Recommended (Figurative) Soundtracks: What Etrian Odyssey Nexus’ OST Could Have Been

This Tuesday’s release of Etrian Odyssey Nexus for 3DS will mark the end of one era for the franchise, for understandable reasons, something Atlus clarified when it was revealed and released in Japan as Etrian Odyssey X. The games relied on the dual screened format of the DS and 3DS more than many others, with the top screen focused on exploration, character dialogue (shown through hand-drawn portraits), and assorted information, and the touchscreen used for drawing maps and writing down notes while venturing through the labyrinthine dungeons. The 3DS will likely be the last dual screened platform from Nintendo, meaning these features can’t be retained for future installments.

It doesn’t help that the 3DS itself is possibly nearing the end of its life, given Nintendo’s recent effort to downsize sales expectations for software at the end of the year. It’s possible software sales are falling alongside it, meaning it wouldn’t be wise for Atlus to develop and release another installment on the system. They wanted to give the franchise as it existed a fitting commemorative spinoff by making a game that retains several elements from previous titles.

Notice that “several” isn’t a synonym for “all,” as one key element wasn’t retained for EOX/Nexus: The option of an FM soundtrack. The EO games are homages to difficult dungeon crawlers from the PC-8800 and 16-bit eras, which included FM synth soundtracks that sounded authentically like video game music from the aforementioned systems in the late 80s and early 90s. The soundtracks are composed by Yuzo Koshiro, who’s intimately familiar with music tracks of the era after composing for games like the Streets of Rage trilogy and the earliest Ys titles for Falcom, among several others.

The first three EO games utilized this style of music, but Koshiro switched to an orchestral synth style for Etrian Odyssey IV. Etrian Odyssey V received an FM option as paid DLC after its release, but this sadly wasn’t retained for EOX/Nexus for unknown reasons. It’s also too late for the option to arrive as DLC, considering it’s been half a year since the Japanese release.

Fortunately, Koshiro provided a taste of what we could have received with a small series of FM remixes posted on his YouTube channel. Anyone who really wanted the option will find this cruel, but the fact that he composed these in his free time shows admirable dedication to the craft. They’re all notably remixes of battle tracks.

The first track Koshiro posted was the FM remix of the first battle track, composed with the YM2608 sound chip, one similar to the chip included in the Sega Genesis. It’s less powerful than the PC-88 equivalent used for other EO FM soundtracks, but the mixing doesn’t suffer for it. The remix of the entire track is great, but it really comes to life in the slightly subtler second half:

This is the FM remix of the boss track, which Koshiro composed with a chip with similar specs to the Yamaha YM2151 chip combined with three PCM tracks for extra enhancements. It’s intentionally similar to tracks from old Konami arcade games like Contra and Gradius (the YM2151 chip was primarily used in old arcade machines), with the PCM sound enhancements being used to mimic the extra effects from the original track:

Third is a remix of the FOE Battle Theme, which uses a similar chipset to the aforementioned boss track. The notable change here are the two options for the PCM segment instead of three, used to emulate drum and guitar sounds. Out of all the tracks here, this track is the most natural fit for an FM remix, and shows evidence that Koshiro might have composed it in this style first before giving it an orchestral synth mix. If that’s true, it’s even more of a missed opportunity that these remixes won’t be available in the game:

The last track Koshiro remixed was the second battle theme, which uses a combination of the aforementioned YM2151 chip and the Sega PCM chip, to give it a sound similar to an 80s Sega arcade game. This is especially fitting considering Sega now owns Atlus. This track wouldn’t sound out of place in an old Ys title or, as a commenter mentioned, Space Harrier:

It’s a shame Koshiro didn’t provide any remixes for the calmer dungeon themes here, but it’s an even bigger shame these aren’t options in the main game. But feel free to listen to these to imagine the soundtrack it could have been.

Tuesday’s release of Etrian Odyssey Nexus only marks one end for the series; Atlus is planning something different for the next installment, teased shortly before Nexus released in Japan. Unfortunately, they haven’t provided any more details since then. There’s no telling whether the next game will include all the nods to old dungeon crawlers, but if they do, it would be nice if the FM soundtrack option returns. If it doesn’t, then here’s hoping Koshiro can release an FM remix arrange soundtrack on the side, similar to what was planned for EOIV before it was cancelled.

Come to think of it: It would be nice if an FM remix arrange soundtrack released for Nexus in the near future. Your move, Atlus.