ReMix:Secret of Mana "Blue Wolves and Ice" 3:36

By Kylok, Bree

Arranging the music of one song...

"A Wish..."

Primary Game: Secret of Mana (Square , 1993, SNES), music by Hiroki Kikuta

Posted 2018-08-14, evaluated by Gario


Kylok (Kyle Okaly) debuted on OCR with his standalone Secret of Mana ReMix, and then made a huge impact soon after on Secret of Mana: Resonance of the Pure Land with some truly unique & vivid blends of instrumentation; he again collaborates with Bree on this icy piece that marries bells with vox, trumpet, strings, & saxophone:

"One of my strongest memories of playing Secret of Mana as a kid was wandering around a snowy forest slaughtering wolves and listening to "A Wish" repeat in the background forever. I wasn't doing it on a whim for fun -- I remember being stuck on some boss or dungeon and needing a lot more experience before trying again... but this music turned a potentially frustrating and/or boring grinding experience into something that felt much more peaceful and relaxing. (Pretty impressive, because... you know... slaughtering wolves... "peaceful and relaxing"...)

After working on this remix for a bit, I realized I was falling into the trap of repeating the same thing over and over again with only minor variations... after all, that's sort of why the original works so well: it kind of hypnotizes you with its repeating patterns and ethereal vibe. I was trying to make each of these repetitions interesting and different, but ultimately I decided to break out of the pattern about halfway through the piece and create some new melodies using fragments of the original. I think this brings the track to some cool new places."

While perhaps not as hypnotizing due to more development & evolution (good things!), this is just as mesmerizing, and really captures a certain frozen, suspended environment quite vividly. Album director Jorito says it well:

"So peaceful, enchanting, and reminiscent of crystals, ice, and cold, "A Wish..." is the perfect texture for Ice Country. Kylok turns it into a more fantasy-like atmosphere, but it's still just as peaceful and enchanting as the original. The sense of wonder only increases once the arrangement progresses into its middle part, lending a triumphant but also introspective and reflective quality. Excellent storytelling by Kylok, now go and enjoy the journey!"

Agreed; the latter bits give way to broader, grander strokes that reach out and resound, contrasting nicely with the more intimate introduction. Gario writes simply:

""Blue Wolves and Ice" is a delicate arrangement of a delicate source, making light use of chamber orchestra and voice to add a new dimension to it. Great stuff, right here."

No arguments here; I love Kyle's pairings of timbre & texture; I think I mentioned before how they fondly remind me of the soundtrack to the X anime motion picture, which I dug. The combination of soundtrack & orchestral components, solo and ensemble instruments, and part-writing that draws from other genres results in some striking landscapes. It's one thing to set the stage so well, and it's another thing entirely to then tell a compelling story on it, but he does an excellent job there too, as the piece transforms quite a bit for its relatively brief duration. Superb work; Kyle really ended up helping define the sound of Resonance, making it a more unique & transfixing experience than it would otherwise have been, and this mix powerfully illustrates that effect.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 3 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
DimeTower
on 2018-09-25 02:11:14

The handling of sound in this remix is phenomenal. And I really mean it - this was critical to nail the overall feel of the piece, and as someone who also has not just memories, but my literal favorite memory of the game being spending time in the Ice Forest with this song (and those wolves' XP!), I had extremely high hopes for this effort. It did not disappoint.

Bonus props for maintaining the original feel and providing an evolved form that still doesn't totally lose that magical, shimmery reflectiveness of the original. What a beautiful walk through the woods.

avatar
lemnlime
on 2018-08-16 11:11:15

Can't believe how gorgeous this sounds. Nice work

avatar
Liontamer
on 2018-08-14 11:46:57

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Secret of Mana (Square , 1993, SNES)
Music by Hiroki Kikuta
Songs:
"A Wish..."

Tags (12)


Genre:
Cinematic,Classical
Mood:
Chill,Mellow
Instrumentation:
Bells,Orchestral,Saxophone,Singing,Strings,Trumpet,Vocals: Female
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
Secret_of_Mana_Blue_Wolves_and_Ice_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,044,555 bytes
MD5:
f68704a1a6ba72ee777d02a5262da0ce
Bitrate:
220Kbps
Duration:
3:36

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes