Music of Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version
Soundtrack album by Nobuo Uematsu
Released	July 15, 1991 November 26, 1994 (re-release) October 1, 2004 (re-release)
Length	54:24
Label	Square Co./NTT Publishing NTT Publishing (re-release)

Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version is a soundtrack album of video game music from Final Fantasy III. The album contains the musical tracks from the game, composed by Nobuo Uematsu. It spans 44 tracks and covers a duration of 54:24. It was released on July 15, 1991, by Square and NTT Publishing. Final Fantasy III has been described as the game in which Uematsu's musical style "began to take a more definite form". Many of the tracks in the soundtrack use "cascading rhythms" in both the foreground and background sounds, as well as a bass rhythm, pushing the limited sound hardware of the Nintendo Entertainment System further than in Final Fantasy II.[1][2]

The tunes range in style, including "jazzy" and "new age", and in tempo from slow, somber pieces to more upbeat rhythms. Including the smaller pieces not included in the original soundtrack, Final Fantasy III contained twice as many pieces as the soundtrack to Final Fantasy II.[3] The original release bears the catalog number N23D-002. It was re-released on November 26, 1994 and again on October 1, 2004 by NTT Publishing under the catalog numbers PSCN-5013 and NTCP-5013, respectively.[1]

Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version sold over 5,300 copies, and was well received by critics.[4] Ben Schweitzer of RPGFan felt that it was "one of the strongest soundtracks" of any NES game, a sentiment that Patrick Gann of RPGFan agreed with. Gann further declared the main theme "Eternal Wind" to "quite possibly be the best world map music" in a video game.[1] Jon Turner of Soundtrack Central felt that, although the sound limitations of the album detracted it in the eyes of many listeners, the album was still well worth the purchase.[5] Dave of Square Enix Music Online, however, disagreed, feeling that, although it was "charming", it was "one of the weaker Final Fantasy albums".[2]

Final Fantasy III Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu (ファイナルファンタジーIII 悠久の風伝説, Fainaru Fantajī Surī Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu, lit. Final Fantasy III Legend of the Eternal Wind) is an arranged album containing a selection of vocal and arranged musical tracks from the game interspersed with English narration of a story similar to Final Fantasy III. The songs were performed by Nobuo Uematsu and sung by Dido, a duo composed of Michiaki Kato and Shizuru Ohtaka. The tunes have been described as being in the Romantic music style, with a slow feeling to them. The seven tracks of the album span several genres, including orchestral tracks, tribal themes, and vocal tracks, and cover a duration of 52:32.[6][7] The album was first released on May 25, 1990 by Data M and subsequently re-released on March 25, 1994 by Polystar. The original release bears the catalog number PSCX-1005, and the re-release bears the catalog number PSCR-5252.[6]

Final Fantasy III Yuukyuu no Kaze Densetsu sold over 32,000 copies, and was received positively by critics, with Patrick Gann declaring that it was worth "searching long and hard" for the album.[4][6] Ben Martin, Jason Strohmaier, and Aaron Lau of Soundtrack Central all agreed, finding the songs to be varied and interesting, though each added that the narration seriously detracted from the album.[8] Dave of Square Enix Music Online also found the narration to be a flaw of the album, but termed it overall to be "a great effort from Nobuo Uematsu".[7]

Final Fantasy III Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack released for the remake of Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS. The album contains the original tracks from the game rearranged by Tsuyoshi Sekito and Keiji Kawamori for the DS system, as well as two remixes, one from The Black Mages and the other by Yasuhiro Yamanaka, the synth operator for the soundtrack. The album also included a DVD containing the opening full motion video sequence of the game, a promotional video, and an interview with the game's staff. It was released on September 20, 2006 by Square Enix and bears the catalog numbers SQEX-10076~7. The soundtrack disc contains 61 tracks and covers a duration of 70:56, while the DVD's three tracks have a length of 28:24.[9]

Final Fantasy III Original Soundtrack sold over 17,800 copies.[10] It received mixed reviews from critics, with Patrick Gann declaring that "even if you own the original Famicom version's soundtrack, there is plenty of reason to own this soundtrack alongside it",[9] while Richard of Square Enix Music Online found it to be a "passable" album, but "mostly forgettable".[3]

Track listing

The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from Final Fantasy video games into a rock music style, have arranged two pieces from Final Fantasy III. These are "The Rocking Grounds" from the album The Skies Above, published in 2004, and "KURAYAMINOKUMO", a remix of "The Final Struggle", from Darkness and Starlight, published in 2008.[11][12] Lyrical versions of "The Boundless Ocean" and "Elia, the Maiden of Water", sung by Risa Ohki, appeared on Final Fantasy: Pray, a compilation album produced by Square.[13] Additionally, lyrical versions of "Eternal Wind" and "Cute Little Tozas", sung by Risa Ohki and Ikuko Noguchi, appeared on Final Fantasy: Love Will Grow.[14]

The music of Final Fantasy III has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 music from FINAL FANTASY, a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the game.[15] Additionally, "Elia, the Water Maiden" was performed as part of a medley by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for the Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy concert tour,[16] while "Eternal Wind" and "Cute Little Tozas" were performed in a medley by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series.[17] The Black Mages performed "The Final Battle" at the Extra: Hyper Game Music Event 2007 concert in Tokyo on July 7, 2007.[18] Independent but officially licensed releases of Final Fantasy III music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music.[19] Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites.[20]

• Nobuo Uematsu's official website
• Square Enix's official music store