As always with Curaga records, the packaging prioritises sleek style over garishness, with simple and bold being the keywords, all the while having imagery that evokes the game series at hand, in this case, the blacks, pinks, purples, and blues matching the mellow dreaminess and focus on hopeful melody that permeates the soundscapes of the Final Fantasy games.
This also isn’t the work of one artist, with the full list of producers and arrangers being:
- Boshii
- Colonel Sweatpants
- Emunator
- foreteller
- GlitchXCity
- Hotline Sehwani
- nokbient
- Samantha Van Der Sluis
- Save Point
- Shady Monk
- lost:tree
- VisualEyes
- Waypast
- Champion Xegg
- wutai
With instrumentation courtesy of:
- Marissa Turnage - Violin
- Patrick McBride – Double Bass
- Tabitha Louise - Flute
- 88Bit – Piano
The mastering was handled by Save Point, whilst the album art was created by Art by Galen & Save Point.
The front cover of the album holds the covers for each individual record, this isn’t a gatefold, but instead has both records slipping in, with an opening in the centre through which the crystal on the cover can be viewed through. The covers of both individual records feature crystals from the game series, and are the same artwork with colouring differences. The rear of each has the track listing and credit details in a font that echoes the colours used on the front, all very tasteful!
The records themselves are in anti-static sleeves - which is always good to see – and the rear main cover sports images that are Curaga Record style isometric interpretations of key items and locations from the Final Fantasy Game series. The vast majority of the 20 tracks here (5 to each side) range between 2:30 mins and 3:30 Mins, meaning that each side is well under the limit that would affect sound quality, so this is one for the audiophiles out there!
Whilst there are many fingers in the pie on this record with the various producers and arrangers involved, there’s definitely a thematic template set down, ensuring that there’s a vibe that makes the album flow. Whilst there are some mellower tracks, and others where the bass takes centre stage – such as in VisualEyes’ To the Edge, which closes side C, and the upright-centric Nobility Obliges, the track that opens the final side of the album.
Alongside these, there are others that perhaps focus more on the backbeat, main melody, or go for a more ambient approach, but there is one track that stood out in a more negative way for me, and that was Colonel Sweatpants’ The Great Warrior, which uses some audio choices and effects that really aren’t easy on the ear at all, and was commented on as such by another listener in the room that shared my thoughts. It is a more experimental track, but feels out of place here, set as is amidst a suite of music that focuses on a relaxing, chilled vibe.
Curaga Records’ Video Game LoFi: Final Fantasy is a wonderful collection of tracks from a variety of sources that all have their individual stamp on each entry whilst holding together as a thematic whole, a celebration of the rich aural history of a seminal series of games as viewed through the lens of lo-fi from masters of the genre. This selection of tracks absolutely shows the strength and timelessness of the melodies from the source material, and is a great addition to any FF fans record collection.
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