Earthbound Halloween Hack - Commentary
1k words across 18 entries.
Earthbound Halloween Hack Listen on: YouTube (playlist)
Honestly, I did very little music hacking in this hack. It just feels like a lot because I did more than anyone else has ever done... ever. I had never music hacked (note-wise) before this hack, so it took me a while to get used to the system and get good at it, which is why the last boss song sounds the best and the early songs sound kind of crappy.
Just to help you understand why it took me a while to make GOOD music, here's a picture of the music editor:
If you have no idea what the hell is going on, you're pretty much on the same boat I was. Music is pretty much coded through a bunch of different numbers telling the game how long notes are, what pitch they are, etc. Pretty much you need to be able to look at numbers and hear music like it's the Matrix or something. It was ridiculous.
Even as I got better, songs took a hell of a long time to make. I know that the last boss song took me an entire Sunday to do, just because I had to code every single slide, every single fade-in, every single instrument change, every single NOTE... seriously. When you play my hack, just appreciate every single note and pixel I had to make. It took forever, okay!?
File select Listen on: YouTube
Pretty much when you hear this, you should think: "Hey! Zombies on my title screen!" Simple yet effective.
Twoson Love Theme Listen on: YouTube
I wanted to do this because it would make Twoson fun to walk around in again. It's a little boring to walk around in a place whose music you're already sick of even if you love it. I think even changing the notes a little revitalized the whole spirit of adventure. Along with the new color of Twoson it really reminds me of a very happy, brisk fall day. Even if I only changed a little, I love this song a lottttt. Totally and utterly symbolizes the happy originality of the beginning of the game.
Synchronicity Listen on: YouTube
The song it plays at the beginning and when you go into the sewers. Although you would never know it, this song is a direct rip of "Synchronicity" from Brandish 2, which is a fantastic song. It took forever to get just perfect, I think it's the longest song it took me to compose because it had a lot of bugs when played in the actual game and plus if you didn't realize it's actually a minute and thirty seconds long... hahaha! I don't like my own arrangement too much (it's okay, good for EB I guess) but I love the game it comes from and its music so it's fine. Sort of another themesong for the game for me.
Dark Onett/Unused Intro Listen on: YouTube
Originally I had a cool intro going. If you go into Onett at the beginning of the game in Twoson, you can hear it. It's really out of place considering the rest of the game, so I never had the chance to use it, but I think it's a cool little ditty, if a tad repetitive after the repeat. Hey, I never meant for you to hear it that long... actually it's kinda fitting with all the super-death-enemies in there, I think.
Game Over Listen on: YouTube
When I made this, I wanted a song that made it painful and embarassing to die. I think the obnoxious phones, out-of-place bird tweets and dissonant chords that I altered really hit home with this one. It makes you laugh with how stupid it is. I love it.
File select 2 Listen on: YouTube
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This track has no official title.
Sewers Listen on: YouTube
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This track has no official title.
Winters Listen on: YouTube
I took Giygas's lair and just added a creepy sound to it. So easy, so effective.
Dream Maze (Edit) Listen on: YouTube
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This track is a slowed down Dream Maze with a different instrument. It has no official title.
Dead Onett Listen on: YouTube
I was thinking about an ultra-slow version of the Onett song with a pink Onett and it made me really sad and made my throat get all lumpy thinking about it for some reason so I wanted to capture that. I don't think I did it perfectly but EB doesn't have enough channels for that. It's still pretty good. That's really just it, I hope it makes your throat lumpy too. It reminds me of everyone I don't talk to anymore.
Bad Morning to You (Edit) Listen on: YouTube
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This is a slightly altered version of "Bad Morning to You" with an additional instrument added. It has no official title.
Power (Edit) Listen on: YouTube
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This track is a rip of the original version of "Power" from Earthbound, but unlike the original, it doesn't have the bass fade-in intro. It has no official title.
Techno Boss Battle Listen on: YouTube
First battle song I made from scratch. It's an okay song, it's admittedly kind of crappy but still kind of cool. After I made it I was like "oh crap, this won't fit the boss battles at all!" But I actually used it for two of them anyway. Whatever.
The Id Listen on: YouTube
This song is from Final Fantasy Legend III, right before when you fight the final boss when you're fighting this guy that doesn't want to fight you and you have to kill him. I only copied the first two parts, actually, but there's only like four measures so that's pretty much all of it. I put Buzz-Buzz in the background and it turned out really loud but I don't care. It's supposed to sort of be like... this is sad, and my heart is quaking. Maybe you get it.
Megalovania Listen on: YouTube
This is it, the final boss theme. I wanted to put Live A Live's Megalomania in here but I didn't get to so I made my own last boss song. I pretty much just yelled whatever I felt like into a mike and copied it down. Yep. Took forever, but it was superkickass-worth-it. Total embodiment of final bossitude.
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This song is incredibly reminiscent of Brandish 2's "Gadobadorrer", though it hasn't been directly addressed by Toby as an inspiration.
Game Over (Andonuts) Listen on: YouTube
Jebb: (wiki editor)
This track is a sped up version of the original game over theme of the hack. It has no official title.
Earthbound Halloween Hack
Track list (1–17)