish again
And you should, the remaster is better in ALMOST every aspect, it has some flaws that almost make me prefer the PS1 version.
In Final Fantasy X, when you're in the Zanarkand Ruins, the "Zanarkand Ruins" theme keeps playing during battles as well. It really helps drive home the point of just how tragic the location is, being the protagonist's ruined hometown after 10000 years or something like that.
Astounding breakdown on this piece of music. FF9 was the first "new" Final Fantasy game I played (I still have my Vivi pre-order plush next to my gaming PC), and this part of the game became my instant favorite of the series that nothing has come close to topping. It is truly a masterpiece from Uematsu's brilliant catalog.
Wow! That was truly an amazing insight. It really heightened the emotions to such great lengths of an already emotional scene. Subbed!
Wow! This is fantastic, Mathew. You make a very persuasive argument here.
I haven't fully completed any of the Final Fantasy games, but as a casual listener, I've always preferred the soundtrack of FFIX over all the others.
+James Covenant thanks so much, James! I'm grateful for your support. I do like your Mario 64 video and am looking forward to what you're working on next.
In two videos you've managed to cover three of my favorite games -- Bastion, Transistor, and my favorite Final Fantasy -- where music is as much a part of the story as any other aspect. In fact, this actually gave me new appreciation for You're Not Alone: as you've pointed out, it's tonally different than any other piece in the soundtrack.
This threw me at the time, but it took your video pointing out that it works on the player in the same way that [FF7 SPOILER] does -- it is meant to grow on the player as the scene progresses, giving them space to sort out their feelings against the context of what's happened onscreen.
Now I need to play through FF9 again, those clips brought tears to my eyes.
Personal favorite from each soundtrack so far:
Bastion - Spike In A Rail
Final Fantasy IX - Freya's Theme
(Transistor's a tough one -- I have a hard time thinking of that as anything other than a full album to be listened to end-to-end)
TL; DR: Thank you and keep up the good work. I liked, I subscribed, and I'll be sharing this.
Oh don't worry, when I was editing this video there was times when I had to stop and have a little cry because FFIX is just so moving.
Now the pressure's on me to make my third video to be your fourth favourite game! And thanks so much for the support, let me know where you share it. :)
I love the final fantasy XV stand by me (in no part cause i adore florence and the machine) but i see where you are coming from! You're not alone is beautiful!
Uematsu-sama is a master!
Final Fantasy IX is by far my most favourite Soundtrack ever made! It fits absolutely perfect to every single scene inside the game and is so incredibly memorable after finishing the game.
I am really proud to have an original "made in japan" copy of the original soundtrack, that is also signed by Uematsu-sama himself, and Arnie Roth.
Thank you for introducing me to leitmotif, I've been aware of it in Final Fantasy games (and games and media in general), I just didn't know that there's a specific word or concept behind that!
I can't agree with you more. 'You're Not Alone' was a powerful moment during the game. A total culmination of all the relationships that the characters had. It was a determined 'hell yeah!' and a tearful, emotional 'we've got this' it really moved me as a kid and worked so well.
...Huh. Back when I was in high school, shortly after experiencing this scene, I had a rough time for a while with bullies (In grade 10 I got lucky; my school was new at the time and since most of my bullies were jocks and therefore very sports oriented, they managed to get themselves transferred to the high school with a reputation for having a good sports program, but grade 9 was rough.) There were times that I just set You're Not Alone on loop and listened to it for hours.
It's over a decade ago now, and I still get choked up just thinking back to that time. I've never understood why You're Not Alone helped - certainly my conscious interpretation of that scene at the time wasn't exactly optimistic - indeed, at the time I kinda saw the track's name as being rather ironic. (I've was a depressed teenager, don't expect optimism or intelligence.)
I now understand what it did for me. Thank you. (And holy shit, I was not expecting it to hit me that hard.)
Oh and uh... ahem... you’re not alone.
Another great example of this - sustaining a musical theme through the scene's battle so as not to take you out of the emotional moment - though not via Uematsu, is the Bahamut fight in Bevelle Underground in FFX-2.
God i love this song, every time i hear this, i get tears
I think you should reconsider the impact Stand By Me over the logo had. When first starting the game I had the same impression, it felt hollow and shallow the way that Leona Lewis song did in FF XIII. However when you've completed the game and it wraps up with credits, photo's of the gang and the song, you have spent 80+ hours with these characters who prove to Noctis they will stand by him, it takes on a whole new meaning and honestly had me in tears.
I don't know if you've watched the video I posted yesterday, but in it I talk about how much I do like its use now!
loving your explorations of the greatest music of our age! uematsu is truly brilliant and your vids honor his work. subbed~
Ugh, I can't even listen to the video, because I get teary-eyed the second I hear You're Not Alone!
maybe it's just me, but i found when i was playing through this scene recently, that i was reading the dialog almost in time to the music. the bits where zidane would get angry, or lash out seemed to time to the long, lower notes, while his friends response came in around the same time as the plucky string sounds. correct me if i'm wrong, but this is one of the main scenes in the game where your walking pace in the overworld is altered, and the monster fights are at set spaces. i think it tries to deliberately keep that pace to match the emotional beats to the literal beats of the song.
I just first experienced the Zidane depression arc and his friends reminding him who he is. Brought a tear to my eye when I called out a heal from dagger lol
not kidding around now. somewhere on a trailer for Ff15 I was criticizing the use of "stand by me" being played in a Final Fantasy trailer. "next thing is they putting it into the actual game." and people were hooting me, shaming me, ridicule me. no way that would happen I should relax.
Tears almost came thanks to you excellent video and the beauty of this game. Thanks...
(PS: I remember litterally doing a face palm when seeing the logo of FF XV...)
To be, you're not alone has some similarities to the Oilvert song which is fitting since it brings home that Zidane is from another world.
This is a little off-topic, but after being just as confused as everyone else by the final final boss of the game at first, I actually came to appreciate it a lot after looking back years later.
You mentioned the game's themes in the video and you are not wrong, but I think one of the most major themes is actually that of life and death. It's been forever, so I might be misremembering some bits, but Queen Brahne turned evil after the death of her husband, Kuja and Zidane get existential crises after learning that they are artificial and "have no soul", just like the black mages that were created for warfare... The final battle with Kuja takes place at the beginning of creation, the source of all life, and Necron is summoned by his fear of death. Fear of death has been the catalyst of all the tragedies of the game's story. And I'd argue that this is true for real life as well. Much like Necron's silly Yoda reference says, all human cruelty comes from fear of being hurt, of losing out, of being left behind, of dying. And just as Necron says after the battle, as long as there is life, he will be there.
The final battle has you literally going to the source of all life and defying the personification of the source of all evil and suffering that has been at the core of the game's themes. And I think that's amazing, if perhaps a little downright avant-garde for the context.
I think you got the life and death thing right. Even the weird last boss of the game; even though its not Kuja, its name is synonymous with death. Kuja goes crazy after learning he will die and that Zidane is his replacement. It does make sense once you think about it. When Kuja casts Ultima for the last time, some people believe that your party actually does die and meeting Necron symbolizes that.
You might be onto something, since concept artwork for the Hills of Despair (Necron's battle arena) showed Hades in Necron's place, implying Hades was originally intended to be the final boss. And as any fan of Greek mythology would know, Hades is the Lord of the Dead, which I think works even better for the death theme.
The fourth disc of FF9 definitely feels like it had a lot of main story content removed or rewritten late in development, but some of the traces and themes are still there. I would really like to see what they had planned with Hades as the final boss, since his design also reflected the giant eye motif which had been constant throughout the game like with the Invincible and parts of Terra. Perhaps the giant eye was thematic in that its penetrating stare was like it was seeing parts of the characters they didn't want to be made known.
I figured that was the whole point of Necron as its name is basically "The Death", it appears after Kuja attempts to end life itself and all it's speeches rely that it's here to do just that. Its the only reasonable conclusion. I'm not trying to act all _"I am very smart"_ as I didn't even know IX meant 9 so I wasn't exactly a bright kid but I'm shocked so many were confused by Necron's presence.
Hades may have been a better choice design wise since Necron (oddly) isn't even tied with Terra's creepy face/mask designs but it's appearance continuing the theme of life/death didn't seem like that big of a leap to me at age 10.
Tbh, knowing ff xv and the fact it's a road trip between bros, stand by me at the begining with the logo while they are pushing a car makes sense. Not many know, but there is a movie called "stand by me", that is also a journey of self discovery between four young boys on a trip.
This for me is the strongest scene ever portrayed by a video game in ever. The gameplay, sound, graphics and dialogue worked so great together.
When you went to reference that residing battle theme factor i was expecting bombing mission, then the white materia came into view and my feels hit the roof...I've been a nobou fane since 7 released btw
Erutan did a beautiful vocal cover of You’re Not Alone, sung as Dagger addressing Zidane. I _highly_ recommend it.
When I first heard this song during playing the game I knew it was a very important moment just by the music alone. It was so different from all the other songs. I feel that every Final Fantasy game has "The Moment". A point where everything changes. The risks become greater, the choices more important, and the game grows into adulthood. Some Final Fantasy games even have several moments, I think.
What a great analysis about my favourite Final Fantasy game.
6:40 thanks!
there really was no need to mention what was happening in that scene and you did perfect.
Very nice video btw!
(I can't help but feel there's a IX comeback coming in the future, just wait for it)
Well rumors are pretty heavy now days for a Remake and an Animated series!! Your predictions might just be correct!! This game definitely deserves more and I believe the youth these days need a game (or at the very least a story) like FF9!!
@@thevangsta9892Haha yeah absolutely! I got the game when I was in elementary, It changed my perspective on the world and it's been my favorite game of all time ever since.
Nowadays I get to play with my kid and re-experience it through her eyes which is also very magical like playing for the first time 💜
I so, sk hope a remake gets to hit those exact right feelings. Otherwise, the classics will also be here for us to play 😁
@lolindirlink sounds like fun!! Hope your daughter enjoys the game as much as we do!! When I heard about the rumor of the Remake it made me go back to play the game and even got the Excalibur 2!! Definitely my favorite game of all time! Hope the remake lives up to the type of game FF9 is!! Of course if they use the new combat style they have for FF now days I'd enjoy it as long as the challenges story and characters stay true to the original!!
@@thevangsta9892 Yeah she loves the world of Gaia just as much as we do. The SeeD has been planted! It'll only grow haha. (SeeD because Final Fantasy 8 is next on our list!😅👍)
@lolindirlink that's awesome! I decided to play the series myself recently just finished FF1 currently working on FF7!! Figured if I'm gonna call myself a true fan of the series I'd better play them all lol!! The only Final Fantasys I've beaten up to this point were 9, 10, and 10-2 I beat those as a kid! I've played all the other ones just haven't beaten them yet!! Skipping the MMO ones like 11 and 14 but I'm replacing those with Mystic Quest and Type O!! Have to say 9 is still my favorite and I don't see that changing anytime soon!!
One of my favorite sequences from my favorite Final Fantasy.
I keep coming back to your videos because they are so good!! Great Job mate. Am i the only one watching in 2019?
i fucking love "youre not alone" it is by far one of my favorite tracks from any final fantasy game
The video I have been looking for my entire life. When I first heard You're not Alone it hit me in the face so hard I sat there mouth open. Me a 7 year old kid who has no idea of what good music is (safe of the music my mom loves which coincidentally also is what Uematsu was inspired by alot)
Possibly my favourite memory of playing this game.
Ah, I adore this song. Might be my favourite of the FF games I've played. Ironically I spent most of the car journeys in XV listening to this song on repeat.
I’ve never played a game where every track was a track I absolutely adored but what do you know! FFIX is that game. I’ve lingered so many times in different locations just to hear the music on loop (Lindblum especially), and the music in this game really does tug at my heartstrings.
By the way, the technique of playing the same track even during battles is so powerful. When they did it in FFX when they reached Zanarkand, it just felt like a punch in the gut.
Someone needs to play Shadow of the Colossus
I'm surprised you mentioned leitmotif and yet somehow didn't catch that You're Not Alone actually quotes Melodies of Life. That to me is what truly makes this piece, and Nobuo Uematsu, remarkable.
Could you elaborate?
norphan yeah I'm not sure i follow.
He's referring to certain sections of You're Not Alone incorporating fragments of the Melodies of Life motif/melody. An example of it would be around 20 seconds into the piece. You'll notice how it sounds like the beginning of that reoccurring theme.
You just had to take us back to that materia drop didn't you [sobbing loudly]
You're not alone give me fricking goosebumps every time!
IX was the first FF game I played. This game resonated with me so much, and continues to be my favorite of the series by far. The only other to come slightly close is VI.
I got into FF relatively late in life, and this was the first piece of FF music I ever heard and loved. Some older friends with more nerd cred than me had made a goofy Flash movie about ninjas, and You Are Not Alone was a prominent part of the soundtrack, along with Green Bird. It was at that point that I pretty much had to check out Final Fantasy (and Cowboy Bebop).
Final fantasy has such an amazing legacy to live up to.
How are you so good at laying out exactly why some songs work better than others? This is a perfect example of how (for me) The modern final fantasy games are just a bit thin compared to the older ones. Loved the video.
Spoilers for XV
I have to say, stand by me has more to do than just lead us into the game. It sets up the undertones of the 4 man band and brings us back to this in the end when it plays again, and leads into the flashback to the final campsite. Playing it over the silly car push scene is worth a amil3 and helps the game start off on a light note. But playing it again at the end, as the photos of your journey flash by, brings you back through the game as if you were the 5th member of the gang, right there with them. If it had been a one and done song, it wouldn't be worth mentioning, and maybe it's just me and my emotional investment, but I think having it repeat at the end as you reminisce through the credits is brilliant.
It was and I think the YTer may have not completed FF15 or forgotten the depth of the end in respect to the song. I do understand his point but I disagree and you nailed the reason.
I still think it sucks tho
Completely agree! I honestly really like the opening of FFXV, its simple but i think get the point across. When the song played again at the end I started crying
I'm so happy you did this one! 'You're not Alone' is my favorite song in the whole series - it's a powerful song for a powerful scene. Gah, IX was so good!
Thank God that they brought this game to PS4.
This was the first time in my life that any videogame made me cry
Electric guitars are heard all the time in FFIX, a guitar features prominently in the battle theme, that's probably the most heard piece of music in the game and then there's the airship theme too at the very least. But "You're Not Alone" is incredible, when I had it on my Iphone 3GS it was my most listened to track. I think the reason it's so powerful is because it plays non stop throughout battles and cutscene alike. It's a powerful scene with a wonderful track. It actually reminds me of how a moment close to the end of FFVIII was handled, during the time compression and fight with all the sorceresses you hear this amazingly haunting music that only plays at this one time and then the battle track plays non-stop while you fight sorceresses from throughout time, it really helps set the mood.
I think "Stand by Me" works just as well though, but it is used differently by book ending the game. It works in a similar way to how you describe the leitmotifs use.
Oh and Zidane is pronounced Zid Anne not Zid ayne.
final fantasy hasn't been the same since uematsu left
Molten_ when did he leave?
The man knows music and what he is meant to create. Not something many composers can do.
Final Fantasy XV's ending did indeed brake me, so it did its job. Though FF IX's music score is effing incredible so I agree with you
Just found your channel. Love this! Also watched your video on Fisherman's Horizon, honestly tempting me to try the whole TH-cam thing!
Do it!
You are a criminally underrated YT channel. Music may as well be rocket science as far as I'm concerned, but you clearly and entertaining-ly(?) Explained a lot. And HEY the necron theme was good!
Thank you! 😊 And Necton's battle is incredible, no doubt. I was just questioning its existence as a character.
@@GameScoreFanfare have you done a thing on Seymour's final battle from ff10? I feel like that would fit your whole theme here.
I haven't, but I have just started a series going through Final Fantasy game-by-game, so we will get there eventually! I am very excited for the episode on X, even though it's probably at least a year away, hahaha.
@@GameScoreFanfare I look forward to the ff10 one, obviously. Cheers, dude!
@@GameScoreFanfare and best of luck, btw
"... an earlier moment from another Final Fantasy game."
Me: Huh? What's he going on about---
6:45 Aaaaaaugh...
I'm not quite through the game yet but I've listened to the soundtrack- I always assumed this was a credits song it sounded so different. The whole soundtrack is incredible though. I look forward to hearing this in-game
You're not alone is by far my most favorite song of any Final Fantasy game to date.
Masterful analysis. Wonderful video.
Man, this song called _You're Not Alone_ sure is exceptional. One of a kind really.
Kuja's theme song was the most epic thing i've ever heard in a video game.
That scene is the reason why ff9 is probably my favourite game of all time
I really hated it when Stand By Me was announced as FFXV’s theme song! While it was composed beautifully and Florence’s vocals were amazing it just felt so... lazy. Like yes, let’s remix this classic song with lyrics mildly relating to our game and add a FF flare to it! And get a kinda famous singer to sing it! Its so mindless... Like c’mon guys... you can do better than that.
All this time I thought it was just a song they used for the commercials, not that it was actually XV's theme song and was remixed specifically for it. Wow....I just....wow ಠ__ಠ
I don't know that I ever actually thought of it as the game's theme song, personally. Not over Somnus, for sure, though FF's have a weird habit of picking theme songs that don't seem especially central to the game when you're playing them over ones that do. I honestly forget it's even in there all the time, especially when it has such an incredible score otherwise.
But seriously Somnus feels 100% more like the game's theme song to me.
Lee G. You are not alone!!!
I hate when regular songs make it into videogames' soundtracks, unless the game itself is literally generic zombie slaying coop or something.
Part of the magic of videogames for me is them having their own soundtracks, with their own style and flare. If I want to listen to normal songs I will. If I want to listen to videogame music, I will play a videogame (or look up the soundtrack on youtube). Final Fantasy in particular is a series where I've loved pretty much every soundtrack. Hearing 15's Stand By Me was just lame.
Oh c’mon!
But trust me, I'm the worst bastard here
Excellent video
+Adam Porter thanks!
Nice videos, you got a new subscriber!
I hope you're able to keep it up because this is seriously great content
Thanks Lorenzo! I hope I'm able to keep it up too, I've loved making it.
Oh my lord can I feel your salt over Stand By Me. Don't worry, I share your opinion. Just about every other voiced song like it has occurred in either a meaningful point in the story or during the end scene or credits so having it open the game was kind of a failure. Now Somnus being the main menu theme and then returning in its fully voiced glory when you return to Insomnia? *Oh my God the feels.* That was done right.
This was a great breakdown, I only just found your videos and I love your analysis of the soundtracks.
Thank you FFXV for introducing me to Florence and the Machine
ACH! Another favorite of mine! You're absolutely my favorite new youtube channel :)
+Jay Dietrich You're too nice! AND you have great taste!
In my opinion the most subtil theme in FF9 is EIko's one because "Melodies of Life" which represents Garnet is hidden in it ( very simple to find if you follow the bass line ) and that shows the bound between the princess and Eiko way before you learn about her story .
I wish this scene was better written. Well, actually it was (dialogue wise other than Zidane)... but it wasn't given any time to sink in. Zidane's 5 second character crisis and subsequent 5 second "return to form" just felt rushed and it gave me the impression they added it just for the sake of it, rather than yet another deepening of the characters. If it had had more screentime it would've felt way more natural and way more powerful.
And that's where the soundtrack comes in. "You're not alone" absolutely carried this sequence. Even if it felt kinds rushed and lame, it's still one of my favourite parts of the whole game, that is because the music was so good and also because of Steiner (my favourite character). Those 2 saved this minuscule arc and turned it into a blast to watch/play.
Would be really interesting to hear you talk about Don't Speak Her Name from Fire Emblem: Awakening. To be fair though I'm not sure if that section is as incredible as it is just because of the quality of that track, might be a better thing to just talk about from all around game design. Now that I'm thinking about it stuff like Eternal Bond, The Black Night's Theme, or A Grasping Truth in Path of Radiance and/or Radiant Dawn may be more interesting from a pure music perspective (now I'm just a rambling Fire Emblem fan who wants to hear everyone talk about Fire Emblem lol).
They don't make them like FFIX anymore. One of my favorite games
How does such a well made video have so few views after several months?