Waaaaaaail
Secret of Mana series composer Hiroki Kikuta took to Reddit this week to let fans ask anything in an effort to better connect with overseas fans.
That haunting wail you hear in “Fear of the Heavens” in Secret of Mana? Kikuta says that is a whale. Here’s why the wail was used:
The beginning of the game shows the mana tree and the calm surrounded the landscape and this track tries to build on that calm. Much like the mana tree stands tall over everything on land, whales are also one of the biggest animals of the seas and towers over everything in the water. So I thought it was right to make the song of whales a proper representation of the mana tree. I wanted the song of whales to be almost like a crying voice for the undying mana tree.
Woah.
Here are some other quick facts from the AMA:
- “The Fariy Child” is Kikuta’s favorite track from Secret of Mana
- Namco’s Tower of Druaga is a favorite soundtrack
- “Prophecy” was composed in 15 minutes
- Software sequencer Cubase was use to make Secret of Mana; Logic was used for Secret of Mana 3
- Kikuta is getting into chiptune music recently!
As for what the popular composer is up to now, Kikuta’s indie work Pulse Pico Pulse is out now, available on iTunes and Amazon. You can listen to a preview on YouTube. I’m playing Atelier Escha and Logy for review for Destructoid. Kikuta did work on the score, including the avant title track sung by Haruka Shimotsuki.
Fellow fans of game music and/or the Secret of Mana series should definitely check out Kikuta’s AMA.
