LogFAQs > #974114345

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception - Koi Yume
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - Close in the Distance
To the Moon - Everything's Alright

MATCH 1

I remember hearing Koi Yume for the first time during VGMC13 nominations. At the time, I don't think I thought much of it, but for some reason, I remembered it over the years, and when I listened to it again during nominations this year, I found that it grew on me a lot. It's a really heartfelt ballad. I like it the most when the chorus kicks in with the burst of violins. Those high-pitched strings really serve as the glue to the chorus for me. But the softer verses are really nice too.

Temporal Tower is one of my favorite Pokemon Mystery Dungeon songs! I think what I like a lot about this song is that it has a lot of moving parts that complement each other nicely. Like the Time Gears moving together synchronously.

This is definitely the toughest round 1 match in terms of the strength of both songs and the closeness of the match.

MATCH 2

I really like the overlapping guitars in the beginning of the song. And the way the vocals and piano alongside the guitar all harmonize with each other is also really great. Definitely a top-tier FFXIV song based on what I've heard so far.

I don't think I need to explain why I dislike Toxic Anoxic.

MATCH 3

Unlike Koi Yume, I...admittedly did not remember Everything's Alright from VGMC13 (and this one actually made it into the contest that year!). But don't take that to mean that I'm not a fan of this song! To the contrary, I really enjoy emotional piano stuff like this. And the vocals are just the right amount of breathiness that suits a song like this.

K'Sante has some really good peaks in the song, but unfortunately, I think the lulls in the song like the one starting at around 1:30 take away from my enjoyment of the song. I really enjoy the high energy of those peaks, and the lulls aren't really doing much for me, so from my perspective, they kind of overstay their welcome, making up maybe half the song or somewhere around there. But 3:07-3:54 is great and definitely my favorite part of the song. The power in the vocals and the brass is very cool, and there are some interesting chord changes that happen like at 3:38 and 3:49.

Also kind of a close match, but I think Everything's Alright is better on average for its consistency.

Koi Yume > Close in the Distance > Temporal Tower > Everything's Alright > K'Sante, the Pride of Nazumah >> Toxic Anoxic