11 Things We Miss From Final Fantasy

Any discussion of video game music is incomplete without the name of Nobuo Uematsu. His scores for the Final Fantasy series stand out as some of the most beloved in the history of video games, and alongside Koichi Sugiyama, no person has done more to bring game soundtracks into the mainstream.

After composing the first nine games in the franchise alone, Uematsu was finally afforded assistance for the tenth iteration. For many, the distinct East-Asian inspired soundtrack lacked the melodic quality of previous Final Fantasies, with many pointing the finger towards the new collaborators.

After providing a handful of tracks for XI, Uematsu left the company to form his own venture. The reasons were relatively prosaic; Uematsu simply did not wish to move from Meguro closer to Square-Enix's new offices in Shinjuku. One of his Final Fantasy X protégés, Masashi Hamauzu, assumed the position of lead composer, but for many nobody could adequately replace Uematsu.

Whilst by no means bad, Hamauzu's scores for the trilogy of Final Fantasy XIII lacked the memorable affability of the older titles in the series, with the new tunes possessing an edgier yet less easily digestible tone.

The good news for Final Fantasy XV is that industry veteran Yoko Shimomura is set to take over the musical reins, and if there is any one composer in the business who can match Uematsu's ability to write memorable, affecting melodies, it is her. Nevertheless, Uematsu's absence from the series just represents another piece of the lost magic.