Did you know Square Enix actually put out a Christmas album last year? It’s mostly (actually, entirely) the Square side of S-E (no holiday Dragon Quest arrangements in sight), but it’s still worth a listen just to experience some unusual and very jingly versions of a few classic Square tunes. Here are some of the more notable ones in case you’re tired of playing the same old Christmas Eve background music.
“CAPTAIN SQUARE ~ Captain of the Shooting Stars / X’mas Edit”
httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmBtEPU0HOo
(Composer: Yoko Shimomura; arrangement: Yuki Hirose, Yasuhiro Yamanaka)
Here’s an obscure one to start out–this comes from Square’s Japan-only RPG Live A Live. The original (listen to it here) is a super bloopy chiptune (complete with sound effects), so hearing any arrangement of it–let alone this Christmas version–is a surreal surprise.
“Wind Scene / X’mas Edit”
httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCLV8pRAmhc
(Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda; arrangement: Ryo Yamazaki)
This should be more familiar if you’ve played Chrono Trigger: a Christmas take on the 600 A.D. overworld.
“Chocobo’s Happy Christmas”
httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWG1mtGByNg
(Composer: Masashi Hamauzu)
So, this one is a bit weird. I haven’t played Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon, but I think this actually appeared as-is in the game as a Christmas version of the main theme, which itself was a version of Final Fantasy‘s long-running chocobo theme. I would really love to know the context. (Please correct me if I’m wrong.)
“12 Days of StarCraft”
httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV5m1QJ4F4w
Finally, this clearly isn’t from the Square Enix album, but no gamer’s Christmas is complete without the good old “12 Days of StarCraft,” as performed by most of the StarCraft cast. Sing along if you know the words!
From all of us at Video Game Hangover, here’s hoping your weekend is filled with holiday cheer, giant yellow chickens, and–if you’ve been good–maybe a Terran Wraith or two.
Videos by 8BallsEmperor and avatar1593 on YouTube