“The Northern Eye” and “Escort” also ensure periodic reinforcements of the main theme during the game, the former one of the most epic cinematic tracks of all and the latter adding to the weight of an enduring mission.Īlthough Nakanishi is by far the major contributor to the soundtrack, the other composers make their influence known in the game. Later on, “Tango Line” makes traversing through canyons all the more fun with its ethnic tuned percussion work and temperamental orchestration. Of the more upbeat tracks, “Comona” is the closest the soundtrack comes to a straight-out rock jam with Nakanishi’s electric guitar improvisation juxtaposed with energetic strings. The aquatic scenery is also complemented by a lot of the electronic backing work and a quiet string-led interlude before the loop. “Invincible Fleet” reflects the pressure of conducting a mission under a time limit with several layers of development following the atmospheric introduction, the theme gathers energy by building upon an unresolved string motifs to explosive results around the 2:30 mark. In “Imminent Threat”, plenty of tension is created during the mission to take down enemy bombers through the contrasts of formidable brass leads and the occasional semi-playful marimba motif. This section usually coincides with getting to the centre of the action in the game so the characteristically long development works spectacularly in context too.Īlthough most of Nakanishi’s mission themes are built on the same elements as “Sitting Duck”, there is a lot of variation in the way the forces are used to complement the game. Nonetheless, the composition still sounds fully fledged overall thanks to the introduction of an extended electric guitar solo and more punctuated accompaniment from the 1:37 mark. Although a good composition, many will find the orchestration lacking compared to the epics of Ace Combat 5 the forces sound synthesized despite the high quality mixing and they are thinly supported by atmospheric drum kit beats and electronic frills. He subsequently lets the theme take centre stage once more with interplay between a solo trumpet and a string section on the first stage theme “Sitting Duck”. Tetsukazu Nakanishi reinforces the main theme with several of the electro-acoustic hangar themes, “Gateway” and “Stardust”, that appear throughout the soundtrack. The rest of the theme is instrumental, but hints further at the content of the score with the string-based rendition of its main theme and the use of militaristic percussion parts. The opening lyrics “I have so far to go” establish the concept of facing war while exposing a motif featuring in the ending vocal theme. But before looking at that, let’s get started… Bodyĭespite its brevity, “Shattered Skies” is an effective title theme for the game. While maintaining the flavour of a Hollywood spectacle, they packed it with plenty of diversity too, including plenty of rock influences, electronic undertones, and even a vocal closer. While returnees Tetsukazu Nakanishi and Hiroshi Okubo crafted much of the soundtrack, new composer Keiki Kobayashi made the most defining contributions. The resultant soundtrack was ideal for both representing the WWII-influenced storyline and the intense combat scenes. Though it featured many changes from its predecessor, one of its most significant and influential was the score, which focused more on orchestral epics than futuristic electronica.
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#ITUNES STORE ACE COMBAT 4 SOUNDTRACK SERIES#
Ace Combat 4 -Shattered Skies- Original SoundtrackĪce Combat 04: Shattered Skies was the most successful game in the flight simulation series both commercially and critically.