Music is a powerful medium. Capable of stirring up long-forgotten memories and evoking powerful emotion in the listener, music can reduce even the burliest of blokes into blubbering, crumpled heaps. And who says that us guys are afraid to show their sensitive side? Poppycock. Of course, video games are no exception to this rule, and as often is the case, a stellar soundtrack can greatly accentuate the on-screen antics, elevating even the most perfunctory scene to hard-hitting greatness.
In a continued celebration of some of gaming’s ear-pleasing aural accomplishments, PSU presents yet another instalment in our on-going Classic Tracks series. For our latest entry, we step back into the realm of Final Fantasy VII and scrutinize an all-time great: Those Who Fight Further.
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Name: Those Who Fight Further
Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack
Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu
Square’s seminal RPG is jam-packed with some of the greatest game music of the 1990s, though aside from One-Winged Angel, the guitar-driven ‘Those Who Fight Further’ is perhaps the most recognised and celebrated by fans and critics alike. For those unaware the track plays during combat sequences, specifically FFVII’s boss fights, beginning with Air Buster after you storm the second Mako Reactor. Unsurprisingly given its popularity, the track has been seen countless fan interpretations, as a quick butcher’s at YouTube will prove.
‘Those Who Fight Further’ does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a roaring rocker that boasts a guitar riff, which has surely gone down in videogame history as one of the most iconic PlayStation anthems to date. While it lacks the technical innovation of One Winged Angel and the emotional clout of Aeris’s Theme, Those Who Fight Further is still a rousing track that fitness fanatics and budding musicians alike enjoy to incorporate as part of their routine.
Check it out below, courtesy of TheOSTation.