"Leviathan. Our most profaned fragment. Its divinity defiled by the hand of man. Its spirit shackled by his hubris." Ultima
The tragedy of Leviathan the Lost, or Waljas, the child Dominant of Leviathan, is presented via his frozen state. Waljas showcases the absolute terror a Dominant can be as a child. The tragedy of Waljas of his own people attempted to use him as a source of crystals rather than treat him as a human being. It's even more disgusting given how Waljas is a baby and they attempted to use him, not recognizing his innocence, save for his mother.
Notably, Leviathan's theme is from the very first trailer of Final Fantasy XVI. The trailer theme was amazing, and Soken turned it into an actual theme. In that way, the theme serves as a perfect musical bookend and conclusion, with Leviathan being the final Dominant boss fight of the game.
Safe Haven reflects the promise of a society free of prejudice and where all are equal. It's a peaceful and wistful take on Waljas' theme as it remarks the ideal society, albeit one built on the ultimate sin. The acoustic guitar, piano, and flute emphasize the simple yet fulfilling life the Motes of Water live compared to the other societies of Valisthea.
O Call Back Yesterday is more somber and even mournful. As we explore the Timeless Stones, time being stopped by the spell is definitely felt. Never to Break is a harsher take on O Call Back yesterday, as Waljas is freed, and therefore his rage is once again loose on Mysidia.
Unforgiven reflects a scared child as Clive takes a part of Waljas' power, however, the lyrics and music's more hopeful tone reflect Clive calming the baby. Black and Gold embodies the hope of Waljas's incoming freedom, as you can feel everything will be alright.
A Most Profaned Fragment, High Tide, and Cascade make up all three (out of four) phases of his boss fight, with the obligatory To Sail Forbidden Sails as the first phase of music. It captures the intensity and high stakes of the fight, not just to save Mysida but Waljas. The wistful music sections remind us of the Dominant being a baby who has no proper idea of what was going on around him, other than the pain he felt all this time.
Immersion's piano take of the theme finally brings the tragic tale of Waljas to a close, with Waljas now free and able to experience a life denied to him.
"So armed with both the knowledge of the ancients, and the secrets of time...our ancestors settled upon an ambitious plan. They would create a new Mothercrystal, and enchant it that it might endure for all eternity. Thus would our people's wandering—our suffering—finally end, and prosperity visit us once more. And all it would require was the sacrifice of a single child. A small price to pay...or so they believed." Shula
The Rising Tide DLC introduces the Motes of Water, the tribe of the Eikon Leviathan. A people who lost their homeworld on southern Ash's coasts were persecuted by the Holy Empire of Sanbreque for not converting to the Greagorian church. Fleeing to the realm of Mysidia in the decaying Northern Territories, the Motes of Water devised a plan to restore their tribe to glory...at the cost of committing the gravest sin: sacrificing their child Dominant Waljas. Their sin results in the tribe's near destruction and is the source of Shula's, the Tributary of Mysidia, and her generation's desire to atone for their ancestors' sins. In the end, with the help of Clive, Shula and her people atone for the sins of their ancestors.
Mysidia's theme is one of the most beautiful, mesmerizing themes I've ever heard, especially Wist in Water. It reflects the isolated yet seemingly idyllic paradise where non-bearers and bearers live in harmony, compared to Valisthea's policy of enslaving and dehumanizing bearers. However, said paradise is underlined in the tragedy of sin that the Motes of Water had committed.
Our Mother's Sky introduces us to the pretty, blue skies of Mysidia, the last remnant of the Northern Territories unaffected by the Blight, and the title of the DLC. The short track's use of the piano and the orchestra helps set the tone of the DLC.
From Spire to Sea showcases the land of Mysidia, the Aires of Hours, and Waljas' prison with the giant frozen wave of water. Similar to Our Mother's Sky, it helps set up the pleasant vibes of Mysidia.
The Ceaseless Rill plays as the party ascends towards Mysidia. It is a great prelude to Wist in Water. The piano conveys the feeling of loneliness yet anticipation of Mysidia's beauty, and the guitar adds a great layer of musical charm to the piano.
Wist in Water is simply beyond beautiful. I regard the track as one of the masterpiece tracks of Soken and his team. It is also one of the best video game tracks I've heard. Pianos are the best way to immerse someone in a story and environment. Pianos stand out and they bring an elegant and highly adaptable soundscape. The pianos reflect the joy and wonder of exploring Mysidia. The way the piano ascends and descends over and over, along with the orchestra, reflects the joy of Mysidia in contrast to the rest of Valisthea.
Bid Time Return, the Aires of Hours theme, reflects the Northern Territories' pride with the undertones of the tragedy of the Motes of Water. The horn instruments really stand out in this track as it reflects the Northern Territories' former glory before their downfall. The orchestra reflects the modern state of the Aire of Hours, now a testament to the Motes of Water's ultimate sin. The orchestra, flutes, and drums kick in when the battle variant of the theme plays as we combat the FF staple creature, Tonberries, and other creatures who made the Aires of Hours their hunting grounds.
"Initializing Eikonklastic defense system Omega-1." The Sagespire AI
A major part of Final Fantasy XVI's backstory is built on the collapsed ancient society known as the Fallen. Their arrogance and hubris were their undoing, but we only get to see glimpses of their former might. In the Echoes of the Fallen DLC, we get to see the full "glory" of the Fallen's "achievements" during their glory days at the Sagespire. The Fallen's theme captures the grandiose nature of the God-seeking society and Sagespire's vibes as Clive and his allies climb the tower.
The Worm Mounts puts a major emphasis on the organs, piano, and the choir to bring out the grand nature of this once great society. A society that fell because of its desire to become Gods like Ultima. The battle variant of the theme brings a frantic nature to the Fallen's attempts to catch up to the Gods and their various machines and experiments in doing so.
The Secret of Its Laboring Heart takes the Fallen theme in a much darker, ominous direction as we learn even more of the Fallen's twisted experiments with the Beastmen and monsters. The Sagespire also looks more ragged and creepy with Breath of the Wild-esque environments. It gets to the point that Jill (And we players by extension) believe it to be living flesh of sorts.
Eikonklasm leans a lot more into the electronic side of the Fallen theme to reflect the technological abomination that is Omega-1, the Fallen's attempt to create an artificial Eikon. The music really reflects how unnatural Omega is to the world of Final Fantasy XVI. There are also elements of eScape motif, FF14's Omega fight theme, that further enhance the otherworldly nature of Eikonklasm.
Bad Batch Season 2 introduces us to one of the most terrifying Clone Commandos variants: CX Troopers. They serve as Canon's Clone Assassins and even Phase 0 Dark Troopers to a degree. Hemlock took the most capable Clone Troopers and conducted horrific experiments to make them into his CX Troopers. These Clones are devoid of any personality, names, and even a number...all that's left is their fanatical loyalty to the Empire. They are willing to do Hemlock's bidding whether that be assassinating Senators who know too much to even killing rebellious Clones, their own brothers.
"I know the girl is here. Until she's turned over to me, your island will burn." CX-2
Their theme (the suite of their theme is done by Azc0na who did an amazing job compiling all uses of the theme together) also adds to these assassins' haunting, creepy nature. The electronic landscape really alludes to their nature as experiments of Hemlock and how robotic they are. It might even make you look over your shoulder to ensure one of them isn't tracking you. When they gear into action, the sound mixing gives off an even more unnatural vibe, even reaching horror levels. They give off the energy that you should run away unless you're a good fighter. These aspects make the CX Troopers theme one of the Kiners' best villain themes.
