Terra the magical half-human. Shadow the mysterious assassin. Celes the
tough, tender general. Kefka the fool who would be god. Each of the many
unforgettable characters in Final Fantasy VI has made a huge impression
on a generation of players, but why do we feel such affection for these
16-bit heroes and villains as so many others fade? The credit goes to
the game's score, composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. Armed with
newly translated interviews and an expert ear for sound, writer and
musician Sebastian Deken conducts a critical analysis of the musical
structures of FF6, the game that pushed the Super Nintendo's sound
capabilities to their absolute limits and launched Uematsu's reputation
as the "Beethoven of video game music." Deken ventures deep into the
game's lush soundscape--from its expertly crafted leitmotifs to its
unforgettable opera sequence--exploring the soundtrack's lasting
influence and how it helped clear space for game music on classical
stages around the world.