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Articles by Patrick Gann
Myst III: Exile Review | RPGFan
In my youth, I adored Myst and its sequel Riven. However, Riven pushed my then-aging PC to its processing limits. So when Myst III: Exile launched in 2001, I was forced to skip it. Cut to 25 years later — after thoroughly enjoying the recent Riven remake, I decided it was time to step forward with the series. It was finally time for me to learn what happened to Atrus and Catherine after the events of Riven.
Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy VII- at Billboard Live Tokyo
How many dedicated Final Fantasy VII arranged albums have we seen from Square Enix? Arguably, too many. Among those, however, how many are recordings from live events? Certainly, not enough! And this brings us to Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy VII- at Billboard Live Tokyo, recorded and published in 2020.
Square Enix Jazz Vol.2
After Square Enix introduced their first jazz album, Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy-, the team decided that their second album would not focus on any particular game or franchise. This is the only album in the six-part series to do this.
Nintendo Switch Pokémon Legends: Z-A + Mega Dimension Super Music Complete
The timing of Pokémon music releases can be strange. Sometimes we wait years before Nintendo and The Pokémon Company release a full OST. But with Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the turnover was relatively quick! Nintendo Switch Pokémon Legends: Z-A + Mega Dimension Super Music Complete is a 5 CD set that reached online retailers only four months after the roll-out of the Mega Dimension DLC! Compared to the wait time we had for Pokémon Sword & Shield (five years), that’s not bad at all.
Final Fantasy XI Vana♪Con Anniversary 11.11.11
Over the decades, I have endeavored to add to my collection and write reviews for every bit of Final Fantasy XI music published by Square Enix. Somehow, there was one tantalizing item that didn’t hit my radar until very recently, perhaps because I was considering audio-only releases and not concerts on DVD or Blu-ray. I recently remedied my error by purchasing a copy of the concert DVD Final Fantasy XI Vana♪Con Anniversary 11.11.11. After my first watch/listen, I was floored.
Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy-
Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy- marks the start of a long-running series of prominent, jazzy albums with a core group of musicians behind the whole run. I’m a music lover, but somehow managed to overlook much of this series for nearly a decade. I am choosing to acknowledge and remedy this oversight, starting with a deep dive into this very album. Let’s start by taking a look at the tracklist.
Square Enix Jazz -Chrono Trigger-
From 2017 to 2022, Square Enix produced five albums in a dedicated Square Enix Jazz series (six if you include a live album). The final album in this set is the one we’re looking at today: a full jazz album solely for the classic SNES RPG Chrono Trigger. This album series was the brainchild of arranging/producing duo Eijiro Nakagawa and Ryu Kawamura.
Octopath Traveler 0 Original Soundtrack
When Square Enix announced Octopath Traveler 0, my first read was that they took the mobile game Champions of the Continent and un-gachafied it. That, on its own, would be a grand achievement. Even though I loved my 100+ hours played in Champions, a true single-player campaign sounded like a great idea to me. My chief concern, however, was the sheer amount of repeated content. Especially when it came to the main story and the music.
Chrono Trigger Orchestral Concert -Melodies Across Time-
An orchestral concert for Chrono Trigger, you say? Sounds like a lovely affair! But, wait a second… is Square Enix really doing a full orchestral arrange album for this classic game less than ten years after their last one? Yes. Yes they are. Not only that, but this new Melodies Across Time album features the same arrangement for the opening track as the previous Chrono Trigger Orchestral Arrangement. The only change is in the clock-ticking sound effect in the opening.
Chrono Trigger Piano Soundscape Arrangement
Chrono Trigger, a true classic in the Square Enix library, hit store shelves in 1995. That means 2025 was its 30th anniversary. As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, Square Enix published Chrono Trigger Piano Soundscape Arrangement. When Square Enix Music first announced this album, all my neurons lit up. I’ve been wanting this for so long. However! A brief caveat. There’s a reason this album is titled with the word “Soundscape.” This is not a pure piano solo album.
Music for Tabletop RPGs: Scoring Your Adventure with Phandelver
The year is 1994. I, a ten-year-old who had just cleared fourth grade, am sitting on the floor of my older sister’s bedroom. It’s summer, and the room feels warm, so we crank the ceiling fan to max speed. She hands me a blank character sheet to create my very first character in Dungeons & Dragons (let alone any tabletop RPG). I set myself up as a dwarven paladin, excited to bring my lawful goodness to the realms.
Aether & Iron Soundtrack
I recently learned about Aether & Iron after reading my colleague Jerry’s review of the game. The game itself looks cool. But when I read that the Aether & Iron Soundtrack was co-composed by *the* Christopher Tin and another formidable orchestral guru, Alex Williamson, I had to check it out for myself. My first impression? The musical score for Aether & Iron exemplifies quality over quantity. With each passing year, I find myself inundated with soundtracks to massive RPGs with equally massive scores.
NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack: The People and the World
Released exactly one year after the NieR Re[in]carnation servers were shut off, NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack: The People and the World contains all of the music for the third and final season of the mobile title. I have been methodically working my way through all of the NieR Re[in]carnation soundtracks over the past year as part of my lengthy grieving process. With The People and the World, the music helps me find a bit of closure, as did the incredible finale to the game’s story.
NieR Re[in]carnation Original Soundtrack
Though its time has come and gone, NieR Re[in]carnation‘s soundtrack remains with us always. Yes, I am referring to the live service mobile title in the NieR series that had its servers permanently shut down in April 2024. I have been grieving the loss of this surprisingly robust, story-heavy title. Helping me through the grieving process is my collection of NieR Re[in]carnation soundtracks, beginning with this album and continuing with volumes The Sun and the Moon and The People and the World.
Infinity Original Soundtrack
A soundtrack 27 years in the making: folks, I give you Infinity! Okay, that’s not quite the whole story. In truth, this soundtrack was nearly complete by 2001. In 2002, after the game was canceled, the team self-published a digital collection. Then, in 2016, Materia Collective worked with the team to publish an updated version of the OST to match the latest ROM release of Infinity, which was coming together but still not officially published as a standalone title.
NieR Re[in]carnation Chill Out Arrangement Tracks
An arranged album exclusively dedicated to the NieR series mobile game, NieR Re[in]carnation? Well, bust my buttons! I would not have expected this. Among Square Enix Music’s many arrangement series, the “Chill Out” series has had a fairly limited outing. First, they brought the Around 80’s Mix, featuring music from early NES and Game Boy titles (Final Fantasy, Mana, and SaGa series represented).
Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI, Disc 3
We’ve reached our final stop: the end of Sean Schafianski’s full Final Fantasy VI remastered project! In my review of Disc 1, we looked into Schafianski’s scope and process in these upgraded arrangements. Reaching Disc 2, we identified key points in the FFVI OST that Schafianski handled in perhaps divisive ways—particularly the Opera sequence and secondary character themes like Relm and Strago. In Disc 3 of Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI, we find Sean Schafianski in his best form.
Infinity Arranged Soundtrack
When Incube8 Games finally published the long-awaited Infinity for Game Boy Color in 2026, they pulled out all the stops. You want a physical copy of a game for a handheld device that has been dead for decades? You got it! Original soundtrack? Heck yes! ARRANGED SOUNDTRACK? Well, why not? Having written about the game itself and the OST prior to listening to this arrange album, I find myself already adoring Infinity‘s music. Eric Hache is a gem.
Infinity Review | RPGFan
The last thing I anticipated playing in the year 2026 was a brand-spanking-new Game Boy Color title. But that’s Infinity for ya! The history behind this once-scrapped, now-revived GBC RPG is quite the saga, stretching all the way back to 1999 and making Infinity about as old as RPGFan itself. Finally, thanks to a recent successful Kickstarter campaign, Infinity exists as a physical cartridge to plug into your GBC (or GBA, whatever device is compatible from Nintendo).
Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI, Disc 2
The middle child in Sean Schafianski‘s Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI series, Disc 2 continues from where Disc 1 left off. Be sure to check out the linked review of Disc 1 for discussion about Sean’s general process for these Remasters. In this review, we’ll dive deeper into the musical content! The heart of Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI, Disc 2 is, without a doubt, the opera. I was curious to see what Sean would do with this exciting portion of the classic OST.
Remastered Soundtrack: Final Fantasy VI, Disc 1
Editor’s note: this album is the 2024 updated version of the Joypad Records release Final Fantasy VI Remastered Soundtrack: Disc One, originally released in 2013. Arranger Sean Schafianski completed his three-disc remaster project between 2024 and 2025, including this upgraded version of that 2013 Remaster project, which encompassed only the first of three discs. So, in 11 years’ time, what changed in this collection of Final Fantasy VI audio?
Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version
In summer 2000, at the young age of 16, I wrote an embarrassingly terse review of the Final Fantasy V soundtrack. Granted, everything about this entry in the acclaimed series seemed novel at the time, given its lack of official localization until around the same time as Final Fantasy VIII.
Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version
In summer 2000, at the young age of 16, I wrote an embarrassingly terse review of the Final Fantasy III soundtrack. Granted, everything about this entry in the acclaimed series seemed novel at the time, given its lack of official localization (until the DS version release in 2006).
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved Original Soundtrack
It is a daunting task to keep track of all the great indie visual novels published these days. Fortunately, a recent review from my colleague Audra pointed me to Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved. Taking cues from franchises like Famicom Detective Club and Ace Attorney, this mystery-oriented title with classic pixel art visuals also sports a fresh, catchy soundtrack from up-and-coming composer Joey Lopes.
Blue Prince Original Soundtrack
Friends, have you spent any time in the Mount Holly mansion, centerpiece of the puzzle-adventure Blue Prince? If you haven’t, you really need to. If you have, you might have noticed some eerie, haunting music as you traversed the ever-changing halls and chambers. Without a doubt, the music fits the genre, the environment, the atmosphere, and plot of Blue Prince quite nicely. But are you familiar with the creators of this unique soundtrack? If not, you’re in good company.
SQ Music Collections
Now here’s an exciting compilation of arranged music! SQ Music Collections combines the entire catalog of Square Enix’s “SQ” music series in one handy release! That’s eleven albums, combined as a digital-only release. This release is freely streamable and is purchasable as a digital download for about 40 USD at various online distributors. Before digging into what this expansive collection includes, I’d like to touch on what it excludes.
Last SQ Music Review
Square Enix concludes their “SQ” series with Last SQ, a two-disc compilation of tracks from the eleven previous “SQ” entries. Fortunately, it does contain some new tunes as well. Four new arrangements, to be exact! As I write this, I should acknowledge that Last SQ is eclipsed in concept and in completeness by the recently released, digital-only SQ Music Collections, containing all 119 tracks in the series.
SQ Swing Music Review
As one of the final entries in Square Enix’s “SQ” album series, SQ Swing is a swingin’ thing. As I dug into this album, I found some startlingly impressive tracks. I also found some weak arrangements and some frustrating repeats. I also noticed a lack of cohesion in the “swing” theme. Not every one of these songs feels like the music of the 1930s, something from Benny Goodman or Count Basie. Perhaps Japan has a broader interpretation of the term?
Indivisible Original Game Soundtrack PLUS
Very few games have such sweeping soundtracks that offering all of the alternate, prototype, and otherwise unused music seems a sensible option. Think Final Fantasy XIII OST PLUS albums. Now imagine it’s even more thorough, and it’s from Indivisible by Hiroki Kikuta! Indivisible Original Soundtrack PLUS is the inevitable, surprisingly enjoyable follow-up to the full Indivisible OST.
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered Original Soundtrack
After Square Enix shadow dropped SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered earlier this year, I patiently waited for Square Enix Music to publish this new version’s full soundtrack. Why? Well, not for a remastering of the original audio. My excitement was entirely for the ten new tracks, which make up disc four. If you don’t have the existing SaGa Frontier 2 OST in your personal library and/or playlist, let’s establish that this is some of the best game music ever made.
Final Fantasy X | RPGFan
Podcasts Episode Date Retro Encounter 450 – Thank You, Good Night, and Good Luck Retro Encounter 429 – Final Fantasy Series Tier List Rhythm Encounter 134 – Masashi Hamauzu Spotlight Random Encounter 280 – The All-Star Lineup in RPGFan’s GOTY Bracket Battle Rhythm Encounter 117 – Underrated Final Fantasy Music Retro Encounter 376 – Rollercoaster of Emotion: The RPG Moments That Moved Us Rhythm Encounter 109 – Character World: RPG Character Themes II Retro Encounter 359 – RPGFan’s Guide to...
Across the Kosmos ~ Xenosaga Piano Collection
I have dreamt of the day Xenosaga got its own piano collection. Thanks to Wayô Records, Benyamin Nuss, and many others, that day has arrived. And it arrived with some extra perks! Across the Kosmos ~ Xenosaga Piano Collection is a follow-up of sorts to Across the Worlds ~ Chrono Cross Wayô Piano Collection.
Deltarune Piano Collections: Volume 1
Many gamers caught Deltarune fever in 2025, with the simultaneous release of Chapters 3 and 4 (of a planned seven total chapters). Personally, this game music fanboy had been waiting patiently for a Deltarune Piano Collections release from Materia Collective.
Shin Megami Tensei 30th Anniversary -Special Sound Compilation-
The Shin Megami Tensei 30th Anniversary -Special Sound Compilation- is a massive collection of music split between a 5-CD set and the baffling addition of a USB stick for what would have been another 14 CDs’ worth of music. In some ways, this set offers a massive, inclusive look at the music of Atlus’ flagship series. In other ways, there are frustrating gaps in coverage. In this review, my intention is to give an overview of what can be found, as well as what is missing, in this set.
#SQkawaii Sounds -Final Fantasy-
Oh snap! Time to break open some marble soda, because it’s time for #SQkawaii Sounds -Final Fantasy-! Enter a sugary synth-pop wonderland, where the music subverts genre expectations and the music is very, very hard to describe! What I can say for sure is that this is, indeed, a Final Fantasy series arranged album: one track from each numbered Final Fantasy title, as well as four melodies re-used throughout the series (prelude, main theme, chocobo, moogle).
Final Fantasy Piano Collections, Ranked
If you polled casual and die-hard RPG fans alike for which series’ music they’re most familiar with, I would assume Final Fantasy comes up a lot. Nobuo Uematsu’s name is known and celebrated, and rightfully so! If someone charged me with the task of ranking all of the Final Fantasy original soundtracks (OSTs), I don’t think I could do it. However! If someone asked me to rank all of the officially published Piano Collections in the series?
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