Music to Level Up Your Day: Xenoblade Chronicles

March 09, 2022

I don't know much about musical theory, nor am I a musically inclined person. However, I do love to listen to video game soundtracks. Who doesn't? They can be a powerful listening experience in their own right, or be as evocative as the scores composed for film. Each of these posts will feature music tracks from a single game title, or series/franchise in some rare cases.

Composer: Manami Kiyota, Yoko Shimomura, Yasunori Mitsuda, and ACE+

Singer: Sarah Àlainn

North American Release Date: June 2010

Xenoblade Chronicles takes place on the bodies of two warring titans, the Bionis and the Mechonis. The organic lifeforms (humans) that call the Bionis home are in a perpetual war with the Mechon (machine race) of the Mechonis. Key to the humans efforts in fighting against the Mechon army is the "Monado", a sword that is said to have been wielded by the Bionis. During an attack on his colony, the protagonist Shulk discovers his ability to wield the Monado and sets out on a quest to avenge his friend who died in the attack.

Kiyota handled environmental tracks, while ACE+ was in charge of battle tracks and other musical pieces. The team's main goal was to create music that went beyond the typical sound of RPGs. The music team was led by Shimomura, who got to use instruments, such as electric guitars, that were not normally used in her other projects. Takahashi (writer) was deeply involved, constantly rejecting early pieces for not fitting the game, saying the samples he had given the team had been followed too faithfully.

I have included a mix of original and remastered tracks based off of my personal preferences, and included a link to the other version if available.

Main Theme | (Main Menu Theme - Original) | Never Remastered