The quality of this game is somewhat polarizing, but one thing most can agree on is that it has a good soundtrack, the first in the series by composer Yoko Shimomura, opening with a beautiful piece that commences with piano flourishes then intensifies with other instruments, before softening again. It proceeds to the title screen theme, “Nostalgic Song,” which is a somewhat somber piece consisting mostly of woodwinds in the beginning but again flourishing with other instruments before looping. “World of Mana” is a soft piece that plays on the overworld when the player is placing objects to symbolize towns and dungeons.
The “Song of MANA” is the main opening theme that plays once the player places the mailbox symbol on said overworld, with Swedish lyrics that would sound alien to both American and Japanese players. “Places of Soul” is another peaceful piece that plays at the player’s base of operations, with lovely use of woodwinds. The theme for the town of Domina follows, which is another lovely piece, although some reviewers for some reason have said that Shimomura’s town themes were weak, with which this writer adamantly disagrees, given the bounciness of the tune.
“Daedal’s Organ” is another piece played in said town, which, true to its identity, emphasizes the organ, sounding bouncy as well. “Wanderer’s Path” indicates a change of tone, given its intensity, and somewhat rocky nature, with nice orchestration. “Pain the Universe,” one of the boss themes, also indicates a change in tone, given its electric disposition, and while some may argue it clashes with the rest of the soundtrack, it’s still a nice, energetic piece. The soundtrack softens back up with the theme of the town of Gato, which starts off softly but has intense orchestral flourishes.
The soundtrack intensifies again with “Earth Painting,” which effectively captures the earthly tone of its moniker. “Marginal Beast” sounds to be another boss theme, less intense than “Pain the Universe” but nonetheless with a nice rocky feel. The theme for the town of Roa is one of the softest themes in the album, with its main notes consisting of bells, with some woodwinds in the mix. “Everyday Dream ~Spirit’s Song” is another soft piece with synthesized vocals alongside the harp notes that give it an enigmatic feel. “To the Sea” has a tropical feel that very well conveys the theme of sailing.
The theme to Popula is played mostly with piano, and has an upbeat nature with xylophone and accordion flourishes. “Everyday Dream” is another vocalized piece that sounds beautiful an enigmatic like its longer-titled predecessor. “Calmly Traveling,” despite its name, is a slightly-intense piece with an emphasis on drums that give it a good rhythm. “Bedight Orbit” is a funky-sounding track emphasized by percussion and having flourishes that make it feel somewhat like a disco piece. “The Wind Sings of a Journey” further continues the soundtrack’s dive into various genres, nuanced by Celtic woodwinds.
The theme to the city of Geo sounds somewhat bouncy, starting out softly but intensifying at points, with many xylophone flourishes. “Memory of Running” is another piece containing hard and soft sections, with drums mainly emphasizing its intense parts. “Darkness Nova” is in contrast a mostly hard piece with electric guitars augmenting its intensity. In contrast, “Pastoral” is a peaceful piece played mostly with woodwinds that definitely gives a feel of the countryside. “Ranch Night” is a similarly serene track, although it doesn’t seem exactly to fit an evening at a ranch or farm, despite being good.
“Maker’s Gallop” is an upbeat piece that sounds somewhat mechanical, as if one is riding a mechanized animal or other form of transportation. “Dreamseed Fruit,” true to its identity, sounds like someone is in a dream, and is mostly a soft-sounding piece indicative of a calming lullaby. “Good Things Happen!” is a brief jingle that likely plays during a positive gameplay moment during a playthrough, and fits the rest of the soundtrack. “Let’s Play the Organ” is another brief track that sounds like a partial organ remix of the town theme for Domina, having two “parts.”
“Nocturne” appropriately sounds like a nighttime piece played with a piano and is mostly soft and calming. “Digger’s Song – Song of Spelunkers” appropriately sounds like an earthy jingle with vocal flourishes of evident miners. “Peaceful Song,” unsurprisingly, is a peaceful track played with woodwinds and a harp. “Sorrowful Song,” moving on, is a sad-sounding piece that very well conveys a saddening moment. “Joyful Song,” like its other brief entries in the “Song” series, is a cheerful piece, played with strings and woodwinds. “Mysterious Song” rounds out the series of brief tracks, appropriately sounding like an enigmatic piece.
“Where Truth Can Be Found” is a dark, but not satanic, sounding piece that very well conveys the crusade in finding fact. “Two Feelings – Lucemia” has an enigmatic feel to it, with a constant xylophone instrumentation and woodwind flourish. “Irwin on Reflection” is another rocky piece, albeit slightly softer, which sounds like it would belong during a battle. “Distant Truth” is softer, but has significant drum flourishes, and definitely does sound like the characters accompanying the music are seeking distant truth. “Overlapping Destinies” is another mysterious piece that well upholds its moniker, starting softly before intensifying.
“Bondage Bestowed” is by contrast a mostly-sad piece likely played during a somber cutscene, performed mostly with woodwinds. “Fiery Castle” sounds to be a dungeon track, definitely sounding as though it would be played in a fortress of flames, given its intensity. “Leading into Prosperity” is another intense track, and doesn’t seem to uphold its name very well, given its brief soft moments, although it’s still a good piece. “The One Who Waits for the Breath of Destiny,” however, does indeed uphold its longwinded moniker, sounding peaceful at first but evolving into a militaristic tune.
“Blue Gloom” is a peaceful-sounding twinkly piece that does sound like it would play during a somber moment emphasizing azure color. The brief “Jewel Thief Sandra Appears!” has a Middle-Eastern feel to it, and definitely fits the character. “Sparkling City of Ruin” is a mostly peaceful yet melancholy-sounding track, with occasional violin flourishes and played mostly with piano. “Treasured Love” is definitely different in style, played mostly with the organ, and while it doesn’t exactly sound like a romantic piece, it is good and has a “dark” feel to it.
“Of Glittering Tears” very much sounds like a sad piece, with harp flourishes symbolic of teardrops, and woodwinds accompanying. “The Great Virtue of Gathering Mana’s Spirit” is a beautiful piano piece that has a very mysterious feel to it. “Holy Palace of Mana” sounds to have an opening similar to its predecessor, but proceeds to sound like music from another of Shimomura’s soundtracks, that for Parasite Eve, definitely indicative of her overall style. “The Gloaming (Silence of Time)” opens softly with piano before receiving “dark” flourishes from instruments like the electric guitar and organ.
One of the final tracks is a remix of “Nostalgic Song” played on the violin, which is absolutely gorgeous and does the original version justice. Another remix, that of the opening vocal track, concludes this soundtrack, which is easily one of Yoko Shimomura’s strongest works, beating out many of her later work including her Kingdom Hearts soundtracks, and while some may protest the various styles used within the music as inconsistent, given the variation of emotions and instruments, it’s still recommended to fans of the series and videogame soundtrack aficionados in general.
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