https://www.vizzed.com/videogames/music.php?song=18307#player1?catid=0&trackid=0

I will say it straight: Dragon Quest VI was one of the worst games I’ve played in my entire life. Once you defeat Mudo there is virtually no way you can finish the game without a guide. Also, the game barely used any 3D effects, although monsters in battles FINALLY moved a little, unlike any Final Fantasy games before VII. How did the music fare?

It was actually pretty astounding, and it compared advantageously to Square products for once. DQ VI actually produced the best castle theme ever. At the Palace, like the Castle theme in Dragon Quest V uses no drum, which is a relief to the ears. But unlike its predecessor VI has absolutely delightful cellos making both the background and main arrangements tracks (although violins kick in around mid-loop). They sound VERY majestic, and even a little creepy when you first see the Dhama ruins in the early game. It is FAR superior to any Squaresoft castle theme; the drum and/or the trumpet track can be annoying at times.

DQ VI is also superior in that Sugiyama made a clear distinction between larger towns and smaller villages. In the Town has an excellent flute track that sounds very welcoming and joyful, as if the market fair were in every village – you can even hear a tambourine in the background. Inviting Village is also quite upbeat, compared to previous games, but the bassoon in the background makes it clear that the place we’re in IS smaller. The violins in the second part of the loop give the track the right level of welcomeness (a flute plays the part in the first half of the loop).

The rest of the soundtrack, while not stellar like Uematsu does it, is still excellent for DQ standards. For one thing the battle themes finally use the SNES sound chip to a better potential. Courageous Fight (ordinary battle) is quite upbeat and the drum track integrates pretty well. The main track goes back and forth between trumpets and violins, making the theme at par with the one in Dragon Warrior III. Monsters (the boss battle) uses VERY dramatic brass arrangements while an equally dramatic violin plays the core of the first part. In the second part, it gets a little quieter before cellos in the background kick in. Brave Fight is finally a “major boss” battle theme (against Mudo), and it sounds quite epic. After a high-pitch trumpet intro, the instrument plays epically with a mix of violins and flute to show you the high stakes of that battle. Demon Combat (the final boss) definitely sounds more epic than Lord Milrath (DQ V), but I think it was a little overdone. The intro starts a little too loud (it reminds me of Boss Battle 2 in Chrono Trigger) then switches to a few seconds of upbeat cellos before more trumpets kick in. The end of the loop uses the same high-pitch (and upbeat) trumpets that try to create too dramatic an ambiance.

Speaking of deceptions, there were a few more in the soundtrack. Another World is a very, very slow version of Through the Fields. I like the contrast between both since they show the two faces of the world, but it’s soooooo slow, and in the second part the background arrangements get so loud that it’s annoying. Ocean Waves (the boat theme) has the same problem. It does sounds epic and grand as ship themes should, but the loop is so long that it gets annoying. The second part with the staccato violins could have been cut off to make the theme more bearable. Flying Bed sounded rather silly for a flying theme. It was fitting for the said flying bed, but any serious RPG would not have had that silly feature in the first place. Castle (when you fly to Mudo’s castle in the introduction) was a much better fit for a flying theme.

While not a complete deception, Pegasus didn’t sound too epic compared to other flying themes even on the NES. It sounds vaguely magical with its slow tempo and light arrangements, but flying themes are meant to be epic like Highwind Takes the Sky in Final Fantasy VII.

I will end this review with something else Sugiyama did well for the soundtrack. He had a different dungeon track for Mudo’s Castle (Frightening Dungeon), and it fitted the situation well. There is a high pitch organ throughout the track to give a creepy ambiance; it’s made even better with the many silences during the loop that make the lightning bolts and scary clouds even scarier. He also FINALLY made a Dark World track worthy of the name (Satan’s Castle). It sounds VERY dramatic and dark with its mix of organ and cellos in the background with a touch of violins. The last part of the loop has organ arrangements that fit the psychedelic background of that world perfectly. Finally, Last Dungeon is truly worthy of its name. It’s an even creepier version of Satan’s Castle that is much slower and anguishing. The organ effects are a perfect fit for that long, complicated dungeon, while the brass effects (especially the trumpet) might make you jump a little if you’re too focused.

In short, if you can overcome the terrible gameplay you will be able to enjoy Dragon Quest VI. It boats some of the best tracks of the 16-bit era and of the whole series (up to that point). Despite some shortcomings its vast array of tracks will give you a wide array of emotions.