Super Mario RPG - Forrest Maze

Composer: Yoko Shimomura

Wow, what a song.

I never played RPGs as a kid, and in fact it took me years to even learn the definition. I remember people trying to example them to me: "You backtrack a lot, go and get items and return them to previous areas to unlock new places." So, you mean like getting the Morph Ball to be able to proceed to new zones in Metroid, or finding keycards to open large doors in Doom? No, not quite. Either way, Super Mario RPG was the first, and, to date, only RPG I have ever played all the way through. Mario made the game more accessible; I was already familiar with most of the characters, and it was a standalone game, meaning I didn't have to know any backstory to play, a la Final Fantasy.

Super Mario RPG has one of the greatest, most dynamic soundtracks in 16 bit gaming history. The Forrest Maze track here plays as Mario and Mallow search for the doll Geno, who somehow became alive the night before and ran off into the forrest. The song is cheerful and optimistic and peaceful... it seems so inappropriate to go from this to the battle theme if you get into a scuffle with one of the crazy dancing plants. But then it goes for the dark, gloomy, minor breakdown at about 0:20 seconds that seems futile and hopeless, only to almost immediately reprise back to the main, jolly melody.

In comparison with the last two songs I wrote about, this is obviously much more of an ensemble, orchestral piece. No real percussion, the bass lines are simple two note I-IV (I think... I am sure there is a musical term for this but I don't know it). The melody itself is composed of synth-strings in both lead and rhythm that give it the classical feel it has.

Special note should be made, I think, to not only the composition of such great pieces, but knowing exactly when and where to use them in the game for maximum effect. The Forrest Maze, as with most other tunes in this game, is brilliantly placed. I simply cannot see how this song could be anything other than the Forrest Maze theme. It conjures up images of trees, greens and shrubs. It also conjures up images of brilliance, and one of the greatest adventure games, ever.