Nothing about fates was bad except for the writing, and even some of that was passable in the supports. Conquest has some of the best gameplay in the game, the art direction is great, et c.
Since I first found out the guy that composed the ost of Okami was gonna get to play with eastern instruments again I knew it couldn't go wrong but holy shit. Rei kondoh is a fucking wizard man, has to be the most underrated composer in the industry.
The one thing no Fire Emblem game has gotten wrong is the music. I’ve always been blown away by how much of the narrative can be expressed through music in these games. One of the best examples is FE4’s Chapter 5 theme. It feels so grandiose and victorious, but there’s an underlying sense of dread that perfectly complements the feelings of both the player and the characters.
Except for 3H for me. The electronic/drum machine stuff took me out of it SO hard. I love a few tracks, but the overall feel is so cheaply anime compared to the rest of the (orchestrated) games.
What's even more brilliant about the chapter 5 theme is how it's a remix of Conversation 1. The entire outcome of the chapter is foreshadowed as soon as the map starts, but it's done in such a subtle way that 99.9% of players won't pick up on it.
@@DrZaiusDrZaius-xp5fw Oh, yeah. Leitmotifs are allll over those composers’ stuff. They did Awakening as well and both games do tricks like this all the time. It’s awesome!
Ah yes. The song of my people. Fates may have faceplanted its story and characters, but it nailed nearly every aspect of mechanical systems design and music. A Dark Fall still remains peak FE lategame music.
When I first heard A Dark Call on the soundtrack (out of context), I immediately thought "I shouldn't be here." Pretty fitting for the place, of course!
Yeah the characters and story had a lot of potential that was thrown straight in the trash and then set on fire but the gameplay and music are all on point
Road Taken was always my castle’s theme. It’s just so good so seeing it be analyzed like this is exciting. Even if I’ve got no idea about composing music. Wish I could though.
It's super widely known lol. FE:Fates had two things going for it, presentation, and conquest. Well, also Camilla's two things, but you know, different story.
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi There's honestly no reason why there weren't more music from Fire Emblem Fates (or even a new stage based off a location from it since Ryu, Cloud and Bayonetta came with new stages) being added beyond Corrin's development being potentially rushed, leading me to believe that if someone else was made playable instead of Corrin, they wouldn't have come with a new stage or much new music either.
It makes a ton of sense that Fire Emblem Fates borrows elements from a Western Musical Tradition (Jazz) and incorporates it with popular Eastern (J-Pop) sensibilities when you consider that the game was about a conflict between Nohr, a Western influenced nation and Hoshido, a distinctly Japanese influenced one. A lot of the songs on the Fates soundtrack play with this idea of Western meets Eastern sounds like Justice RIP, Dusk Falls, No Justice, Conquest, and End of All to name a few. Road Taken is my personal favorite of all these tracks. There is even a version of this song that incorporates Rock into its arrangement that comes from Fire Emblem Warriors.
I'll always see fates as a whole as an incredible idea that couldn't live up to its premise for several reasons. But the soundtrack is the greatest in the series, and honestly one of my favourites in games as a whole
Fates has a special place in my heart too, it has a great basic concept that could have explored some interesting themes. I felt like it was held back by its desire to imitate Awakening’s success
The gameplay is also some of the best. I prefer Fates gameplay to Three Houses. All I want is Fates Gameplay, Shadow Dragon Atmosphere, Radiant Dawn/Shadows of Valentia Writing and Three Houses Graphics-- is that so much to ask for? :3
Road Taken has been one of my favourite songs of all time. It was one of the first songs I learned when becoming a pianist, and I've played it so much that it's been ingrained into my muscle memory. Thanks for analyzing it : )
So happy to see one of my favorite Fire Emblem tracks get the 8-bit Music Theory love. If you ever get the chance to do more from games in the Fire Emblem series my personal top of the list picks would be: "How Fire Emblem Awakening's Don't Speak Her Name Makes Us Cry," "The Power of Leitmotif, an examination of 3 Houses' Main Theme," and "Remake Reinterpretation: How Shadows of Valentia Re-imagines Gaiden's Soundtrack."
More like “how not to use leitmotifs, chill the fuck out they shouldn’t be in a third of the songs, why 3h gets criticized for having a repetitive soundtrack”
Go for it! I've gotten through Music Theory II, and it's hard as hell but helps me actually understand videos like this a lot more. It still goes a lot farther than I've studied, though...
You can definitely go for it, but honestly dude this channel will actually go farther and has a wider scope on theory (even with its video game niche focus) than most college theory courses. That might disappoint you. Unless you go to a college that has tons of great theory classes like Berklee or something. Many colleges will barely discuss modern music in their theory classes. Often, even their discussion of classical music is lackluster and uninspiring. I have a bachelor's in music.
I am into my second year of being said major, and theory is among the most fun for me. This channel is a nice add-on when I want to explore VGM and its theory, especially since it is what got me to major in the first place.
Fire Emblem tracks are always so good and this one is no different. I'm glad 8-Bit did a video on this, since Fire Emblem is my favorite franchise and the music is one of my favorites bit about it :D
Wasn't expecting this. Road Taken is my favorite song from Fates. The calm version is so peaceful it makes me cry, and the amped version pumps me up for life. Your analysis helped me understand why it affects me so much. Great video
I tend to judge my music theory by how well I understand 8-bit Music Theory videos, and I was surprised to see I actually understood most of it! Thanks for the amazing lessons! I not only learn a lot from your channel, but I also discover a lot of amazing tunes!
You’re videos are very inspiring to me as a musician and have made me actively want to study music theory. I was wondering if you could make a video on how Ace Attorney music creates tension. Thanks for doing what you do 8-Bit, I really enjoy your content.
This song gives me such a specific feeling: As though I'm fighting a battle for the side of good, but it's been happening for a long time already. I'm beaten down to the point where my body and mind are on autopilot, fighting because it's the only thing I know to do. But still, there's that little voice in my head saying "you can win this". That probably sounds pretentious. :L Awesome analysis as always Mr. 8-Bit!
Fates did a lot of things wrong, but my goodness they nailed the music. Too bad you rarely hear half of it because they just want to show off all the renditions of Lost in Thoughts All Alone they made.
if you look closely enough, the last phrase of lost in thoughts all alone is in the last line of this piece at 14:24 heheh, another stroke of genius from the composer with the motifs
Thanks, Chris Martinez! My favorite song just got an explanation, how exciting! I didn't understand a lot of this video, but I understand that I need to study jazz.
@@jackgarcia5926 Hard disagree on the art direction, that was just plain good and I really wish they had stuck with Kozaki (or, y'know, fuckin' Hidari) for Three Houses instead of that mediocre otome artist they got. The gameplay is a bit harder to pin down. There's some great pieces and then there's the entirety of Revelations. I will give all three versions of the game this though, nearly every map is memorable for one reason or another.
I think warmth is gone is easily one of the best tracks in this game. It gives me chills everytime from being seemingly simple yet emotional and beautiful.
When he showed Ebmaj7 followed by F/Eb, I thought "I bet a million dollars Dm7 is coming next" and then he put Dm7 on screen and I went YESSSSS ...I'm learning from these videos! :)
Holy shizz, you're a fan of Dirty Loops?!? I would LOVE a video on them even though they're not video game music. I would be stoked to have my favorite music theory channel do my favorite jazz fusion band!
This is not only my favorite piece of music in Fire Emblem, but my favorite piece of video game music period. It has been ever since I got Fates when I was 16, and I can't believe there's an entire video about it
Excellent video!! FE Fates has one of my favorite soundtracks from any game so its wonderful to see appreciation for it. Keep up the great work, your videos are always a treat!
GOD, I love this song! I hate this game for many reasons despite being a huge FE fan, but its soundtrack is almost untouchable and this is my favorite song in the bunch. I’m so glad you covered it so well
It is crazy how deep music theory can go. Like I used to play the bass (I taught myself how to play), but I never learned any kind of music theory. It is beautiful...complicated, but beautiful
This is one of the few songs in games that made me put down my system/controller to just listen to the music for a minute. Road Taken just left me in awe.
The version of the chord progression you isolated when talking about minor 2nd approaches kinda reminded me of that famous video of Angelo Badalamenti playing the keyboard and talking about how he composed Laura Palmer's theme
Now, I’m a drummer and you’re basically speaking greek to me BUT if you could go over Desire Below from Fates, it would be very very cool. It’s an awesome track.
Doesnt matter whether you love or hate FE Fates, you csnt deny its music is some of the best in the series
Honestly, production values of that game were fine, it's just the game part that's a bit contentious I guess.
Nothing about fates was bad except for the writing, and even some of that was passable in the supports. Conquest has some of the best gameplay in the game, the art direction is great, et c.
@@tharwab Still, fuck bikini armor.
I was hyped to see this vid lol
Since I first found out the guy that composed the ost of Okami was gonna get to play with eastern instruments again I knew it couldn't go wrong but holy shit.
Rei kondoh is a fucking wizard man, has to be the most underrated composer in the industry.
The one thing no Fire Emblem game has gotten wrong is the music. I’ve always been blown away by how much of the narrative can be expressed through music in these games. One of the best examples is FE4’s Chapter 5 theme. It feels so grandiose and victorious, but there’s an underlying sense of dread that perfectly complements the feelings of both the player and the characters.
Except for 3H for me. The electronic/drum machine stuff took me out of it SO hard. I love a few tracks, but the overall feel is so cheaply anime compared to the rest of the (orchestrated) games.
What's even more brilliant about the chapter 5 theme is how it's a remix of Conversation 1. The entire outcome of the chapter is foreshadowed as soon as the map starts, but it's done in such a subtle way that 99.9% of players won't pick up on it.
@@DrZaiusDrZaius-xp5fw Oh, yeah. Leitmotifs are allll over those composers’ stuff. They did Awakening as well and both games do tricks like this all the time. It’s awesome!
Chapter 3 theme, Chapter 6 theme, and Versus Arvis are phenomenal too. FE4 is truly a masterpiece
@Psyche I sincerely hope you’re saying it’s great. Cuz it is!!!
Ah yes. The song of my people.
Fates may have faceplanted its story and characters, but it nailed nearly every aspect of mechanical systems design and music. A Dark Fall still remains peak FE lategame music.
When I first heard A Dark Call on the soundtrack (out of context), I immediately thought "I shouldn't be here." Pretty fitting for the place, of course!
Yeah the characters and story had a lot of potential that was thrown straight in the trash and then set on fire but the gameplay and music are all on point
I like the character designs, ost, and the class system the most. Everything else was eh (outside of a few maps and their design.)
You have know idea how legitimately tilted I am that the only FE:fates music in smash is 4 version of the same song...
I know! FE Fates has so much good music, even outside of Road Taken
You're not wrong, but that song is a bop. I just can't get upset even after it happens to start playing 3 times in a row.
@@tygove906 no justice rip or alight storm though, kinda sucks
Road Taken was always my castle’s theme. It’s just so good so seeing it be analyzed like this is exciting. Even if I’ve got no idea about composing music. Wish I could though.
I used dance in the dark
Same
so true me too. if it isnt road taken for whatever reason its alight
FE: Fates has such amazing music, it’s a shame it’s not more widely known.
Also such a shame that in smash we only got lost in thoughts 3 times.
Where's my road taken roar, alight storm, a dark fall fire, end of all, etc?!
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi truly RIP Justice :sadge:
It's super widely known lol. FE:Fates had two things going for it, presentation, and conquest. Well, also Camilla's two things, but you know, different story.
That’s a total lie lol. Every conversation about fates has at least one person saying “the OST slaps tho”
@@JacobPDeIiNoNi There's honestly no reason why there weren't more music from Fire Emblem Fates (or even a new stage based off a location from it since Ryu, Cloud and Bayonetta came with new stages) being added beyond Corrin's development being potentially rushed, leading me to believe that if someone else was made playable instead of Corrin, they wouldn't have come with a new stage or much new music either.
It makes a ton of sense that Fire Emblem Fates borrows elements from a Western Musical Tradition (Jazz) and incorporates it with popular Eastern (J-Pop) sensibilities when you consider that the game was about a conflict between Nohr, a Western influenced nation and Hoshido, a distinctly Japanese influenced one. A lot of the songs on the Fates soundtrack play with this idea of Western meets Eastern sounds like Justice RIP, Dusk Falls, No Justice, Conquest, and End of All to name a few. Road Taken is my personal favorite of all these tracks. There is even a version of this song that incorporates Rock into its arrangement that comes from Fire Emblem Warriors.
The Warriors variant brilliantly combines the metal and orchestral elements and alternates nicely.
I'll always see fates as a whole as an incredible idea that couldn't live up to its premise for several reasons. But the soundtrack is the greatest in the series, and honestly one of my favourites in games as a whole
Fates has a special place in my heart too, it has a great basic concept that could have explored some interesting themes. I felt like it was held back by its desire to imitate Awakening’s success
The gameplay is also some of the best. I prefer Fates gameplay to Three Houses.
All I want is Fates Gameplay, Shadow Dragon Atmosphere, Radiant Dawn/Shadows of Valentia Writing and Three Houses Graphics-- is that so much to ask for? :3
Road Taken has been one of my favourite songs of all time. It was one of the first songs I learned when becoming a pianist, and I've played it so much that it's been ingrained into my muscle memory. Thanks for analyzing it : )
So happy to see one of my favorite Fire Emblem tracks get the 8-bit Music Theory love. If you ever get the chance to do more from games in the Fire Emblem series my personal top of the list picks would be: "How Fire Emblem Awakening's Don't Speak Her Name Makes Us Cry," "The Power of Leitmotif, an examination of 3 Houses' Main Theme," and "Remake Reinterpretation: How Shadows of Valentia Re-imagines Gaiden's Soundtrack."
SoV is god-like if you compare it to the original source they had. 'The sacrifice and the saint' is still one of my favorites up today. :)
More like “how not to use leitmotifs, chill the fuck out they shouldn’t be in a third of the songs, why 3h gets criticized for having a repetitive soundtrack”
He finally did a dedicated Fire Emblem video :D
The music was definitely the best thing to come out of Fates
Awesome video! The music from Fates really slaps. I would love to see your take on a track from Three Houses cause I think that OST is even better!
Seconded!
oh hey its Shuck
The key changes and mode shifts in "Life at Garreg Mach" would be worth a video, IMO
I think Shadows of Valentia has an *even* better OST personally
This channel got me into music theory, and now I'm thinking about majoring into music theory. And, now, I FINALLY GOT TO AN UPLOAD EARLY!
Go for it! I've gotten through Music Theory II, and it's hard as hell but helps me actually understand videos like this a lot more. It still goes a lot farther than I've studied, though...
Same!!! Over the pandemic I found this channel and now I’m planning on going to music school.
Though I didn’t get here early lol
You can definitely go for it, but honestly dude this channel will actually go farther and has a wider scope on theory (even with its video game niche focus) than most college theory courses. That might disappoint you. Unless you go to a college that has tons of great theory classes like Berklee or something. Many colleges will barely discuss modern music in their theory classes. Often, even their discussion of classical music is lackluster and uninspiring. I have a bachelor's in music.
@@Bobo-ye7dq …oh. Thanks for warning me.
I am into my second year of being said major, and theory is among the most fun for me. This channel is a nice add-on when I want to explore VGM and its theory, especially since it is what got me to major in the first place.
Fire Emblem tracks are always so good and this one is no different. I'm glad 8-Bit did a video on this, since Fire Emblem is my favorite franchise and the music is one of my favorites bit about it :D
For anyone who hasn’t heard it before, go check out insaneintherain’s cover of this song. His version made this my favorite song from all fire emblem.
No clue what he is talking about but I watched the entire thing
Wasn't expecting this. Road Taken is my favorite song from Fates. The calm version is so peaceful it makes me cry, and the amped version pumps me up for life. Your analysis helped me understand why it affects me so much. Great video
Shout out to Dirty Loops in the intro.
Also I love Road Taken. Immediately clicked when i saw this
I tend to judge my music theory by how well I understand 8-bit Music Theory videos, and I was surprised to see I actually understood most of it! Thanks for the amazing lessons! I not only learn a lot from your channel, but I also discover a lot of amazing tunes!
Meanwhile I'm just here not understanding a single thing he says. :]
@@jt-mx4on I would if I were interested to begin with, I suppose.
You’re videos are very inspiring to me as a musician and have made me actively want to study music theory. I was wondering if you could make a video on how Ace Attorney music creates tension. Thanks for doing what you do 8-Bit, I really enjoy your content.
sadly he probably won’t get to that idea until someone requests it on patreon, but i’d love to see it too
You got your wish! Watching that video led me to this one (Road Taken is my favourite piece from Fates)!
Funny how things work
a Fire Emblem Fates video in 2021? Not what I expected.
I NEVER thought I'd see dirty loops and FE in the same video but wow I am here for it
putting Dirty Loops in the intro was a great signal that I was about to listen to some sick chords... and not understanding a thing about them
You have actually convinced me to go play these games
The soundtrack in Fates was a complete masterpiece !!
do you know the name? I don't remember him saying the exact name, sorry if he already said
@@FulgemThe name of this piece? It’s Road Taken :)
Fates had the best presentation in the series imo. Music, graphics, voice lines, it all just works. Great breakdown of the best song.
This song gives me such a specific feeling:
As though I'm fighting a battle for the side of good, but it's been happening for a long time already. I'm beaten down to the point where my body and mind are on autopilot, fighting because it's the only thing I know to do. But still, there's that little voice in my head saying "you can win this".
That probably sounds pretentious. :L
Awesome analysis as always Mr. 8-Bit!
Fates did a lot of things wrong, but my goodness they nailed the music. Too bad you rarely hear half of it because they just want to show off all the renditions of Lost in Thoughts All Alone they made.
Fates only did the story wrong and localisation lmao
And would you look at the great selection they chose for smash bros...
I wish road taken and end of all were in smash. Or at least make one of the lost in thoughts all alones the one from conquest which has no releases
if you look closely enough, the last phrase of lost in thoughts all alone is in the last line of this piece at 14:24 heheh, another stroke of genius from the composer with the motifs
@@ianofSST Damn, you're right! That's incredible
"Pick a chord and play!"
.....wrong game, i know
This channel is one of those channels where I don't understand a word you're saying but I still love every second of it
Fantastic analysis of one of my favorite video game tracks of all time. Another great video!
Yess!!! I’ve been waiting for you to drop a fire emblem video!!! I would love a video on 3H one day
Thanks, Chris Martinez! My favorite song just got an explanation, how exciting!
I didn't understand a lot of this video, but I understand that I need to study jazz.
One of my favorite songs in the game. I swap it out from the normal castle theme because it sounds calming
Wow you're amazing! This is literally my favorite song off of Fates. Thanks for breaking this tune down for us!
This was an amazing analysis. I’d love to see how the Fire Emblem series does several different versions of almost every track (Fire, Thunder etc).
Aw come on you're gonna make me wanna play this now, I was gonna play something else today
I've always personally preferred Thorn in You, but still a banger
We can argue about the quality of the game itself, but IF inarguably had one of the best OSTs of all time.
You can argue about the writing and art direction anyways, gameplay is good.
@@jackgarcia5926 Hard disagree on the art direction, that was just plain good and I really wish they had stuck with Kozaki (or, y'know, fuckin' Hidari) for Three Houses instead of that mediocre otome artist they got. The gameplay is a bit harder to pin down. There's some great pieces and then there's the entirety of Revelations. I will give all three versions of the game this though, nearly every map is memorable for one reason or another.
This song just gives me goosebumps, even after watching you dissect it. That’s how you know it’s some choice writing.
Great video!
Oh dang, a vid about one of my favorite tracks. Thanks for doing a dive into this one.
I think warmth is gone is easily one of the best tracks in this game. It gives me chills everytime from being seemingly simple yet emotional and beautiful.
somehow every time you cover a new piece its a new favorite of mine
Incredible, this sparked my creativity like crazy. Fell in love with this Gm9 voicing
I can't wait until I'm off work to watch this 🥺🥺 I love it when you upload
When he showed Ebmaj7 followed by F/Eb, I thought "I bet a million dollars Dm7 is coming next" and then he put Dm7 on screen and I went YESSSSS
...I'm learning from these videos! :)
seriously though, this is one of my fave tunes from FE fates and I'm glad you're analysing it
I saw the thumbnail and my brain went *"omg 8-bit did a vid on Fire Emblem"* this makes me pretty happy haha
the song the got me into FE, thank you for covering it!!
Finally! Somebody's talking about how great this track is!
>Starts off the video with Eyes of the Mind, Plastic Love, and Perplexing Pool
I've never had my music tastes called out so directly before
Holy shizz, you're a fan of Dirty Loops?!? I would LOVE a video on them even though they're not video game music. I would be stoked to have my favorite music theory channel do my favorite jazz fusion band!
Man, exploring FE calm/storm arrangements would be awesome in this channel.
Road Taken is one of my favorite songs period so I popped off upon seeing this in my sub feed.
Anime chess has certainly come a long way.
Sorry, I don't know much about music theory but I'm glad someone can recognize how GOOD Road Taken is.
The music from Fire Emblem made me fall in love with the franchise, it's so amazingly made it's impressive
being able to understand WHY I love music is a whole big part of why I watch every video
One of my favorite FE games. Fates just felt so nice with its music, and this brings me a lot of understanding as to why it felt that way
This is not only my favorite piece of music in Fire Emblem, but my favorite piece of video game music period. It has been ever since I got Fates when I was 16, and I can't believe there's an entire video about it
this song has been one of my favorites from the FE Fates OST for a while, thank you for covering it!
this channel taught me more than the university
Great! Thank you for this video!
I haven't even played Fates yet but I listen to the OST often. This is without a doubt my favorite track
Fates is not only one of my fave FE games, but it is the game(s) with my fave video game music ever.
Great video, and thanks to calling our attention to this piece: it is beautiful!
This is such a good channel!! Also props for showing Casiopea in the beginning. If anyone likes Japanese synth-jazz from the 80s, check them out!
The jazz harmony meme made me choke on pizza crust at my nephew's birthday party, thank you lmao
Love the Bruford and Casiopea references go off mate
Finally, fire emblem fates gets the spotlight on its music!
omg i cant believe you covered, this and im like i share this with all my friends because it is A BANGER
Excellent video!! FE Fates has one of my favorite soundtracks from any game so its wonderful to see appreciation for it. Keep up the great work, your videos are always a treat!
YEEEESSSSSS I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR SO LOOOONNGGGG I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOD, I love this song! I hate this game for many reasons despite being a huge FE fan, but its soundtrack is almost untouchable and this is my favorite song in the bunch. I’m so glad you covered it so well
Can we talk about Cross Code's soundtrack soon? That shit kills
FIRE EMVBLEM TIMEEEEEE.
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY
It is crazy how deep music theory can go. Like I used to play the bass (I taught myself how to play), but I never learned any kind of music theory. It is beautiful...complicated, but beautiful
The Fire Emblem Warriors remix of the theme is just amazing as well
I was waiting for you to talk about Fire Emblem :DDD this is amazing!!
Getting some Steely Dan vibes from some of these voicings!
There is nothing better than some spicy jazz chords hmmmm
I eagerly await the day you make a video on FE radiant dawn. Best soundtrack in the series and I am absolutely willing to die on this hill.
My favorite song in the ost!! I always loved it’s chords. Thanks for covering this!
Thanks for the video man, i took notes on voicings for sick jazz chords, i learn a lot from you!
Loved this video dude! Thanks!
This is one of the few songs in games that made me put down my system/controller to just listen to the music for a minute. Road Taken just left me in awe.
Fantastic analysis, as usual. Thanks for the great lesson. Well done!
You had me at "sick chords."
We didn't even talk about how fire the combat version of this song is.
The version of the chord progression you isolated when talking about minor 2nd approaches kinda reminded me of that famous video of Angelo Badalamenti playing the keyboard and talking about how he composed Laura Palmer's theme
So glad you got to this! When I heard this song back in the day, I just had to learn how to play it
You have showed me the beauty of this piece in a way I never would have recognized
I am so grateful for this channel
AHHHH I LOVE THIS SONG
THANK YOU 8BIT
2:00 got flashbacks to Howl's Moving Castle's main theme
Nothing on the in-battle variation? Either way, great analysis!
I have been waiting years for this!!
Fates is honestly still my favorite FE
Excellent work, you should really make more fire emblem stuff, probably pull from Echoes or 3H, keep it up!
My favorite channel on all youtube
Now, I’m a drummer and you’re basically speaking greek to me BUT if you could go over Desire Below from Fates, it would be very very cool. It’s an awesome track.