LogFAQs > #973869674

DuckTales: Remastered - The Amazon
Professor Layton and the Last Specter - The Last Specter's Theme
ONGEKI R.E.D. PLUS - Apollo

MATCH 1

The Amazon is really bright and upbeat. I always enjoy the level of depth that Jake Kaufman puts into his songs. I think that's the reason why I always tend to like the songs that he writes. Anyway, that holds true here as well. For some reason, I really like that repeating melody at 2:33, and that part as a whole is my favorite part of the song.

Alice Schach is typically good as well. This is a close match, but I think The Amazon is a little more consistently good. I really like 1:00-1:21, especially 1:18, as well as of course when it repeats in a higher key. Though, I don't really feel myself getting into the melody starting at 0:10 prior to that chorus, which brings down my enjoyment a little bit and ultimately leads me to place Hex of Pygmalion just a little bit below The Amazon.

MATCH 2

Dungeon is pretty decent. Not something I'd rave about, but it's good enough for what it is. Nothing really to complain about. 0:34-0:51 kind of reminds me of TMNT IV: Turtles in Time with that lead instrument. I guess you could even say it has the grooviness of it as well, though I'd take my favorites from that game over this song without question.

As much as I talk about my enjoyment of violins in VGM, I really like The Last Specter's Theme for its accordion more. I don't talk about it as much, but I do really like the sound of the accordion. That part at 0:41 where the accordion notes descend is really cool. For some reason, I don't like the violin's sound as much here. But I do really like it from 1:01-1:40. And that part as a whole is really good with the harmonic depth to it from all the combined instruments. I feel similarly about how this song gets towards the end where more instruments gradually come in.

MATCH 3

Don't really care all that much for Between Two Worlds. The first 27 or so seconds of the song is decent, but I'm not really a fan of anything after that. The overall style and the way the vocals are for the most part aren't my thing.

I feel like I enjoy sasakure's music more outside of rhythm games than his rhythm game works, but Apollo's still a pretty decent song. I like the melody in the synths and the piano. Though, I find the ryhthm in the odd time portions to be a bit too...choppy? Not sure what the right word here would be, but it feels like triplets that don't sound like they fit to my ears in this context. After listening to his rhythm game songs here and in last year's contest with LIN NE KRO NE, I find it a little amusing to hear that sample at 0:14 used in multiple songs. I don't mean this in a bad way at all, just that it trips that pattern recognition of "oh, there it is again!" Favorite part is probably 1:32-1:46.

The Amazon > Hex of Pygmalion = The Last Specter's Theme > Apollo > Dungeon > Between Two Worlds (Realm of Darkness)