The Videogame Scores of Ryuji Sasai
This is a lightly edited post dating to August 10, 2016, originally posted on my blog, which I am now republishing here.
A Little Detective | Champion Software | 1988
Ryuji Sasai
Confirmed, I believe, by his VGMO profile which makes mention of "Champion Soft's A Little Adventure." The names are just close enough for me to take it as confirmation.
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage | Microcabin | 1989
Ryuji Sasai & Tadahiro Nitta
Sasai also arranged the FM Towns version, according to his VGMO profile.
Final Fantasy | Microcabin | 1989
Nobuo Uematsu
This MSX port of Final Fantasy had its music arranged by Sasai and/or Nitta. It sounds great, by the way, even better than the NES version. It can be listened to here courtesy of YouTube user explod2A03 or here courtesy of VGMRips.
Rance | AliceSoft | 1989
Ryuji Sasai
(& Dragon Attack! & Hanns Eisler)?
Mentioned on the aforementioned VGMO profile and seconded by VGMRips which names the other two composers.
Heart of Phantasm III | Xtalsoft | 1990
Ryuji Sasai & Chihiro Fujioka
(& Shigekazu Kamaki & Yumi Kinoshita)?
Also known as Phantom of the Heart III or Mugen no Shinzou 3.
The exact number of composers varies. All sources list Sasai and Fujioka, however.
Xak 2: Rising of the Red Moon | Microcabin | 1990
Ryuji Sasai & Tadahiro Nitta
Sasai also arranged the FM Towns version, according to aforementioned VGMO profile.
Fray in Magical Adventure | Microcabin | 1990
Ryuji Sasai & Tadahiro Nitta
Sasai also arranged the FM Towns version, according to aforementioned VGMO profile.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest | Square | 1992
Ryuji Sasai & Yasuhiro Kawakami
Final Fantasy Legend III | Square | 1993
Ryuji Sasai & Chihiro Fujioka
Treasure of the Rudras | Square | 1996
Ryuji Sasai
Tobal No. 1 | Square | 1996
Masashi Hamauzu & Kenji Ito & Yasuhiro Kawakami & Noriko Matsueda & Yasunori Mitsuda & Junya Nakano & Ryuji Sasai & Yoko Shimomura
Track "Character Select" composed by Sasai.
Bushido Blade 2 | Light Weight/Square | 1998
Ryuji Sasai
Sasai left Square after two projects he was set to score were cancelled.
SaGa 3 -Shadow or Light- | Square | 2011
Kenji Ito & Ryuji Sasai & Chihiro Fujioka
Both Ito and Sasai composed new tracks in addition to arranging the FFLIII originals by Sasai and Fujioka.
RPG Dragon Sinker | Kemco | 2016 (?)
Ryuji Sasai
Confirmed by the page on Google Play.
RPG Fairy Elements | Kemco | 2016 (?)
Ryuji Sasai
Confirmed by the page on Google Play
These credits were found through obscure websites, often put through Google Translate, as well as the YouTube user AccelJoe. While I err towards believing the best, I couldn't (and still can't) find any other confirmation for his credits.
Chotto Meitantai ~Misa-chan Monogatari Series~ | AliceSoft | 1989
Ryuji Sasai
I have little difficult believing this one, as Sasai had worked on Rance. If true, compositions were likely reused in the Rance series - it's possible that Sasai's music for Rance may be partially or even wholly for reused compositions from this game. Assuming that he really did score this game in the first place!
Tawhid | Champion Software | 1989
Ryuji Sasai
a.k.a. Tauhid.
Crimson II | Xtalsoft | 1989
Ryuji Sasai & Chihiro Fujioka & Shigekazu Kamaki &/or Yumi Kinoshita
What's Michael? | Microcabin | 1989
Ryuji Sasai &/or Tadahiro Nitta
Crimson III | Xtalsoft | 1990
Yumi Kinoshita & Shigekazu Kamaka &/or Ryuji Sasai
Chitty Chitty Train | Microcabin
Ryuji Sasai &/or Tadahiro Nitta
Advanced Fantasia Down | Microcabin
Ryuji Sasai &/or Tadahiro Nitta
Aiza: New Generation | Tierhiet | 1991
R. Kikugawa &/or Ryuji Sasai
Sword World | T&E Soft
Ryuji Sasai & Shigekazu Kamaki &/or Yumi Kinoshita
PAL: Shinken Densetsu | Fill-in Cafe
IMDb says Sasai. (But then, IMDb also claims Live a Live was a co-written by him and Shimomura. I have my doubts about IMDb's reliability regarding videogames, let's say.) Youtube user Wyrdwad says Goto Tsugutoshi - which I find far easier to believe.
These ones - or, well, this one - found through the usual obscure, obscure sources... I have grave doubts about its validity and only include it out of courtesy to probability.
Last Chronicle Online | Hobby Japan
Score may've been composed by Sasai.
What else?
After leaving Square Enix Sasai has made his career as bass guitarist for the Queen tribute band Queen Mania and for the rock band Spiders from Cabaret.
It's impossible to 100% verify his work outside of Xak, Fray, and Square/Square Enix.
Before joining Square Enix he was a freelancer, frequently on employ at Microcabin and Xtalsoft. He played bass guitar and backing vocals for the band Action starting in 1988; the band was active for a decade. He composed music for the anime television series' The Mysterious Cities of Gold and Adventures of the Little Koala, and contributed to the score for the anime film Windaria.
According to that VGMO profile I keep referring back to he in '82 joined progressive rock band Novela, serving as instrumentalist and songwriter.
Original Sound Version interviewed him in 2009, revealing that since leaving SE he has composed and arranged music for bishoujo games, pachinko machines, and other bands.
His music is badly underrated. Final Fantasy Legend III has many excellent tracks. Treasure of the Rudras stands up with the rest of Square's late-SNES era masterpieces. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is rightly love and well-regarded by many-a-gamer.
I hope one day that Sasai will return to the videogame music industry as he is a very talented composer.
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