You would think that, two weeks out from its release, we would cool our metaphorical jets and stop talking about Mega Man 9 quite so much here at 61 Frames Per Second. You would be wrong. Dead wrong. So wrong, that after you thought this thought, we would show up at your house, defeat you in single combat, and get your secret weapon to put to our own heroic uses. Probably not, actually. You are a powerful robot master, dear reader. I would need many energy tanks to take you down, but frankly I’m not made of bolts, so defeat’s inevitable. Let us agree, instead, to ride my robot dog into the sunset with one another and continue to discuss the most glorious and improbable creation that is Mega Man 9.
More specifically, let us discuss its quality collection of crunchy jams, that soundtrack that hops between thematic reference and impressive original melody writing with veritable ease. Mega Man 9’s tunes may not reach the unimpeachably lofty heights of Mega Man 2 or 3, but they manage to eclipse the majority of those found in Mega Man 4 through 6. (The majority, mind you. Mega Mans 4 through 6 have a lot of great songs in their own right.) From the urgency of Magma Man’s theme, to the rave up of Tornado Man’s, composer Ippo Yamada has tapped into a melodic fount of digital sound and come away with something that captures the essential spirit of Mega Man. He chatted with Siliconera about making the soundtrack and how Mega Man 9’s presentation, and its stripped down play, dictated the soundtrack’s sound:
Siliconera: There were aspects of even the late NES titles that were not allowed in Mega Man 9. In terms of gameplay, there is no sliding and no charging of the mega buster. What kind of restrictions were enforced on the soundtrack?
Ippo Yamada: Taking away sliding and charging was a way of returning to the framework of Mega Man 2. The game’s sound effects reflect the same approach. The sound of charging the mega buster blocks out other square waves, so by eliminating charging from the game we could introduce a lot of other sound effects that would have been obscured, such as the enemy laser shots. This one choice opened the way for a lot of freedom in composing the music, which would have been curtailed by charge-related restrictions.
Siliconera: To what extent did level designs and character art influence the direction of each stage’s musical themes?
Ippo Yamada: Consideration of stage design and character design were fundamental to the process of generating the music. The Jewel Man stage music shares with the design of the robot master a certain aloof quality, the Hornet Man stage tune has a bright and cheerfully quality to reflect the atmosphere of the flower park location. The Magma Man song was created with the idea of an impassioned anime theme in mind, while Galaxy Man has the kind of retro futurstic spaceage quality you might associate with a UFO.
He also discusses the upcoming Mega Man 9 Arrange Soundtrack which will feature versions of the game’s songs arranged by many previous Mega Man composers, including Manami Matsumae of Mega Man 2 and Yasuaki Fujita of Mega Man 3. The rest of the interview is chock full of delicious insight, so head over to Siliconera and take it all in.
Related links:
Mega Man 2 Vs. Mega Man 3: The Eternal Battle for Everlasting Peace
Mega Man 9 Goes Back To Your Roots. Way Back.
The Delights of Continuity in Mega Man and Abroad
The Ten Greatest Classic Mega Man Levels
My Last Mega Man 9 Post, I Swear
Mega Man 9: IT'S OUT NOW