Visions of Mana is just weeks away! The first entry in the Mana series in quite some time, we were excited to learn about the game alongside the news that series composer Hiroki Kikuta would be returning to write a portion of the score. We now understand that the score was split three ways, with Kikuta handling cinematic music, Tsuyoshi Sekito handling action and battle music, and Ryo Yamazaki writing exploration and event music. We’ve been able to get a word in with all three composers about their history with the franchise and their experience working on Visions of Mana, including the gear they used for the score.
Click below for the full interview.
On the Division of Labor and Individual Responsibilities
Ryo Yamazaki (RY): The role of the sound team was pretty much the same as when we worked on the remake of Trials of Mana that released in 2020, but we split the work so Kikuta-san was mainly responsible for themes surrounding cutscenes, Sekito-san for battle-related content, and I for field exploration and event-related content.
The art visuals and concept shared since the early stages of development were all about “traveling around the world,” so it was very fun building something around that idea. I tend to enjoy music that utilizes acoustic instruments, and tried to center my thought process around those elements whenever I could. However, to avoid unimposing, air-like music in the pursuit of something immersive, I intentionally used many musical motifs and melodies that I felt could act as a hook. In terms of genre, I also included the essence of many different styles to follow the theme of “traveling around the world,” but also left some ambiguity so you can’t quite put a finger on which country a certain style originated from when you first listen.
Tsuyoshi Sekito (TS): My specialty is rock-style music, so I had the opportunity to work on many of the battle tracks for this game. In addition, I produced a little bit of the field exploration music as well.
Hiroki Kikuta (HK): The heart of making a fantasy-based RPG is to create a world. A world is defined as a finely constructed environment that, when the player stands and looks around, they can feel the wind, the sunlight, the sound of birds, the footsteps of monsters, and all the other creatures that exist within it, as if they are truly standing inside that location. In other words, to create a world is to create a pleasant and immersive “environment” that players can feel invested in as they interact with it. In particular, the world of Mana series has a symbolic monument at its center—the Mana tree. Think about it. If there is a tree at the center of the world, there must also be a melody that accompanies it, right? My role in creating content for the Mana series as Hiroki Kikuta, a commercial composer, is to essentially write melodies that can accompany this tree, which exists at the very center of this world. This is because the most intuitive way to evoke a sense of serenity within an environment for a player is through music, and through melodies. Not everyone can do that, but fortunately, I can. The fact that so many players seek out and enjoy the melodies I’ve written—which echo throughout the center of the world of Mana series—makes me proud, happy, and grateful.
On Their History with the Series
RY: I’ve composed music for Echoes of Mana which was released on mobile devices in 2022, and for me personally, it feels like I’ve carried on those same concepts in this title as well. Although I’ve been involved in numerous Mana series games, I think that my participation as a composer helped give the concept of “nature”—a major theme in the Mana series that I’ve also felt was nebulous—a more concrete form. In that sense, I do think those past experiences served as a steady link to this project.
TS: I’ve participated in several Mana series projects now, but because each one featured a wonderful storyline, I feel I’ve been able to produce their music with a fresh mindset each time. I think the music is even more substantive for Visions of Mana, as it was a joint effort between three people: myself, Kikuta-san, a living legend of the Mana series, and Yamazaki-san, someone I massively respect. Now that we’ve finished development, if I were asked whether I feel this title is a culmination of my work, I’d be inclined to think it’s certainly something very close to that.
On Tools and Techniques
RY: I primarily use MOTU DP11 for sketching. For sound sources, I primarily use NI’s KONTAKT library, and from there frequently utilize Spitfire Audio, Orchestral Tools, Cinematic Studio, and Best Service. I used a lot of guitar-style instruments in this project, but various people also participated, such as Taku Sawamura on the acoustic guitar and bouzouki, Masashi Kuno on the lute, and Sekito-san on the electric guitar. In terms of battle music, I had Yoichi Hayashi from NetEase Games, the developer of this title, play the electric bass.
TS: The DAW in my production environment is Apple’s Logic Pro. I have a variety of sound sources, but after the demo production, the engineer and arranger Koji Yamaoka replaces the sound sources as needed, so I’m not aware of the details of the final tools used during that phase of production. The guitars essential in creating a rock style include those made by Suhr, Ibanez, and Fender. To make this game’s guitar sound, we used a PC amp simulator called TH-U Metal by Overloud.
HK: The first thing I can say is that I am a commercial composer and an artisan, and not an artist. The essence of my role is not to express myself through my art, but to feel, understand, and translate into music the world that the director or producer envisions. The only thing that matters is whether the final music is truly in tune with that world or not, and I believe the method of achieving this can be anything. When it comes down to it, I am someone who writes melodies in the center of the world. I’m someone who has a knack for writing melodies that are distinctive, intuitive, memorable to everyone, and can be loved for a long, long time. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was an orchestrator who could make that melody sound even more beautiful than I can? That person is Sachiko Miyano of SHANGRI-LA INC. Miyano-san is a wonderfully talented orchestrator who understands what I want to express in the same way I do, expanding those ideas using techniques I could never have imagined, and making them even more compelling. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think the process of bringing the melodies I’ve written for the Mana series to life—by constructing and articulating them as an orchestral performance—would’ve worked out as well as it did. Miyano-san is that much of an important figure to me, and I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to meet her through my various work at SQUARE ENIX.
On Emotional Moments in Vision of Mana
HK: Videogames are inherently about providing a fun experience for the player. The primary mission of game music is therefore to express positive emotions, such as bravery, exhilaration, the joy of victory, the passion of friendship, making strides, challenges, and obtaining rewards. On the other hand, it’s typically less common in videogames to express sadness, suffering, the cruelty of fate, the grief of not being able to overcome trials, the sense of loss and betrayal, and other such hopeless experiences, right? Of course, all these factors are important for someone’s inner growth. No one can grow stronger without first getting hurt. This is why having a game that invites the player to confront such sorrow and tragedy head-on is important, and precious. When I composed the music for Visions of Mana, especially the music related to the events, this was the thing I was most conscious of. I put my all into challenging myself to express through music this world, its many characters who pray for happiness, only to encounter sadness, and their pain. There are many games in the world, but we rarely have an opportunity to encounter this type of work. That’s why it is worth giving it our all. To tap into every sensation of sadness that lies within me, to set them down into the river of emotions that this work requires me to, and to carefully, as precisely as possible, weave them into the final melody… this work requires great concentration, and can only be done with a delicate sensibility. I poured myself into this work because I felt that only I could do it, and that it was my true calling to do so. Have my efforts borne fruit? I’m sure the answer to that question lies within you.
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Special thanks for the PR team at SQUARE ENIX for making this interview possible.
Learn more about Visions of Mana: https://mana.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/visions-of-mana
Order the game and limited edition on the North American store: https://mana.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/visions-of-mana/buy
Pre-order the game’s soundtrack: CD Japan