Nobuo Uematsu hasn’t composed much for games in the last few years. I mean, he’s still done far more than I’ll ever be able to do in my entire life in that time, but we’ve been seeing, and hearing, less of him. From what I understand,he’s been sick for a while nowand, understandably, has more important things to focus on. In fact, unfortunately, he just announced thatFantasian Neo Dimensionwill be his last game.
And then,fortunately, it turned out this was a bit of a translation error and he’s only stepping back a bit anddoesn’t plan on making full game soundtracks anymore. He wants to focus on his own music, but we’re not done hearing him in games entirely. Which is great. I almost had a heart attack because Nobuo Uematsu meansthatmuch to me.
Also, as a side note, Fantasian was an amazing game on Apple Arcade and I’m glad his music here is going to get a bigger audience with the release of the new, expanded version. Like all of his music, I’ll probably find every version and cover of that soundtrack I can and listen to it again. Hopefully, he does keep making video game music like he said - even if it’s just one banger that dominates the entire album. Yes, I do own many Nobuo Uematsu albums on both CD and vinyl. Yes, I do plan on buying whatever he makes next.
When I say Nobuo Uematsu means a lot to me, I mean he meansa lotto me. I was far from a cool child. Or teen. Or adult. While other kids my age in the ‘90s and early ‘00s were listening to bubblegum rap and pop music like normal people, I was listening to video game soundtracks. I’m not saying “I liked video game music before it was cool.” I’m saying “I liked video game music when it was explicitlynotcool.” I imported earlySquare Enixsoundtracks back when it was just Square and Enix was their greatest rival. When I didn’t have any money - because I was a child - I downloaded the soundtracks in MIDI format and, like, five or six formats that just don’t exist anymore. The sound quality was awful. I loved them.
Nobuo Uematsu Composed My Life, Not Just Final Fantasy
I’m not kidding when I say that Nobuo Uematsu composed the soundtrack of my adolescence. Well, him and Weird Al, which I probably didn’t even have to say for you to guess that. Those two combined to be - oh - 75 percent of the music I listened to while I was alone. The other 25 percent was probably Takashi Tateishi’s Mega Man music. I absorbed plenty of ‘regular’ music from friends and school and car trips, but on my own, Nobuo Uematsu was, and pretty much still is, my emotional god. That’s what I put on when I needed to think or feel or shut out the world.
To me, UematsuisFinal Fantasy. More than chocobos or moogles or Cid or Square Enix panicking as they try to figure out how to make money again. I recognize that it’s been a long time since Nobuo Uematsu was the sole or even primary composer of the series, but I also recognize that when I learned he wasn’t composing Final Fantasy 10 by himself, I was literally furious. Of course, that soundtrack is great, don’t get me wrong, but highschool me was outraged at the very idea of him not doing it all himself. I almost didn’t play the game at all, which is ridiculous. I don’t know why, but it felt wrong when he wasn’t at the helm.
I’m sure I would’ve loved Final Fantasy no matter what, but can you imagine the series without the originalvictory fanfare? What about theOpening Theme from the first Final Fantasythat also goes by a ton of different names in every other game? Honestly, arechocobos even chocobos without their theme? And, cards on the table, I’m gonna be listening toOne Winged Angeluntil the day I die. Uematsu’s music alone didn’t make those games magic, but boy howdy, did it help cast the spell for me.
Uematsu Could Do Everything Except Get Me A Girlfriend
When I had a crush in middle school, I (somewhat foolishly) put together a mixtape of Final Fantasy music for them. Actually, that’s wrong. I did that tomultiplecrushes throughout middle school, never learning the lesson but definitely loving the songs. They drew the emotions out of me more than any other musician did - outside of Weird Al who, as we’ve discussed, is just the best. And not to get too serious, but when one of my best friends died, I walked around for hours that night listening to the Uematsu music we both loved. Those songs are just as important to me now as they were when I was a kid.
And it’s not just the hits. Every battle theme in every game - even Final Fantasy Legend - got me pumped. I’ve listened toBattle on the Big Bridgebefore job interviews. I can’t stress enough how much Nobuo Uematsu’s music tied into my life and, I’m assuming, a lot of people’s. Yes, I know this isn’t the ‘90s anymore. Uematsu has finally received the mainstream credit he deserves. And, of course, it was the perfect storm of creative talent in games like Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger (which he didn’t compose alone, but that’s not an FF game, so it gets a pass) that made them legendary, not just the music. But, honey, the musichelped.
If Fantasian Neo Dimension was to be his last game - as we feared - at least it would’ve been a banger. You’ll like the music. You’ll like the game. But fortunately, Uematsu isn’t hanging it up yet. For once a translation error turned out to be good news. And I pray that his health allows him to continue making music, whether in a game or - and this is wild - just a regular album. Because it’s either keep making music or having to sit still and hear fooks like me endlessly thanking him for everything he’s done. I’m glad he’s become famous. I’m glad he’s seen his effect on the world. And I’m definitely glad he’s not retiring like we thought. And, on a smaller note, I’m glad I don’t have to import soundtracks anymore. Usually.
