The Game Boy Advance never had much of a problem matching up to the SNES graphically. As for audio, well, that was another matter. GBA remakes of SNES classics like Final Fantasy IV and especially Final Fantasy VI tried really hard to ship the games' epic soundtracks. The end result got an A for Effort, but it was like listening to a favourite singer belt out a classic song with a wad of cotton stuffed in each cheek. Something about the whole affair felt off.
I can recall only two instances where I was genuinely impressed by the soundtrack in a GBA game: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Mother 3. You wouldn't accept a flimsy soundtrack from a Castlevania game (least of all one that has the stones to feature a subtitle with “Aria” in it), but Mother 3's soundtrack is an integral part of the title's gameplay because the player performs “combos” by tapping the attack button in tune to the game's battle themes. These combos make all the difference between an easy battle and a difficult one, not to mention the difference between taking an active part in the fight or sitting on the sidelines, dejected and bored, possibly with rainwater streaming down your face.
Mother 3 has a pretty huge roster of battle themes, but it's no sweat. Once you memorise the rhythm for a song, you have it in a lock for the rest of the game, right? Sixteen-hit combo city!
”WRONG!”
Harmonix employee Dan Bruno recently analysed Mother 3's soundtrack down to the last note—no, really, he has sheet music written out—and lays out the staggering amount of work that went into Mother 3's battle tunes.
Most games would be satisfied to let the player figure out how things work early in the adventure, then drift into a button-clicking hypnosis as the body count mounted. Mother 3 won't allow you the luxury. As battle themes become more familiar, they're liable to skip beats or change their pace, forcing you to pay attention and re-align your strategy accordingly.
The formulation and execution of said strategies is one of the things that makes Mother 3 a unique experience. If an enemy is accompanied by Fate or Accelerondo as battle music, I have the fight in the bag because I have little trouble keeping time to either piece. That's not the case for everyone, though. The pacing of Accelerondo is surely some other player's idea of hell.
I'm not exactly a musical prodigy myself. Bothersome Guys is considered one of the easier pieces to keep up with, but I just can't feel it. Thanks to Bruno, I now know I'm supposed to follow along to the high hat.
Pretty detailed work for such an underpowered sound system.
Related Links:
The Reason Why Mother 3 Never Came To America
Mother 3 Makes Me Feel Human Again
OST: Mother