It’s not just the graphics and character models that have gotten a gorgeous update in Final Fantasy VII Remake: the classic tunes from the original game have been remastered and remixed, making for an incredible nﷺew OST.
The various versions of the original battle theme “Let The Battles Begin!” alone are pretty amazing, but there’s one track in particular that really stood out to me as an inventive re-i𒊎magining of one of the original tracks: “Smash ‘Em, Rip ‘Em,” the track that plays when Tifa and Aerith team up for the first time.
[Light spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake]
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There is a lot of subtlety to appreciate here in the way the music complements the scene, a🌌nd vice-versa. The music starts off pretty dark and ominous to accompany the Corneo goons and their disgusting intentions. The main piano riff of Tifa’s theme kicks in with anticipatory delicateness when Aerith starts speaking, signalling the beatdown that’s about to go down. Then, after an incredible lead-up (with the tiniest, blink-and-miss-it pitying cinch of the brows on Aerith’s part), the main melody kicks in as Aerith kicks the guy in the balls.
No matter how many times I✨ watch it, that drop is immensely satisfying, and leads into a hugely fun, upbeat, and inventive remix of the somewhat melancholic original track. It’s obvious a lot of thought has gone into this arrangement to make it the perfect accompaniment to the action-pac🗹ked segment and the instant chemistry between the two heroines. The title of the track itself is a reference to their threats to Corneo later on when Aerith threatens to “rip ‘em off,” followed by Tifa promising to “smash ‘em.”
All that൩ considered, I was a little disappointed that they didn’t incorporate Aerith’s theme as well, but it’s understandable: given that her theme has a dual usage as one of the main themes of the game itself and might have stood out too much. Still, the track is just an incredibly lovely musical reference that thoughtfully weaves a lot of character details together— not to mention, just an absolute bop. Thank you, Square Enix, for this incredible gift.