Ys II - Ice Ridge of Noltia

Ys II was developed by Nihon Falcom and released for the PC-8801 and PC-9801 on June 24th, 1988 - almost exactly one year after YS I, which the game directly extends. Its soundtrack was composed by Yuzo Koshiro. The games were combined into a single 1990 remake for the PC Engine CD-ROM, with the soundtrack having numerable rearrangements done by Ryo Yonemitsu for the enhanced sound capabilities of the system, and it is this version on which this arrangement is based.

I've done a fair amount of listening to arrangements of YS's tracks, in no small part because the original is so great, but to my ears very few come close to Ryo Yonemitsu's treatment of them. Yonemitsu's tracks consistently integrate a sense of urgency into these "dungeon" tracks that I think really benefits the overall mood-setting the games extol - the game really wants you to know you're in a rush. This particular track isn't my pick for the *most* urgent, but it is really enjoyable and I'm surrounded by ice still, so we're starting here. Hopefully in the future I'll get a chance to do a few more of my favourites from these games.

#AaronBueckert #Ys #Brass
Check out my other socials!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronbueckert
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/concernedsheep