'Final Fantasy XV' Original Soundtrack Review: An Intricate, Exquisite Must-Have For Fans And First-Timers

Yoko Shimomura’s Final Fantasy XV OST easily ranks among the best Final Fantasy music of all time, and if you’re a fan of the series, the newly released Official Soundtrack is well worth a purchase.

If you haven’t heard of Shimomura before, most gamers will certainly be familiar with some of her work; she’s composed for Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter II, Breath of Fire, Super Mario RPG and many more titles from Nintendo, Square Enix and Capcom. Shimomura was there from the beginning of FFXV’s famously prolonged development process, way back when the game was still titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII back in 2006.

"The basic scenario and story concepts haven't changed that much," Shimomura told Engadget last year. "They're quite similar to what they were originally. There have been some changes, small scenario tweaks and the game's functionality itself has changed. But overall, from a musical perspective, the concepts that we wanted to use from the start, they're pretty much as they were. It's kept on the same theme, basically."

Shimomura’s long engagement with the world of FFXV comes through distinctly in her soundtrack’s remarkably broad sampling of moods, instruments and styles. The music presented here vividly conjures a sense of a world that is lived in and dynamic, replete with unique atmospheres, temperaments and memories. Nimbly and remarkably, it creates a vibrant sense of place through sound; as I heard the strains of bossa nova I instantly pictured the shabby liveliness of the city of Lestallum, while twangy guitars brought to mind Cindy, sauntering into the glare of concrete and sunshine outside the Hammerhead garage.

While I played through FFXV, I knew I was enjoying the music, but on the other hand I was easily distracted by the ability to buy all the nostalgia-riffic FF tunes throughout the game. Listening to the FFXV soundtrack in isolation, I realized I’d missed -- or just forgotten -- a whole lot. There’s loads of highlights -- the mournful and soaring ‘Somnus,’ the epic bombast of ‘Apocalypsis Noctis’ and ‘Omnis Lacrima,’ the shimmering strings of ‘Sunset Waltz’ -- but even the tracks whose names you don’t instantly recognize are striking in their depth and detail. Shimomura’s masterpiece weighs in at a hefty four discs with more than 90 tracks, but nothing here feels throwaway. Everything is deliberate, considered and lovely to hear.

It’s worth mentioning that with all the widely differing moods and musical styles contained in Shimomura’s collection, sometimes the tone can shift rather abruptly from one track to the next. This is most obvious in the first disc, where more contemplative tracks like ‘Somnus’ run into the twangy guitar riffs of Hammerhead and Leide. Both are enjoyable in their own right, but the combo can feel a bit peanut butter and pickles. This isn’t entirely out of the ordinary for game music in general, nor Final Fantasy soundtracks in the specific, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

Obviously, you’ll probably enjoy Final Fantasy XV’s soundtrack more if you’re familiar with the story and found yourself invested in the world and its characters. That said, you don’t need to be a gamer to enjoy this. It’s just beautiful music. Period.

All in all, this collection is easy to recommend enthusiastically to Final Fantasy XV fans, and to fans of game music in general. It’s easily as good as the soundtracks to Final Fantasy VI and VII, and as a huge fan of both, I don’t say that lightly. (The logical part of me, which isn’t beholden to two decades of nostalgia, already knows XV’s soundtrack is better, but let me get there in my own time.)

The Final Fantasy XV OST is available now via iTunes ($27.99), Google Play ($28.49) and Amazon ( $27.96 for digital or $29.58 for a physical copy ) amongst numerous other retailers.

Will you be picking up the Final Fantasy XV soundtrack? What are some of your favorite tracks from the game? Feel free to discuss the sounds of FFXV in the comments.