Worse still, the frantic and dissonant themes for QuickMan (“Time Limit”) and MagneticMan (“Magnetic Airplane”) will be instant turnoffs for many listeners they certainly fit the enemies they portray, but are so overbearing that most stand-alone listeners and game players won’t tolerate them. “Smoky Field”, “A Serious Mission”, and “Fear in the Castle” are decent compositions, but on the lower end of the Mega Man stage theme rankings. The stage themes for Mega Man Battle Network 2 are also somewhat disappointing.
These tracks were generally used in minor circumstances in the game, but prove quite troublesome additions to the soundtrack release. However, others are fast-looping, repetitive tracks such as “Alley”, “Underground Prison”, “Secret Manoeuvres”, or “At the Edge of Sorrow”. “Okuden Dani”, “Begin a Journey”, and “Country Town Scenery” prove excellent ‘strolling tunes’ thanks to their catchy melodies and NES RPG influences. There’s also tonnes of new RPG-like tunes that embellish the game’s overworld. Retreads such as “Hometown” and “Proof of Bravery” blend the original game’s chiptune melodies with techno beats befitting the series setting. The three battle tracks are better than average Mega Man fare, each suitably blending tense rhythm elements with motivating melodic elements to different degrees, while the ending theme is an inspired piano-laced remix of the main theme.įor the sequel, Yoshino Aoki stayed faithful to her contemporary’s overall approach while developing upon it in a number of ways. These tracks bring plenty of variety to the gameplay, but will have relatively niche stand-alone appeal given their relatively bland melodies and approaches. Between these highlights, there’s also the discordant “Red or Blue”, tense “Cold and Silent”, and the surprisingly plodding final stage theme “Void”. By contrast, the electronic fusions “Electrical Crisis” and “Boundless Network” reflect the game’s futuristic setting whereas the former is a pulsating action track befitting ElecMan’s stage, the latter is filled with transcendent ambient synthpads. Among the stage themes, long-time fan favourite “Fire Field” captures the image of FireMan with a suitably edgy composition blending rock-spirited melodies typical of the series with more irregular phrasing and beat-heavy sections during the development. The melodic chiptune influence continues with the free-spirited “Hometown”, frivolous “School”, and more reflective “Moment of Fate”, which are used during the RPG-like sequences in the game’s overworld. Rather than use the Game Boy Advance’s feeble sound chip to imitate acoustic instruments, Kaida harnesses it to create a pleasant chiptune sound that somehow fits with the game’s retrofuturistic visuals. Even the synthesis here is reminiscent of the NES titles. While the track could have been a pale imitation, Kaida ensures the melody is an unforgettable one and fills it with the free spirit of MegaMan.EXE. Akari Kaida generally follows the approach of the Mega Man titles for the NES: three musical voices, a simple binary form, and a strong melodic focus.
The title theme for Mega Man Battle Network sets the scene for what to expect for the rest of the sound box. The first two discs of the soundtrack replicate the content of the series’ first album release. This six-disc box set compiles the soundtracks for all six main games in the series, as well as four other titles, in an expensive collector’s item. Between 20, Capcom released some six main games of the series on the Game Boy Advance, as well as several spinoffs and ports. Each main game in the series featured between 30 to 45 minutes of chiptune music principally written by series’ veterans Akari Kaida ( Mega Man & Bass), Yoshino Aoki ( Mega Man Star Force), and Toshihiko Horiyama ( Mega Man 7).
The gameplay of the series shifted away from the action platforming roots of the Mega Man franchise in favour of a curious blend of RPG, action, and adventure elements. The Mega Man Battle Network series takes place in a parallel universe to the Mega Man series in which networking technology advanced over robotics. Mega Man Battle Network Sound Box (Rockman EXE Sound Box)
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