News ► Nomura confirms Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito are working on Kingdom Hearts 3 Soundtrack

[ImVentus]

This is a good start with news for march. I'm happy that he's back for KH3.

 

[Grono]

I'm happy to hear this! This is a monumental project, and Yoko will definitely need collaborators to get it all out in good quality.

As much as I love her, this isn't a project for one composer to do. Trust me, one time I did a project where I scored 7 minutes of film music and it still took me 11 hours to do this. Worst yet, that was me rushing the project and I still could have done a lot better. Yoko will need all of the time and help she can get.

 

[DarkosOverlord]

More songs, and especially a focus for boss music? Good to hear, at least it's somewhat confirmation of them considering many bosses for the game.
Wasn't as assured as it might've seemed.

I never heard dislike for the track before so I'm a little surprised hearing this. I think it's a fun track.

Well, I'm the last person to analyze music myself, lacking proper background AND good hearing for this kind of stuff, but this is what I've been gathering. People usually put this specific track as a "cause for concern" to this new piece of information we just got.
Apparently they think it's a bit too "whimsical dreamy" and carnival fun.

 

[Sign]

Well, I'm the last person to analyze music myself, lacking proper background AND good hearing for this kind of stuff, but this is what I've been gathering. People usually put this specific track as a "cause for concern" to this new piece of information we just got.
Apparently they think it's a bit too "whimsical dreamy" and carnival fun.

Pretty much what I've seen. A lot of criticism against Sekito has been for the style of his 3D songs rather than the actual composition? But that's just what they chose to go with; it's not like he's only capable of that genre.

Honestly, everyone talking as though Ishimoto and Sekito are amateurs and might ruin the soundtrack are pissing me off lol

 

[Recon]

I swear it wasn't, lol. I honestly just didn't know who these two were at all... Listening to the tracks attributed to them in the first post, I like Sekito's work.

When I read the opening post, I knew it didn't say anything about Shimomura not returning or anything, but the first thought that entered my head was, "Don't tell me they actually got Utada on board for the final game in this saga and then lost Yoko."

I know she was on board, but I was under the impression your comment was looking for an update on her contributions. I know as hell I am, her work is too damn good.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Ishimoto’s best work from Crisis Core and Type-0 is some of the best game music I’ve ever heard and fits very well with Shimomura. And his entire library of TWEWY music is what put him on the map for many people.

Ah, so does that mean tracks like "The beginning of the end" and "Vermilion Fire" are also from his library?

Those rival "Fate of the unknown" from the KH2 FM secret ending in terms of epicness.

 

[Sora2016]

Yeah I am happy about this, but also expected it to be case as it has been for the past few games. People complaining about their work in DDD is strange as I think the whimsical feel was for the Dream Eaters, not like they just really wanted to change the direction of the boss music lol. They aren't my favorite boss themes either, but they definitely capture the feeling they wanted to go with, I think.

More music tracks than ever makes my mind race lol, I dunno why I didn't consider it before, but is it possible areas of worlds have different overworld and battle themes? Like Olympus in KH2. The only world we have seen so far that I can't see a distinct change in scenery is Monster's Inc. But I know there is more to that world, too. So I could see that happening.

 

[robotman]

It's cool that they're at the point where they are picking music for the big battles (major boss battles). If they can top the music in KH1 finale against Ansem or even the poignant yet epic music for the final battle in KH2 against Xemnas, we're in for something special!

 

[UltimaXOmega]

I'd love songs similar to "What Becomes of Us?" and "The Price of Freedom". Does anybody know what songs they made in BBS and 3D?

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I'd love songs similar to "What Becomes of Us?" and "The Price of Freedom". Does anybody know what songs they made in BBS and 3D?

We have a handful of tracks listed in the first post.

 

[Carnagewake]

This was great news, especially after hearing Takeharu was going freelance. I'm sure he'll still be involved in Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts going forward.

 

[alexis.anagram]

I've been pretty indifferent to their contributions up until now, with Vanitas' set of themes being the only real standout between them in my opinion (that Orchestra arrangement is a beast, though). Their tracks are very obviously not!Shimomura when they pop up, which isn't altogether a bad thing, but I hope they're being selective about how and where they're being applied so that the soundtrack still flows. BbS struggles to sound musically cohesive, and DDD is just all over the place.

 

[saad]

sadly, i'm not a fan of the both. there is something about the melodies that yoko do, they simply can't replicate!
i wish the whole album was done by yoko+kaoru+ the guy who done FFxv based on yoko observations.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I've been pretty indifferent to their contributions up until now, with Vanitas' set of themes being the only real standout between them in my opinion (that Orchestra arrangement is a beast, though). Their tracks are very obviously not!Shimomura when they pop up, which isn't altogether a bad thing, but I hope they're being selective about how and where they're being applied so that the soundtrack still flows. BbS struggles to sound musically cohesive, and DDD is just all over the place.

I found that Ishimoto’s stuff in KH3D was his weakest but I have a feeling that his work was a rush job. Sekito has some good and some average tracks. Overall I think a lot of what made KH3D so inconsistent was the fact they used this game to try and experiment with so many things.

sadly, i'm not a fan of the both. there is something about the melodies that yoko do, they simply can't replicate!
i wish the whole album was done by yoko+kaoru+ the guy who done FFxv based on yoko observations.

Kaoru Wada is great at rearranging tracks for Kingdom Hearts but his own style is vastly different from Shimomura’s. And as much of a legend Wada is, I find that his style is much more suited for television and films because of how he makes his music flow with the story. With the way games break up story and gameplay, you can’t get the same kind of musical flow in them.

The person who worked on XV’s music with Shimomura? He also merely rearranged her tracks or created his own. His own music was distinctive imo and you could easily tell when it wasn’t a Shimomura piece despite the album crediting her. It’s why XV’s OST is so forgettable outside of Shimomura’s pieces.

I agree Sekito and Ishimoto cannot replicate Shimomura at all, but they don’t try to. They aren’t supposed to, either.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

I found that Ishimoto’s stuff in KH3D was his weakest but I have a feeling that his work was a rush job. Sekito has some good and some average tracks. Overall I think a lot of what made KH3D so inconsistent was the fact they used this game to try and experiment with so many things.

Speaking of experimentation, wasn't Epic Mickey the hot topic from 2010 - 2013 for Disney games? people often compared it to Kingdom Hearts because both games displayed Disney characters in a darker light. Matter of fact, listen to these two tracks side by side and tell me that there wasn't some sort of Epic Mickey influence with the trumpets in Dream Drop Distance?

[video=youtube;VeZDP0o__I4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeZDP0o__I4[/video]

[video=youtube;D0LoeILDSv4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0LoeILDSv4[/video]

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Speaking of experimentation, wasn't Epic Mickey the hot topic from 2010 - 2013 for Disney games? people often compared it to Kingdom Hearts because both games displayed Disney characters in a darker light. Matter of fact, listen to these two tracks side by side and tell me that there wasn't some sort of Epic Mickey influence with the trumpets in Dream Drop Distance?

[video=youtube;VeZDP0o__I4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeZDP0o__I4[/video]

[video=youtube;D0LoeILDSv4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0LoeILDSv4[/video]

I don’t think it was inspired by Epic Mickey as much as both were inspired by the music found at the Disney Theme Parks.

 

[alexis.anagram]

I found that Ishimoto’s stuff in KH3D was his weakest but I have a feeling that his work was a rush job. Sekito has some good and some average tracks. Overall I think a lot of what made KH3D so inconsistent was the fact they used this game to try and experiment with so many things.

I agree, and don't get me wrong DDD has some great individual tracks including some of Shimomura's best work, but on the whole it just feels like as much of a rush job as the rest of the game it's strained for clarity.

I view KH as belonging as much to Shimomura as it does to Nomura so it's really their complementary visions for the game which I'm interested in. As long as all of the elements fit into that nicely, I'll go with it.

 

[DarkGrey Heroine]

Enter the Darkness, Unbreakable Chains, Enter the Void, they all are masterpieces to be honest, Vanitas has such a strong musical representation in the series, in my opinion truly at a main-character-level. Aqua’s theme is a “strong” distinct entry, Roxas’s theme is another strong distinct entry, and Vanitas’s themes are on the same outstanding level. To this day I still wonder how Ishimoto got to compose –specifically– the themes for Vanitas. Aren’t his other KH tracks mostly field/battle themes, or minigame tracks?

Maybe this was a gift sent from the heavens for all Vanitas fans after all lol

And just to mention, if we will get anything techno/electro/sciency from Ishimoto in KH3, I’ll be on cloud nine. I am soooooo into his TWEWY soundtrack (aren’t we all), and I loved his tracks for The Grid in DDD, I found them by far a lot better than KH2 Space Paranoid’s themes (I still think electronic tunes should be given to someone else than Shimomura, she is a genius of classical compositions, even when adding some modern sounds to it like in some FFXV tracks, but for completely digital/computer-ish worlds, it’s just not gonna be the best thing. That’s why choosing Naoshi Mizuta for Episode Prompto was a blessing and delivered excellent music that fits the blonde technophile’s DLC).

Black Powder still gives me chills and reminds me of a terrifying moment to battle through, when I first experienced it. I find it absolutely perfect for that battle to the point that I can hear Xehanort’s in-battle lines when the track plays ;;;; the rest of Seiko’s tracks fit certain parts of the game very naturally and I appreciate that

It’s understandable that composers of past soundtracks reunite for KH3, as this game is the actual final big deal, at least for this saga

 

[believe-it-ornot]

And just to mention, if we will get anything techno/electro/sciency from Ishimoto in KH3, I’ll be on cloud nine. I am soooooo into his TWEWY soundtrack (aren’t we all), and I loved his tracks for The Grid in DDD, I found them by far a lot better than KH2 Space Paranoid’s themes (I still think electronic tunes should be given to someone else than Shimomura, she is a genius of classical compositions, even when adding some modern sounds to it like in some FFXV tracks, but for completely digital/computer-ish worlds, it’s just not gonna be the best thing.

I'm pretty confident Ishimoto will be lending his talents to the San Fransokyo world themes (and if Wreck it Ralph makes its way in there). I'm sure it'll all sound fantastic.

 

[Qiesamuel]

I don't like this news since I'm not a fan of Ishimoto and Sekito.

Also, I hope Shimomura don't rush the OST of KH 3 because she only got like 2 years to work on it after FF XV released in November 2016.