Posted by Bob Mackey
Charles Caleb Colton once said "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," but it's important to remember that he coined this aphorism far before the invention of modern copyright laws and Japanese RPGs. That being said, Breath of Fire III composers Akari Kaida and Yoshino Aoki must've had Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mistuda dead in the sights of their flattery gun (it shoots flattery, you see) while composing at least one of the tracks of Capcom's long-running RPG franchise; the similarity between the piece in question and one of Mitsuda's own is unmistakable.
If you're wondering why I've kept this news to myself for over a decade, here are some answers: A.) Chrono Trigger DS is out, so this is semi-relevant, and B.) The existence of YouTube means it's finally easy for the lazy (i.e., me) to easily provide such a comparison. Square-Enix, when the lawsuit is over, I'll gladly take a generous "legal consultant fee."
Anyway, here are the songs in question:
"Secret of the Forest," composed in 1995:
"Forest Theme," composed in 1997:
Shocking, I know. When I first played Breath of Fire III in 1998, I picked up on the similarity between the two songs, too. But back then there wasn't anyone around me nerdy enough to care. Thanks for making my dreams come true.
Related Links:
Your Way: Chrono Trigger and The Glory of Options
The Chrono Trigger Port: Are You Excited or Disappointed?
Where is Yasunori Mitsuda?
+ DIGG
+ DEL.ICIO.US
+ REDDIT
About Bob Mackey
For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's
Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.
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