Composer Yoko Shimomura has created some of the most memorable tracks in gaming history, from Street Fighter 2 to vast swathes of the Square Enix catalog. Arguably her most beloved work comes from across the Kingdom Hearts series, blending classic Disney tunes with the epic, nearly operatic tone Square is known for. Turns out that she was as shocked as anyone this was going to be the tone of the series.
“I was a bit surprised when they explained to me what songs they wanted me to write – there was quite a gap there,” Shimomura says in an official Square Enix interview. “I thought: ‘wait, it’s a Disney game, but you want that kind of song there? That kind of track there?’ So, I was quite surprised at the difference.”
Kingdom Hearts does feature plenty of music that fits the vibes of the various Disney worlds the game takes place in, and Shimomura says these tracks offered a particular kind of difficulty, since she wanted to create something true to the spirit of the source material without simply rehashing the source material.
“I didn’t focus on expressing my identity with the tracks,” she explains. “I was only thinking to myself: ‘What will be accepted by fans as new tracks that represent the specific Disney world?’ So, I explored ways to create such tracks. Of course, I had already watched a number of Disney films at that point. So, I tried to look at it from the fan perspective. I always thought, ‘Ok, as a fan of this Disney work, is what I’m making right or does it feel out of place?'”
For the game’s original worlds, Shimomura took inspiration from the visual design the rest of the team was building. “For Hollow Bastion, for example, I actually got the game, played it and walked around inside the world to get a feel for the place. I really tried to create something based on the visual impressions it gave me.”
Shimomura is set to return for Kingdom Hearts 4, and she says she hopes to “keep making game music for as long as I can and try not to fall short of the expectations of all the fans who are looking for more tracks from me.” Given her track record, I doubt Kingdom Hearts fans are going to be disappointed.
