On Christmas of 2009, theZelda Reorchestratedteamfinally releasedits grand rearrangement of the entireOcarina of Timesoundtrack, which used high-end sample libraries to make the music sound like a live symphonic performance. In fact, I’m legitimately disappointed I can’t swap out thesoundtrack forOcarina of Time 3D, which wasintentionally remadeto sound nearly identical to that of the N64 original, with the ZREO album. So very disappointed.
That same December, young composer Braxton “Skotein” Burks decided that, dammit, the music to thePokémonseries demanded the same quality, orchestrated treatment. He was able to set upPokémon Reorchestratedas a sister site to ZREO and started releasing a few arranged songs here and there. But that wasn’t enough. He wanted to go the whole hog with a full album,Kanto Symphony, a 35-track journey through the music ofPokémon Red / Blue / Green / Yellow.
Braxton graciously provided Destructoid with the above three-track preview, featuring “Wild Pokémon Battle,” “Silph Co.,” and “Pallet Town.” The samples used clearly sound better than those used on theOoTalbum; Braxton is even going the extra step towards authenticity by hiring solo musicians for key parts. The album will be released throughJoypad Records, a music label that is helping Braxton clear the necessary copyrights so that he can sellKanto Symphonylegally on iTunes and other channels.
This Pokémon Reorchestrated project is flat-out kickass, and I’m glad its coming along swimmingly. If you’d like to follow its progress, visit themain site,Facebook page, orYouTube page. There, you’re able to listen to earlierKanto Symphonysongs, which will most likely be getting overhauled before the fullrelease.
