Nintendojo Jukebox: Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

It’s no secret that the sounds in Mother 3 are some of the most eloquently composed pieces of modern video game music. There’s one man who is responsible for its ever-absorbing tones and rhythmic display of emotion: Shogo Sakai. Before Mother 3, he was the head composer on Kirby Air Ride and Kirby Mass Attack, and now he’s returning to compose the music on Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. The music is some that is left unrivaled, but the track “Great Cave Escape” soothes in near therapeutic ways.

The heightened sound of the xylophones, the rapid precision of each violin– all of it molds together to create a piece of music that can only be fit in a game with a creative style such as this one. There are parts of the song where you feel a rush of energy that parallels itself with the level and its sea of color. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a game that goes far beyond the average level of excitement and exuberance to only find itself paired with music that does the same.

Great Cave Escape — Kirby and the Rainbow Curse — Composed by Shogo Sakai

In Mother 3, my favorite part of the game was relaxing in the water springs. If you haven’t played the game, that sounds beyond foreign. However, it wasn’t the act of walking into a water spring that I enjoyed, but rather that the music hit tones that invoked a similar feeling to that of actually being in a spring: serenity, calm, a sense of nirvana. The main draw of video game music, in most cases, is the composer being able to heighten the emotions and mood felt during select scenes. Mr. Sakai cared about even the tiniest of interactions and wanted to become a part of his world through the music he was putting together. “Great Cave Escape” shows that same love and, in a broader sense, is essentially one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite games with an orchestral remix applied.

The Water’s Fine/Hot Spring Music — Mother 3 — Composed by Shogo Sakai

The track starts off smooth, builds itself up, and continues to roll each and every way. It compliments itself to the level you’re playing, also titled “Great Cave Escape,” in that the beginning may be seen as a smooth experience, one to briskly progress through, only to swiftly place you in a world that is engrossed by vibrance. As Mr. Sakai has proven in previous games, when a song is composed for a game that can exist as a piece of art on its own, the music is exemplified and showcased as something left to be marveled upon. “Great Cave Escape” doesn’t come short of what’s to be considered extravagant and knowing it can be heard alongside one of the cutest games to ever be released brings nothing but the utmost levels of glee.