ReMix:Metroid II: Return of Samus "Anthem of a Metroid Hunter" 4:44

By Big Giant Circles

Arranging the music of 2 songs...

"Ending", "Escape"

Primary Game: Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo , 1992, GB), music by Ryoji Yoshitomi

Posted 2004-12-26, evaluated by djpretzel


I trust everyone had a happy Xmas/Festivus/non-denominational embrace of consumerism and got everything they wished for (and, to a lesser extent, gave that for which was wished)... the Internet access at my holiday location cut out Saturday morning, so I was unable to do any sort of seasonal posting of mixes or what not; Verizon said it was a borked DSL modem, and who am I to question their wisdom. At any rate, I'm back home now, with an assortment of much-needed clothes, LOTR:ROTK EE, a bigass bar of Toblerone chocolate, and various other sundries. Gag gifts included a bottle of "BOD" body wash, simply because my sisters and I share a common appreciation of the unintended hilarity of their commercials, and from my father a talking Jar-Jar Binks "Tickle-Me Elmo"-style doll he found for a buck fifty at the Salvation Army. Truly inspired. I get a large number of emails, mostly positive, about OCR, but this Christmas message from S. Blue I thought was worth sharing, as sometimes such comments don't make it specifically to the judges' ears:

"I just wanted to take the time to email you and say that I truly appreciate what you've created here over at OCRemix. The music scene has come to a decline in quality as of late, and to be quite honest it's hard to find something new and remotely interesting (not to take away credit for things I've not heard yet, of course...). I love the fact that you've not only presented a forum where artists are free to post and receive reviews on the very music they create, you've also presented them with the challenge of making the music truly original. To you and your panel of judges, I give you all a great deal of thanks."

So, this holiday season, give the judges panel some of that holiday spirit and support, and don't be hatin' - be lovin'. Or at least likin'. Though not particularly Xmassy, the latest, second submission from Big Giant Circles delivers on the promise of the ReMixer's initial submission with some great Metroid 2 electronica fanfare. As a melody-addict, this is an especially appealing mix for me, as it has some "power motifs" that get in your head, which the ReMixer does a great job of elaborating on. The entire, well-constructed intro, complete with ambient effects and swirling, cross-panned synth patterns, is but an extended lead-in (for me at least) to the first incarnation of the tres-heroic theme at 1'46" - love the snare patterns immediately preceding, and the general feeling of warm-fuzziness you get when the main melody finally does drop. Filter break at 2'30" where you can really hear how successfully acoustic drums have been integrated with an overall electronic feel, and then BGC brings in orchestral elements - it was varied enough already, and this just adds to the fun with its seamless integration of a broadened tonal palette. The ReMixer writes:

"I did my best to make this piece as "epic" and "grandioso" as I possibly could--and what better way to portray an intergalactically renowned girl who has just conquered a planet that spawned some of the most deadly and mysterious creatures ever devised? I chose the title "Anthem of a Metroid Hunter" for this reason, and when I think of the word Anthem, this is the feeling I have. A hero.

I did my best to mix several elements in this arrangement, including style, sound effects, rhythm, and instrumentation. The song jumps around from ambient, to "electronica", to rock, to symphonic, but IMO manages to maintain the epic/grand feel I mentioned above. I did my best to keep the arrangement such that even knowing the source tune, one could not predict EXACTLY which direction the tune was heading, but still maintained the imagery of a persevering heroine, who has faced impossible odds and prevailed.

Concerning the sound effects, particularly at the end, I thought I should comment. Despite recent games *cough*Metroid Prime*cough* where Samus merely rips off her helmet like a ski mask, the sounds I threw in are always how I personally imagined the way it might sound when Samus was removing her suit. Lets face it. She can survive in the vacuum of space, so it MUST be pressurized, at the very least...

And the "ka-clank" is where I pictured her dropping it on the floor after an exhausting day of single-handedly conquering a planet, much in the same way we might drop our book bag on the floor of our room after a hard day of classes/work/etc. I've also discovered that the sounds could work either to portray how she removes her helmet, OR her arm cannon. So take your pick."

Great explanation there from Jimmy; this mix is really well put-together, never gets boring, and has the feeling of being effortless but at the same time refined. In other words, it's very natural, enjoyable, etc. but not because it's overly obvious, simplified, or derivative. Some of the percussion work especially is very detailed and layered, with multiple kits each being used to their respective strenghts. Jimmy's done due diligence to this theme with a mix that's got a little something for everyone and is very celebratory. Excellent, invigorating work.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
Marmiduke
on 2011-11-04 01:46:02

A strange Metroid song, that's for sure. Definitely a stark contrast to the dark, subterranean mood electronica the series is reknowned for.

Overall, the mix is pretty solid stuff. It's got a poppy vibe that's well married to the retro-tinged synths, and there's much appreciated depth to the backing tracks. The arrangement itself failed to grab my attention all that much, but it's got that nicely implemented, methodical intro that sets up the melody to come. While that melody is very centric, varied and apparent... I personally think it lacks the punch needed to carry the full mix. A firmer presentation of that main melody would have improved the entire package.

Regardless, this is sweet. Light, soft and airy doesn't come to mind when thinking about Metroid soundtracks, but the mix does it well enough. Somedays, you just need triumphant end credits music to pull you through.

avatar
Polo
on 2010-04-15 19:47:14

There was a gap that needed to be bridged between the last two songs in the game, and bgc pulled it off seamlessly. The bulk of the mix, as djp says, is very celebratory: the percussive flourishes are like flags "waving" their right to celebrate, the lead at 1:46 joyously declares a toast, and the violin adds a sensitive touch like a female singer invigorating the hearts of men. It's also cool how the pistons/hammers, air compression, and other machine-based sounds capture the "atmosphere" of outer space (i.e. being surrounded by tech facilitating space exploration). And through it all, I see a scantily clad huntress smoothly chillin' after a hard day's alien massacre.

This satisfies on many levels. See you next mission!

avatar
halc
on 2009-12-02 15:46:21

This one seems to come up fairly often when I listen to OCR's on shuffle. Plenty of signature BGC synths and drum processing - always an enjoyable listen :-D

avatar
Pachi Risu
on 2009-11-10 23:29:39

That was quite the listen, definitely a decent upbeat ReMix. Keep 'em coming.

avatar
OA
on 2009-11-10 17:51:47

Good stuff, peppy and chippy, and some good vintage BGC- Strange that this track was made years before I ever started to want to mix myself. :o

Anyways, the beats are hot, the atmosphere is there, and though i think the intro went a little long, there was a lot of care put into the little details that really make a mix awesome.

Good stuff, and interesting to hear where Jimmy Jam has come from 5 years ago. :D

avatar
WesternZypher
on 2008-12-07 19:13:13

Boppy and upbeat. Me likes.

avatar
Audity
on 2006-11-25 20:05:04

So I just went to go clean the toilet seat, and I heard something inside the toilet. It was none other than the beginning of this ReMix! I swear I heard it! So I ran over to the internet in order to review the whole song, due to me literally hearing what sounded like the beginning.

This mix is quite versitile. The introduction is very drawn out, yet pretty appropriate in how the left ear sounds during it, mainly.

When the melody comes in at 1:10, however, I feel a bit of melodyitus, in that the melody doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the intro (which sounds more game-boy metroid-like). I know purists of the original like the post above have a completely opposite look (wait, I just looked at his post again and he also said 1:10 didn't fit), but as for me, I've never played this part of the game, so it sounds more like the ending to a Mario game. The softness of this section is well-anticipated, but the start of the "Mario melody" doesn't fit.

The rest, I don't really know what to say except that it never gets boring, unless you don't like the genre of the whole piece, which is very one-genre-ish due to the sample sets. Fun.

avatar
philomory
on 2005-07-31 17:14:24

The ending theme of Metroid II is one of my all-time favorite themes. Like Ham On Rye I have a save on my cart at the very end so I can go beat it to hear the end music; I used to press my game boy up against my ear to hear it better.

Let me say that this remix is very good. But, because of how much I love the original, I can't help but hold a very high standard for what a remix of it should be. So I have a criticism.

Basically I don't feel the remix was opened properly. Anthem spends 1'09 covering what was, in the original, an 0'08 lead in. That's not necessarily a problem, but for someone who's familiar with the original it builds up a lot of anticipation.

My problem with Anthem comes at 1'10, when the anticipation built up over the past minute just falls flat. In the original, after the opening bit the theme comes in immediately with a sort of energetic fanfare-ish sound. In the remix, however, there's this sort of winding-down noise, after which the theme fades in, becoming recognizable a few seconds later. I found it to be a big let down.

The bit from 4'19 to 4'25 shares the same problem, but not nearly as much, because the theme is picked up again that time.

Other than that the only complaint I can make is that at some points it felt like the melody was too soft relative to the beat.

Now, I'm not trying to say that that ruins the remix. That would be a gross overstatement. In fact, from 1'18 to 4'18 the remix is very, very good. But it took a long time to shake the feeling that something was missing.

avatar
Ham On Rye
on 2005-01-27 15:35:34

I love this remix. So much I had to register just so I could post how much I love it. I used to keep a save game of Metroid II on the pak at the very end of the game just so I could go in, beat the last boss and listen to this music over and over again. I'm hardly an expert critic but I liked how the instruments kept that game boy sound.

avatar
Random Fox Thought
on 2005-01-22 13:32:53

I really like this one. Nice soft melody without any real sudden jolts which send you out of relaxation, while keeping it entertaining and catchy.

Really creative when someone can make such a great remix from a gameboy title (I love gameboy themes, but to make an in-depth remix like this from one it takes a lot of talent). Good job.

avatar
jorgandar
on 2005-01-14 04:32:46

mine too =D

avatar
Coucou
on 2005-01-11 11:31:03

Some of the things I like in this mix:

- so good sounds design, especially for the lead

- filter use from 1'10 to 1'29

- wha-wha filter fx @2'30

- the drums rolls which are very reallistic (but sometimes a bit loud, fox example @2'26)

- the bass glide @2'34

- the end with the various arp.

Conclusion: this mix enters my favorite ORC mixes collection.

avatar
Kadosho
on 2005-01-06 10:01:25

Metroid II

This was one of the lost gems in the GB collection.

Plus it was an alright game too.

It may not have been like its older sister, but it really felt like another level of Metroid for a different system.

+====+

BGC's cover "Anthem of a Bounty Hunter"

Nicely done piece, it also reflects the end credits theme too. After the missions done, she can relax.

Its also laidback, but in a cool progressive way.

Great job BGC! 8)

avatar
wingd
on 2005-01-01 18:44:42

This is actually a Mix I requested once and I think it's LONG overdue. This mix is beyond awesome and I couldn't believe someone finally did it. So well done. This has always been one of my favorite game end themes. Gave my goosebumps. Great job, Big Giant Circles.

(Can't wait to listen to this puppy on my iPod)

avatar
BladeForever
on 2004-12-31 18:06:23

You use FL Studio? Honestly, what is your full opinion on that program compared to others?

Sources Arranged (2 Songs)


Primary Game:
Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo , 1992, GB)
Music by Ryoji Yoshitomi
Songs:
"Ending"
"Escape"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electronic,Strings,Synth,Woodwinds
Additional:

File Information


Name:
Metroid_2_Anthem_of_a_Metroid_Hunter_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,762,904 bytes
MD5:
aefcd7545480903aeb1986da37abb144
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:44

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes