Final Fantasy 16’s score doesn’t just make for riveting, dramatic listening. It’s a storytelling tool in its own right, that composer Masayoshi Soken uses to enhance the action role-playing game (RPG) by deploying recurring musical patterns and themes to embolden the title's already rich narrative structure. Soaring boss battle tracks like Titan Lost and Away are now seared into my brain, their memorable and distinctive sounds easily among some of the best the games industry has ever produced.
This quality no doubt helped the fantasy RPG win the coveted Best Score & Music at The Game Awards 2023. However, the approach taken by Soken and his team was far more thoughtful and nuanced than you might initially think.
