Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 27! AzureSwrd/BreakFree, LastEngage/WorldEnder, DreadFight/ReachSmmit

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

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Match 1

Murasaki Tsurugi - An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Composer: Takeaki Watanabe (watson)
Loop Point: 5:35
https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Murasaki Tsurugi - An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Arcaea - World Ender
Celeste - Reach for the Summit

Azure Sword
World Ender
Dreadful Fight

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
The Dreadful Fight

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
The Dreadful Fight

Match 1 is pretty even, I really liked both. I'll be surprised if any of my votes wins, but here's hoping for the best.
I don't have a preference for any of the songs in the poll, so I'll propose Decisive Battle - The End of the World from Etrian Odyssey Untold: TMG.
https://youtu.be/RS6FPBwR58Q

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
The Dreadful Fight

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Reach for the Summit

Fire Emblem Engage - Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Final Fantasy IV (DS) - The Dreadful Fight

I hereby file a motion to dismiss this poll due to a lack of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjni77-KrM

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

NEO: The World Ends With You - Breaking Free
Fire Emblem Engage - Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Celeste - Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free > Reach for the Summit >>>> Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation) > Battle With the Four Fiends > World Ender > An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight

Breaking Free and Reach for the Summit are two of my favorite video game songs ever, the competition stood no chance. Breaking Free is just a masterpiece through and through, and the fact that it helped with my mental health for a bit is just the cherry on top. Azure Sword was pretty good, but it started out way too strong and set my expectations too high for the rest. Last Engage was really cool actually, I noticed that a bit of it was an instrumental version of Emblem Engage! which I thought was really neat. World Ender sure was a rhythm game song, but it was solid enough. Never actually listened to the DS version of Four Fiends before, it's pretty good. But man... Reach for the Summit. Getting here for the first time and hearing the end of Prologue again is a nearly unmatched feeling. Climbing the summit was so damn rewarding. Celeste is such an incredible fucking game. This song is phenomenal.

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
abstain
The Dreadful Fight

Slices
World
Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
The Dreadful Fight

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

Azure Sword
World Ender
Dreadful Fight

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Reach for the Summit goes on too long for my taste but I'll still vote for it. Enjoyed Last Engage.

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
The Dreadful Fight

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

will never understand why the ds version lol

From TunnelScene:

Azure Sword Slices Thru the Twilight (MurasakiTsu)
World Ender (Arcaea)
The Dreadful Fight (Final Fantasy IV DS)

this sounds like it is going to be touhou but instead it is watson.honestly this reminds me a lot of thay famous wataru ishibashi arr. jindo song the merciless senior

I keep imagining breaking free as by '#dream theater' where the voice is James and there's random removed 8th and 16th note beats, but since it is not it does not do that

some super fun fluttery piano in this one

there are too many rhythm game songs this year to keep track of but this was one of the standouts to me for sure

difficult to follow meter sells this one to me for sure

those thin pads around 7:13 in reach for the summit feel so cool, what a perfect timbre for those cool crunchy chords

From rwlh:

Breaking Free
Last Engage Prayer-Incantation
The Dreadful Fight

Murasaki Tsurugi - An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Arcaea - World Ender
Celeste - Reach for the Summit

agreed with the DS version for FFIV... i saw kenichiro fukui and got excited but yeah this isn't the EINHNDER kinda fukui LOL
much prefer the og SNES version, prob would have gone for that instead

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
The Dreadful Fight

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

Switching from my bracket, I'm not feeling Breaking Free today.

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Broken Free
World Birther
Unremixed Fight

this is 100% a track in sky the 3rd and you can't convince me otherwise.

this is 100% a song about being trans and you can't convince me otherwise.

This is 100% an off-vocal of a better song and you can't convince me otherwise.

This is 100% about the birth of a world and you can't convince me otherwise.

This is 100% a song that has been spoiled for me by all the great FF4 remixes in XIV over the last few patches and you probably could convince me otherwise on this one the song is still great.

This is 100% a meeting that could've been an email and you can't convince me otherwise.

Murasaki Tsurugi - An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Arcaea - World Ender
Final Fantasy IV (DS) - The Dreadful Fight

World Ender is giving me vibes of, oddly enough Murasaki Tsurugi

my choice for the poll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9Q9G0ae1Z4

Breaking Free
World Ender
The Dreadful Fight

for the poll i'd like to nominate Thomas Was Alone -- Alone Again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x6Q-U_BoeA

Sword
Ender
Summit

sorry fire emblem that was actually a good showing but you can't compete with sasakure

Breaking Free
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

Last Engage 1:40-2:00 is so interesting, why couldnt more of the song be like that? The guitar part from 2:00-3:15 is fine, after that it loses me.

Before listening I was prepared to vote It Ends and then I heard THE WORLD ENDS WITH ME. To answer the actual question I think the most apocalyptic-sounding one is Worlds End Valentine.

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Match 1 was tough. Breaking Free is the type of song that I think could grow on me a lot, but I'm not there yet.

Murasaki Tsurugi - An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Arcaea - World Ender
Final Fantasy IV (DS) - The Dreadful Fight

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

I feel like a lot of Murasaki Tsurugi songs are almost great but not quite there. Azure Sword's enjoyable enough, and that's all. TWEWY stuff has never done it for me at all.

I quite enjoyed Last Engage in the context of the game. Not quite as enjoyable on it's own. Still solid at least. Bit torn on World Ender. Solid, but I think it loses this.

This version of Dreadful Fight is a big step down from the original IMO. The original was pretty good tho. Reach for the Summit is another song that's amazing in-game and not quite as good on its own - I definitely prefer Resurrections. Summit, however, still has some amazing parts even as a solo song.

Reach for the Summit > Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation) = World Ender >An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight > Breaking Free > The Dreadful Fight

yeehaw

Murasaki Tsurugi - An Azure Sword Slices Through the Twilight
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
World Ender
Reach for the Summit

Breaking Free
Last Engage (Prayer-Incantation)
Reach for the Summit