The Ys Series Music FAQ

[koa]

First off, I do hope this is the correct section to post this in. This one seemed the most appropriate so I gave it a shot. x)

This was the project I was referring to in my welcome topic. I plan on writing up a full-fledged FAQ that will essentially be the one-stop reference guide for anything related to Ys music.


This is no small feat however and it's only complicated by the fact that there has been like eleventy billion remakes and ports to numerous consoles.

Basically what I'm trying to compile in this FAQ is every track listing from every release from every Ys game. This seems quite necessary to me as even remakes and ports seem to have altered soundtracks and that's quite fascinating to me.

I'm basically posting this topic here to get some starting info before I take that "First Step Towards Wars"

For the sake of sanity, let us focus on only the first 2 games for now, as they seem to be the most confusing.


Then we shall move on to the other games in the series once we tackle the Books I & II hurdle.

Many thanks in advance for anyone wishing to help. Wish me luck!

After posting a similar topic on GFaqs, a user sent me this list of what appears to be every release of the first two games, including compilations:

PC-88 (6/21/87 - 4/22/88)
X1 (6/26/87 - 6/24/88)
PC-98 (8/28/87 - 6/24/88)
FM-7/77 (10/8/87 - 7/8/88)
MSX (12/10/87 - 7/15/88)
Famicom/NES (08/26/88 - 5/25/89)
Sega Master System (10/15/88) [I only]
X68000 (7/19/91) [I only]
PC Engine/Turbo Duo [I-II] (12/21/89)
Saturn (11/6/97 - 10/29/98)
Windows (4/24/98 - 7/6/00)
Windows [I-II] (6/28/01))
PS2 [I-II] (8/7/03)
DS (3/20/08 - I-II released individually on the same date)
Mobile (Many versions. If you want I can come up with all the mobile phone variants and release dates but I can't vouch for all their music content.)

Ys II also has a Korean-developed version made in 1994. Fun info here:
http://www.digitalsloth.net/Ys/library/ys2special.php

Since I'm an Ys newbie, (And have only played the NES and DS ports myself) I've no way of knowing if this list is complete so any revisions are always welcome.

To my knowledge, the NES versions have switched around some songs and this opens the possibility that many other ports have as well.

If anyone has extensively played any of these versions and knows a thing or two about the songs within, please share! This is a massive undertaking and I welcome any and all help.

Also, do not think I'm only focusing on the first two games. The FAQ will cover the whole series, I'm only focusing on the first two for now as they seem like the worst offenders.

[Justin]

Don't really know too much in depth info, but Ill point you here:

legacyofys.classicgaming.gamespy.com/music.html

Its a great resource for all things Ys music, and a polite email to the site holder may net you some better info.

[Gillian Seed]

Here and here too.

[Red Hairdo]

Man, that will be a lot of hard work for you. But I'll help you with what I can.

That list sent to you is indeed incomplete, there are some more versions.

===========================

Ys I:
- MS-DOS (named "Ancient Land of Ys", released only in the US)
- Apple2gs (same as above)
- NES
- PC-8801 (and a demo version of that one exists too)
- PC-9801
- X-1
- FM-7
- FM-77
- FM-77AV
- Sega Master System
- DS
- PS2 (with Ys II)
- Windows (Ys ETERNAL)
- Windows (Ys I-II COMPLETE, has Ys II too)
- X68000
- PC Engine CD (with Ys II)
- MSX2
- Sega Saturn (game's name is "Falcom Classics", which also has Xanadu and Dragon Slayer)
- Mobile/Cellphone (there're more than one Ys I for those. There's also an Ys I for it that was released in NA, but I don't know if it was released only there or if it is a localized JPN game)


Ys I for MSX2 has another song for the Rasteene Mine (forgot name). And it's another song that plays in the game "intro" instead of "Feena" (named "Full of Love"?). For Darm Tower II, which was even used in Ys I-II COMPLETE, and probably Ys ETERNAL too, which was called... I don't remember... "Tension"?

Ys I for Sega Master System has a hidden tune that is actually an "Asteka II" music (game also known as "Tombs & Treasure" in NA for NES). It seems there's a way for Reah/Lair play it instead of "Feena" when you return the Silver Harmonica to her. I have no idea how that song is called.

Ys I for Sega Master System has two kinds of soundtracks: one with simple chip tunes and another with FM audio or something. Apparently, only the japanese version can enable that FM soundtrack.

Originally, Ys I for PC-8801 (the first Ys game ever) was supposed to have MUCH more songs than it did. There are about 20 tunes that were composed for the game that were not used. These can be heard from this very game's original soundtrack CD. And some of these unused music were used in Ys I-II COMPLETE and both ETERNALs (well, not sure about Ys ETERNAL actually, but probably also).

Ys I for X68000 has two totally exclusive songs never found ever before in any Ys game. Two songs that even aren't part of that list of unused Ys songs.

Ys II ETERNAL and Ys II in Ys I-II COMPLETE are the very same game, including the STs. But Ys ETERNAL and Ys I in Ys I-II COMPLETE have different STs.

Ys II ETERNAL and Ys I-II COMPLETE have two different soundtracks, which you can choose when you're playing. I don't know if the same applies to Ys ETERNAL.

Even though the PS2 version is a port of Ys I-II COMPLETE, the ST is different. (And there's only one ST.)

Ys Book I & II for PC Engine CD is the only version that uses the "Theme of Adol" music, one of the unused songs from the original Ys I.

Don't forget there's an Ys anime! Ys I was divided into 7 OVA episodes, and Ys II in 4. OST CDs of it were released too.


The board founder, "FM-77", has told me most of these things, he taught me a lot of stuff about the series. So most of the credits goes to him.
And he could say even more things than I did.
Also I think I forgot some other detaisl, in which I'll post later if I remember them.

And I'll talk about Ys II later. xD

[koa]

Thank you guys for the help thus far. I was originally gonna try to emulate all the versions of Ys released and gander at the soundtracks themselves, but that would take waaaay too long.

OK, so I've decided to use the "Music of Ys" CD as a base for the rest of the songs for the Ys I games. Since this was the soundtrack used for the very first release, it should be simple to add or subtract from it for future releases. Now I have not played the very first release and it seems significantly different from the NES port so I'm not sure which songs are the unused tracks that were apparently used in later games; so if you guys could point out which ones were unused that'd be swell.

1. Theme of Adoru
2. Dead-End Street
3. Sub-Mission
4. Open your Heart
5. Devil's Step
6. Tension
7. In the Memory
8. Fly with me
9. Feena
10. Fountain of Love
11. The Merchant
12. Tears of Slyph
13. First Step Towards Wars
14. Palace
15. Holders of Power
16. Palace of Destruction
17. Beat of the Terror
18. Tower of the Shadow of Death
19. Last Moment of the Dark
20. Final Battle
21. Rest in Peace
22. The Morning Grow
23. See You Again
24. Devil's Wind
25. Fair Wind
26. Shining Star
27. Dreaming
28. Chase of Shadow
29. Church
30. Overdrive
31. Departure
32. Crossroad of Sadness
33. Battleground
34. Mysterious Moment
Arrange1. Feena
Arrange2. First Step Towards Wars
Arrange3. Beat of the Terror
Arrange4. Tower of the Shadow of Death/The Last Moment of the Dark
Arrange5. See You Again

I can kinda place where some of these were used, but as a whole I'm largely unaware of where they played so that info would be neat as well.

Yeah, after I get books I & II straightened out and finish the rest of the series, I was planning on moving on to the OVA and Arranged Releases. But that's getting far too ahead of ourselves, eh?

[Copyrighted Name]

Mar 3, 2009 13:25:22 GMT -5 koa said:

Thank you guys for the help thus far. I was originally gonna try to emulate all the versions of Ys released and gander at the soundtracks themselves, but that would take waaaay too long.

I've been on the internet like crazy and have found maybe half of all the versions out there, so that's smart.

OK, so I've decided to use the "Music of Ys" CD as a base for the rest of the songs for the Ys I games. Since this was the soundtrack used for the very first release, it should be simple to add or subtract from it for future releases. Now I have not played the very first release and it seems significantly different from the NES port so I'm not sure which songs are the unused tracks that were apparently used in later games; so if you guys could point out which ones were unused that'd be swell.

1. Theme of Adoru
2. Dead-End Street
3. Sub-Mission
4. Open your Heart
5. Devil's Step
6. Tension
7. In the Memory
8. Fly with me
9. Feena
10. Fountain of Love
11. The Merchant
12. Tears of Slyph
13. First Step Towards Wars
14. Palace
15. Holders of Power
16. Palace of Destruction
17. Beat of the Terror
18. Tower of the Shadow of Death
19. Last Moment of the Dark
20. Final Battle
21. Rest in Peace
22. The Morning Grow
23. See You Again
24. Devil's Wind
25. Fair Wind
26. Shining Star
27. Dreaming
28. Chase of Shadow
29. Church
30. Overdrive
31. Departure
32. Crossroad of Sadness
33. Battleground
34. Mysterious Moment
Arrange1. Feena
Arrange2. First Step Towards Wars
Arrange3. Beat of the Terror
Arrange4. Tower of the Shadow of Death/The Last Moment of the Dark
Arrange5. See You Again

I can kinda place where some of these were used, but as a whole I'm largely unaware of where they played so that info would be neat as well.

Yeah, after I get books I & II straightened out and finish the rest of the series, I was planning on moving on to the OVA and Arranged Releases. But that's getting far too ahead of ourselves, eh?

Okay, let's see:

Tracks 1-3 and 25-34 are unused tracks, and 4-8 were used in the MSX 2, X1, and FM-7/77 versions. Everything in between is from the original game.

[Red Hairdo]

The NES version is actually bizarre. The world map and the items... they are totally different from every versions! xD

Actually... the NES and DS versions of Ys I are the most different ones. xD Followed by the X68000 and the COMPLETE/ETERNAL releases.


...
As for identifying the musics by the name and where each one is used, I could do that, but that's waaaaay too much work. xD Actually I would do it, but my free time isn't that big right now.

[koa]

Ok, so 4-8 were exclusive to those versions only then? (Not counting later remakes because I know some newer versions include those as well)

Alright, so now my Ys I OST looks like this. I've included where the songs played to the best of my knowledge so they might not be spot on:


ORIGNIAL OST
1. Feena - Title Screen
2. Fountain of Love - Town Theme
3. The Merchant - Shop Theme
4. Tears of Slyph - Use when you enter Sarah's shop after she's killed I think??
5. First Step Towards Wars - Main Overworld Theme
6. Palace - Initial floors of the Palace
7. Holders of Power - Boss Theme
8. Palace of Destruction - Exploring further floors of the Palace
9. Beat of the Terror - Mine
10. Tower of the Shadow of Death - Darm Tower main theme
11. Last Moment of the Dark - Used for the floor where you fight Dark Fact, also used for his speech
12. Final Battle - Dark Fact boss fight
13. Rest in Peace - Used after you win the fight against Dark Fact I think
14. The Morning Grow - Ending Sequence after you read all the books
15. See You Again - Credit Roll
16. Devil's Wind - Used in the corridor that drains your life. Stops wen pillar is smashed.

MSX 2, X1, FM-7/77 EXCLUSIVE
1. Open Your Heart
2. Devil's Step
3. Tension
4. In the Memory
5. Fly With Me

UNUSED
1. Theme of Adoru
2. Dead-End Street
3. Sub-Mission
4. Fair Wind
5. Shining Star
6. Dreaming
7. Chase of Shadow
8. Church
9. Overdrive
10. Departure
11. Crossroad of Sadness
12. Battleground
13. Mysterious Moment


Well it looks like that's one down, a hundred thousand to go.

Would anyone perhaps know if any of these games have built-in soundtests that you can access via codes or naturally? I can see that being a big help too.


EDIT: I know the NES version is bizarre, but it's the only reference I have, haha. Plus it has the best Final Boss theme I think.

The DS version is load different-er I think. Guess I shoulda been raised old-school like you peeps.

[Copyrighted Name]

Mar 3, 2009 14:19:11 GMT -5 koa said:

4. Tears of Slyph - Use when you enter Sarah's shop after she's killed I think??

Just plain when you enter her shop. Also for the Zeptic Village Houses.

9. Beat of the Terror - I forgot where this was used, haha

The Abandoned Mine (shudder, that place is annoying).

MSX 2, X1, FM-7/77 EXCLUSIVE
1. Open Your Heart
2. Devil's Step
3. Tension
4. In the Memory
5. Fly With Me

To be more presice, they replace tunes from the original game. To wit:
Open Your Heart replaces Feena.
Devil's Step replaces Beat of the Terror.
Tension replaces Tower of the Shadow of Death.
In the Memory replaces The Morning Grow.
And Fly With Me replaces See You Again.

[koa]

Thanks CN, you're quite a help.

Can anyone who's familiar with any other version of Ys I, especially some of the more obscure ports like the DOS and Apple II vouch for if the tunes stay the same? I'm going to be emulating the Master System version here shortly. My only means of emulation seem to be on whatever the PSP is capable of emulating.

(I stumbled across a Let's Play version of Ys on the DOS, and oh my god my ears are still bleeding)

Apparently I can emulate the PC Engine and MSX and such so I can knock those off my list, eh? I'll make a checklist of what I'm able to play on my own and keep you guys in the loop.

EDIT: Well nevermind, I guess the PCE-CD is different than the PCE. :/

[Red Hairdo]

MS-DOS and Apple2gs versions are like the regular versions; it doesn't use the "alternative" songs, but the regular ones.

And don't forget the X68000 version: it has 2 songs you won't see anywhere, including that OST you're using for the music references in Ys I.
I know there's a topic somewhere in the board it is explained who composed these two songs, and maybe their names.