Xenogears Creid may be the perfect translation of Yasumori Mitsuda's style of music. He has never been one for grand orchestral scores. Instead, he gives his music a sound you might hear performed by a small quintet or a traditional band. The music translates impressively to the Celtic sound produced by the types of instruments used for the arrangements. The music is deeper and more powerful than many of the collections that feature entire orchestras.
Along with the great instrumentation is the vocals added. These vocals are often the main focus of the music, but also add depth as if they were just another instrument. The songs Two Wings, Stairs of Light, Spring Lullaby, and Mebius, are examples of the beautiful vocals pushing the music. Anyone familiar with the Xenogears and its music will recognize the strains of music such as The Wounded Shall Advance Into the Light created wonderfully with its choral sound. What really gives this collection its sound is the use of several types of wind and string instruments. The winds are used to give songs a calming, airy feel like Balto, while the strings are used to give the songs an energetic feel like Dajil and Lahan.
Several of the songs have undergone some changes from the Xenogears OST. Lahan (My Village Is Number One) and Dajil are a lot faster and contain much more energy. Balto (Bonds of Sea and Stars) is still a beautiful as ever, maybe even better with the added percussion. This collection's namesake, Creid (The Wounded Shall Advance Into the Light) is simply amazing. Creid is more powerful and emotional than ever with the added instrumentation.
There are many arranged collections out there, but few improved as much on the original as Xenogears Creid has. The Xenogears OST was great by itsself, but these arragements take what was a great game soundtrack and turns them into some of the most beautiful works ever made. in the realm of arranged game soundtracks, few can touch the beauty that is Xenogears Creid.
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