Smash Bros Creator Explains Why Game Only Had Two Final Fantasy Songs Until Now

It has recently come to light as to why there have only been two Final Fantasy songs in the Smash Bros series up until now, thanks to insight from the game’s creator. The Smash Bros series has become a staple of Nintendo gaming. The outlandish fighting of some of gaming’s most iconic characters set to a myriad of backgrounds and soundtracks offers players endless opportunities for entertainment. Whether fans reveal the dark side to the seemingly harmless Animal Crossing Villager or finally relieve Princess Toadstool of her damsel in distress trope, there is always plenty to keep fans engaged.

One of the key features of any Smash Bros game is the awesome selection of music on offer. A great melody adds a near-cinematic-like experience to a gamer’s latest throw down. Hearing Star Fox’s theme blasting through the television as Wario gets sent flying through the air by a well-placed attack is an experience that can not be replicated anywhere else. And, as is tradition, when a new fighter is brought to the arena, they bring with them more music for fans to hear. Despite this, there has always been a notable gap in the music offerings from the Final Fantasy series. Even with Final Fantasy 7‘s Cloud making his Smash debut in Super Smash Bros for the Wii U and 3DS, there were only two songs added to the game’s playlist.

This has now changed with the arrival of Final Fantasy‘s Sephiroth in Smash Bros Ultimate. Along with his entrance to the game, which was first announced at The Game Awards last week, Sephiroth has brought with him nine new tracks from Final Fantasy 7: “Opening – Bombing Mission”, “Those Who Fight (AC Version)”, “Those Who Fight Further (AC Version)”, “Aerith’s Theme”, “Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII”, “Jenova”, “Cosmo Canyon”, “One-Winged Angel”, and “Advent: One-Winged Angel”. During a recent presentation with Nintendo that showcased Sephiroth and the abilities that he will bring to Smash Bros Ultimate, director Masahiro Sakurai explained the copyright issues for the Final Fantasy music. Certain tracks require more permission to played within different games. While some pieces of music only need one copyright holder to give permission for the melodies to be available on additional outlets, others need to have the approval of several copyright holders before even being an option for games such as Smash Bros.

The release of these seven additional Final Fantasy 7 tunes in Smash Bros. is an awesome win for the game. The Final Fantasy series boasts some of the best gaming music to date, so these new tracks will be a welcome addition for fans of Nintendo’s brawling series.

Sephiroth has joined an incredible catalogue of playable characters with his arrival to Smash Bros Ultimate. He is one of the lucky ones. Others, such as Halo’s Master Chief, are still waiting to be invited to join in the fray. At least now, when and if he does, he will have some cracking Final Fantasy music to show off his Spartan skills to.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is available now for the Nintendo Switch.

Source: Nintendo

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