OST of the Day #7: Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Bramble Blast

Hey Steempress!

OSTs are really underrated but they're so good, so I thought I'd share a song a day and my thoughts about it in this series! I highly recommend listening while reading! 😊

With the recent showcase of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch at E3, I thought I'd share a song from another Smash Bros. game:

 

Here's the song for today!

If you're unfamiliar with the Smash Bros. series, this game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, is a crossover fighting game and is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, developed by Sora Ltd. and Game Arts, and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game was directed by Masahiro Sakurai and released in 2008 (a full decade ago!) and like its predecessors, the objective of the game is to knock your opponents off the screen. It is a departure from traditional fighting games, notably in its simplified move commands and emphasis on ring outs over knockouts like in Street Fighter.

Personally, I didn't know anything about the Smash Bros. series until I played this game, because the Wii was the first Nintendo console I ever owned (I was more of a handheld gamer before that). It was the first fighting game we got on the Wii, and it's probably gotten the most playtime out of all our Wii games, because it's soooo goood! It's just one of those games where you can just turn it on (and turn off your brain) and beat up your friends/some CPUs. I remember countless matches between myself, my brother and my 2 younger cousins where we would set the map to Loser's Pick, so before every match we would say "hey loser" to prompt the person to pick the map. Good times. 😂

 

Anyway, the song I chose for today is Bramble Blast, a a remastered/remixed version of an iconic song in the Donkey Kong Country series. The original song is called Stickerbrush Symphony, from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for the SNES.

The reason why I chose Bramble Blast is because it's the most memorable song and one of my personal favourites from Brawl.
This song can be found in the Campaign/Adventure Mode of the game, known as Subspace Emissary (SSE). This mode is a plot-driven, side-scrolling beat 'em up featuring computer-generated cut scenes and a selection of playable characters. This song in particular, comes up in the level called The Swamp, where you can play as Diddy Kong, Fox and Falco.

Brawl's musical score, composed through a collaboration by 38 renowned video game composers, was lauded for its representation of different generations in gaming history. Bramble Blast was arranged by Michiko Naruke, a famous video game music composer, who also arranged the Ocarina of Time Medley in this game as well as some other songs in the subsequent Smash Bros. game, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, released in 2014.

I think Naruke did a fantastic job with this song, capturing the atmosphere of the Swamp, the sense of adventure you get as the player, and conveying certain elements from the Star Fox and DKC series, all while giving a fresh take on this iconic song.

The song starts out quiet and subtle, with the familiar Stickerbrush Symphony 5-note tune, but just from the first few seconds you can already tell that it's different, not just in the actual notes but in the tone (as in atmosphere) as well.

In DKC2, the same 5 notes are slightly lower pitch, and the 8-bit sounds (fitting with the SNES) give a more tranquil feeling. It's also suited to the level in which the song is played, where you're surrounded by deadly brambles and have to navigate the bramble 'maze' through barrel cannons. I've never played DKC2 before, but many people have cited this as one of the hardest levels in the game. From what I've seen, the key to this level is timing, and the tranquility of the music reflects that as players need to slow down and think their button presses carefully while observing the patterns of the moving barrels/enemies.

Brawl's version is vastly different. The same 5 notes are slightly higher, plucked by violins, with an accompanying electric piano and hi-hat beats in the background. Then the strumming of the acoustic guitar comes in as the harmony, then another acoustic guitar sets up the melody for a violin, all with numerous drum beats and subtle horns in the background. The cello comes in during the bridge, then the song goes into a high, fast-paced climax with many loud beats before simmering down to bring out the same 5 note sequence yet again.

Luigi bobbing his head to the beat

The feel of this song is completely different, not only because of the different instruments (as opposed to an 8-bit sequence) but also because of the hi-hat and drum beats. While the original Stickerbrush Symphony also had beats in the background, it came up quite late into the song, and the beats were not as fast-paced so they maintained that tranquil feeling.

In Bramble Blast however, the hi-hat beats started right at the beginning of the song, and just built up from there up until the climax. They were also much faster than the original, which I think reflects Fox and Falco's (running) speed, but also the level itself. In The Swamp, you have to traverse various obstacles and platform your way through the level, dodging/killing enemies and even launching yourself through barrel cannons just like in DKC2. There are so many more mechanics involved in Brawl's level, and I think this is represented by the number of instruments in this song.

The fast pace of the song not only reflects the characters you're playing as, but also the feelings of the characters. In SSE, the characters are running around in their own world but what they don't know is that there are evil clones of them out there wreaking havoc, controlled by the villains of the game. The villains have even captured some of the other characters, aka their friends. Upon finding out, they have to watch their own backs and even work together to defeat said villains and release their friends. I think this panicky yet determined feeling is conveyed in this song, through the beats in the background and the overall fast pace of the song.

 

I found this comment on the video and I think it captures these 2 songs pretty well.


The comparison Veiyr makes is pretty similar to what I thought when I first listened to the 2 songs, and I totally agree that both versions are amazing. The original was more calm, scenic and represented a more serene, nature feel. Brawl's version is definitely more adventurous, and conveys an underlying panic that the baddies might just be behind me with their their Dark Cannon (whose projectiles instantly turn any Smasher into trophy form as though they were defeated and knocked back to the inanimate state by an extremely powerful attack, aka instakill you).

Look at Falco saving the day by being a badass

Personally, I like both songs equally, and they really capture their respective levels/games. I have a lot of good memories of SSE when I first played and finished it with my brother, and this song will always be reminiscent of those good times. 😊

Thanks for reading!

To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://tacocat.vornix.blog/2018/06/23/ost-of-the-day-7-super-smash-bros-brawl-bramble-blast/

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Check out my previous post in this series!
OST of the Day #6: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - Objection!