As Yoko Shimomura's debut at Square Enix, one should expect the Live A Live soundtrack to be absolutely phenomenal. Thankfully, it does not disappoint.
Per troping policy, all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
- The title theme, "Live-A-Live"
, a heart-pumping, epic theme to start off your grand adventure. It's also the theme that plays during any normal battle in the Final Chapter, where enemies from all time periods are fought. The arrangement for the remake goes even further, giving it a grand orchestral presentation fitting of a story about tales from all of human existence from prehistory to the far future. - "Select-A-Live" sounds like you're in a museum of ancient history, as you ponder how these people from different eras lived their lives and overcame any obstacle that stood in their way.
- "Cry-A-Live" plays in Tear Jerker moments in the game. Such moments include Pogo's banishment from his tribe, the Earthen Heart Shifu's students being killed except for one, Matsu drinking himself to death as Taeko mourns for him, Corporal Darthe explaining his backstory for his hatred of robots, Oersted getting banished from Lucrece after committing regicide, and Oersted, after his defeat as Pure Odio, begging the party to finish him off.
- "Warm-A-Live" is the counterpart to "Cry-A-Live", as it plays in Heartwarming Moments instead. These moments are Pogo's dream of kissing Bel in a field of flowers, the Earthen Heart Shifu's final words to his surviving pupil before his death, Sundown leaving Success after defending the townsfolk from the Crazy Bunch, Alethea telling Oersted she believes in him as the two kiss, the remaining characters meeting with your party near the top of Demon's Peak after refusing to kill Oersted, and a big fat man trying to shower your party leader with affection.
- The boss theme, "Megalomania", would later appear in the sequel to Theatrhythm Final Fantasy as a DLC song. Also remixed for Yoko Shimomura's memória! album. The remake's remix does it a lot of favors.
- "Native Life", a laid-back tribal theme that plays at the beginning and end of Pogo's chapter, when Pogo and Gori are up to their usual antics, and when the two cavemen tribes are dancing together, respectively.
- "Feast for the Sacrifice" is exactly what you would expect from the title and the song itself: a song of tribesmen chanting and beating drums as they sacrifice Beru to their god.
- "Fine Weather"note . Yes, indeed, it is fine weather in the prehistoric era with this cheerful tune, which sounds like the perfect day to go out hunting and gathering for food. It also has a calmer, slower night variant officially titled "Lovely Evening".
- "Kiss of Jealousy", the incredibly catchy battle theme for the Prehistoric chapter, was good enough to get a remix for memória!
- "Unto the Birds the Heavens, unto the Fish the Seas"note is a very calming theme, perfect for training montages and for preparing for a big, epic kung-fu battle. This song, much like "Megalomania", also appears as DLC in the Theatrhythm sequel.
- "The Shifu Descends from the Mount"note sounds like an Asian market, bustling with townsfolk purchasing the many food and wares for sale.
- "Clash in China"note is the battle theme for the Kung Fu Chapter, and much like the theme of the chapter, it sounds like a battle between two Kung Fu masters, and wouldn't be out of place in something like Kung Fu Panda.
- "Shadowed Duty"note , an exotic Japanese theme that fits the country at night time, plays when Oboromaru is sent on his infiltration mission...or when he decides to abandon his mission and run away.
- "The Sound of Silence"note will make you feel like you're a real ninja, sneaking past guards, dodging traps, and killing anything that tries to get in your way.
- "To Arms!"note is the battle theme of the Bakumatsu Chapter, and it is epic, sounding like a battle taking place during Japan's era of war.
- Want an authentic western theme song on the Super Nintendo? Well, then "Wanderer" is the theme for you.
- "Under the Fake" is essentially the night time equivalent of "Wanderer", with a mysterious feel to it while you're looking around Success Town for suitable items to use as traps.
- "The Wilds" may not be a long theme and the normal battles in the chapter are short, but it's still just as epic as any other battle theme in the game, sounding like something straight out of a western movie.
- "Sancho de Los Panchos" is a cheerful western theme that plays while the mariachi band plays their song, typically in the saloon.
- "The Strongest - Victory Road"note . No, it's not that Victory Road, this one is about Masaru's desire to be the strongest fighter in the world, with epic music to boot that sounds like a training montage for a boxer or wrestler.
- "Knock You Down!" (not related to whatever Garland is going to do) is an impressive battle theme that wouldn't be out of place in Street Fighter II, which Yoko Shimomura also composed for, serving for the protagonist of the chapter, Masaru, who's inspired by that game as well.
- "Go! Go! Steel Titan!"note sounds like the opening credits song of a Super Robot anime, with its own Japanese lyrics in the opening credits of the chapter to boot! It doubles as a Moment of Awesome when Steel Titan finally moves, and you're controlling the giant mechanical robot. For the remake they updated into a Hot-Blooded anthem with vocals by Hironobu Kageyama for both Japanese and English, and a full blown anime OP video to go with it.
- "Wait For Truth" is a casual city theme, perfect for exploring a futuristic Japanese city.
- "Playing with Psychos"note is the battle theme for the Near Future Chapter, and it is nothing short of epic while you're beating down thugs and their robots. The remake makes this song even more upbeat and adds in a sick guitar solo.
- "Unseen Syndrome" is sure to strike fear into the hearts of many with its chilling atmosphere, fitting for the Sci-Fi Horror theme the chapter has.
- "Captain Square", in contrast to the previous theme, is more cheerful and happy. It's also a theme composed as if for a game in the NES era, fitting for the fact you're playing a game within a game. This track was unchanged in the remake, due to how it already replicates NES-style music.
- Beat all of the levels in the Captain Square arcade game, and you'll be rewarded with the beautiful "Captain of the Stars"note , which plays during the arcade game's credits.
- "Epic of the Archon"note , a fast-paced, energetic medieval theme that captures the dire feeling well, including the time when Princess Alethea is kidnapped by the Lord of Dark, or Oersted's last stand as he climbs back up Archon's Roost to slay the Demon King once and for all.
- "On Broken Wings"note is a very serene theme that screams medieval fantasy. It also has hints of sadness in it to lure you into a false sense of security, as things will soon start taking a turn for the worse for our heroes. The theme is later remixed into a much slower variant that plays during Oersted's flashbacks with Alethea, which sounds very romantic.
- "Heroic Struggle"note is the Medieval Chapter's battle theme, and it brings the appropriate style for fighting the many monsters of the Kingdom of Lucrece.
- "The Archon's Roost"note . A menacing tune that fits the feeling of climbing up the lair of the Lord of Dark. It also plays during the final chapter in the same location, since Oersted himself has become the Lord of Dark.
- "Odio, the Lord of Dark"note , the theme of the Big Bad himself, plays when Odio or one of his incarnations is around and is enacting their plan. It's an absolutely horrifying theme that takes advantage of organs, bells, and choirs to create the theme for the most unholy being to ever exist. The remake creates another, even more nightmarish version for the Lord of Dark himself as opposed to one of his incarnations, appropriately titled "Fugue for the Lord of Dark".
- "The Domain of Hate"note , a dark, depressing theme that plays in the abandoned Kingdom of Lucrece during the Final Chapter. It gives you that feeling that you're all alone, and that you can only rely on yourself to survive in this twisted world.
- The eerie theme of each character's exclusive dungeon in the final chapter, "Silent Labyrinth", gives you the feeling that something doesn't feel right, and that the location you had just discovered seems strangely out of place. The remake's version is drastically different from the original; it starts off eerie sounding, but soon becomes a more whimsical and orchestral piece, which instead gives off the feel that you just stumbled across a beautiful, sacred place.
- "Illusion" is the perfect name for the first phase of the Final Boss of the game, as you're fighting against Odio's face, which is just an illusion. It also combines Odio's Leitmotif from the song above.
- "Pure Odio" is the second phase of the final battle, against the Angelic Abomination that is the Purity of Odio himself. A fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping theme that captures the dire feeling of fighting against the source of all hatred and conflict in the game. It tells the player that if they don't succeed, everything will be erased forever, and they are the last hope for the world.
- A unique music track exclusive to the remake for the True Final Boss is "Gigalomania", which starts off as a calm piano piece (which was first heard in the reveal trailer for the remake) before transitioning to an intense orchestral piece, complete with Ominous Latin Chanting and combining Leitmotifs from other music tracks including On Broken Wings, all while you face your true final trial.
- Losing to the final boss and getting the Armageddon ending isn't all bad; it comes with a song that slaps pretty hard as all of time is erased forever!
- "Live over Again" qualifies as both Awesome Music and Heartwarming Music, as with the Lord of Dark finally defeated, you get to see the heroes of time return to their normal lives, all living their happily ever after.
- The credits theme, "Live for Live", is a heartfelt theme to represent the end to your quest. Not only does it remix the Live A Live title screen theme, but it also includes a beautiful mix between all of the chapter themes, including Oersted's.
