05 - Game Over - The Legend of Zelda (NES) Orchestral Arrangement

When I was contemplating arranging the NES Zelda soundtrack, this was the first track to come to mind. I imagined another piece of music that was extended far beyond practicality in the context it appears in. This is a bit like many of Nobuo Uematsu's compositions in a Final Fantasy game, where the player can’t help but want to stay in the title screen, or a certain area, just to listen to the music in its entirety. As I played the simple melody in my head, I found myself removing notes, further simplifying the melody so that it became slower, more lyrical and romantic, and I was excited at the prospect of arranging this. I played around with it on the piano and got a clearer picture of what the "game over" screen could be portraying. Perhaps each time Link dies his spirit is sent to some otherwordly plane or a house of healing where he rejuvenates before returning to Hyrule.

The quantum journey starts out painful. I use low tremolo strings that undercut the melody played by the glockenspiel. Link has just died and his soul is wandering through the void. He slowly starts to gain consciousness of what is happening to him, as his death is not the end. Eventually the creepy strings fade away, and the tone becomes more peaceful and comforting. A soft guitar now sets the tone as Link enjoys a brief rest. As the chosen one, he is aided by all the powers of good. He is not allowed to die so easily and end the hope of Hyrule. The events leading to his early demise play through his head. He ponders the mistakes he made, perhaps he questions his purpose. How could the chosen one fail in his mission? As demoralizing as the situation seems, the constant he can rely on is that he can always “continue.” Thankfully, the game has no perma-death. He can persevere through it all. As the track concludes, I tag the Zelda main cue back in. Link must pick his sword back up and return to his quest.

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The Legend of Zelda Orchestral Arrangement
Arrangement and fan art by Jeremiah Sun

Originally composed by Koji Kondo

You can buy this game for 3DS from the Nintendo eShop