Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero

Originally conceived as an edgier, more “hardcore” version of the Mega Man that came before him in the sketchbooks of Keiji Inafune, the red clad, blond-haired character known as Zero would make his debut as a support character in 1993’s Mega Man X. While such a casting decision may have been a disappointment for his real life creator, the limited stature of his first appearance was a mere formality. Indeed, after an apparent death, a resurrection that could pit him in battle against his best friend, a semi-playable role the third time around, Inafune’s character would acquire equal billing in both Mega Man X4 and X5. An impressive feat for any fledgling video game personality, the most important aspect of this transformation may have been not how quickly it happened, but how it would affect the franchise’s future.

Looking at the original, in-game intention behind the character’s creation, something that was elusively hinted at in the final moments of Mega Man X2 and cast in stone with Mega Man X4, is it really so hard to see how Zero surpassed Mega Man X in popularity in the minds of so many? This isn’t to say that X was boring as far as protagonists go, but once you compared him to a character that was tortured by his own dreams and had few qualms about getting down and dirty in battle, X’s distaste for the conflict he inadvertently sparked upon the world with his discovery didn’t seem as interesting. Again, such a view is a matter of personal opinion, and it undoubtedly took the combined efforts of both characters to make the series’ world go round, but for one to dismiss the story behind the eyes of this Maverick Hunter as window dressing would be ludicrous.

However, it’s the world, or rather how the nameless masses are more important than the sole individual that drove the storyline of Mega Man Zero forward. Zero may have been the star, but the stage the games played out on was one of politics and drama, the resulting battles being a means to an end. Zero may have been a catalyst of change, but it was the inspiration he provided to oppressed reploids and others that eventually changed history. Some consider this to be the bread and butter of the series story while and others consider it its bane, in that it disregarded what initially propelled the character forward. Any and all misgivings aside, this shift in narrative not only altered the feel of the game itself but how the world would be represented musically. How did composer Ippo Yamada handle such a change? How would he paint such a picture? It turns out asking questions is the easy part; it’s finding the answers to those questions that proves difficult.

As outlined above, Mega Man Zero is not so much about the titular character as much as the unifying power of his exploits. This being so, there are only a few tracks that truly revolve around Zero and his distinguishing traits. The thundering “Theme of Zero,” lifted from the original Mega Man X and elaborated upon, is the most obvious example despite its restricted in-game usage. This places it behind the similar, pulse pounding boss/scene theme “Crash,” which ironically encounters the opposite scenario in that it’s been so overused it quit being funny years ago. Really, this being the only composition to be followed by an “IV” (instead of another, more worthy series of tracks) has haunted me even though there is nothing horribly wrong with any of its reincarnations. Other heavy hitters like “Deadzone” and “Emergency” stick to illustrating their given surroundings and situations but quickly run afoul, the percussion of the former raising some doubts about its “remastering” and the latter being an appropriate yet soulless danger theme that adds nothing to the proceedings.

The middle ground between all-out intensity and cryptic stillness is where Ippo achieves the most success, with the sound upgrade reaching the peak of its importance. “Hell Plant” no longer sounds like an aimless mass of instrumentation like it did on the Game Boy Advance, but such improvements pale once “Enemy Hall” makes its way across one’s speakers. The drive here is phenomenal, and acts as a prelude to some of Yamada’s work in future installments. While such leaps in quality are uncommon, it’s of little consequence when taking in great, springboard tracks like “Neo Arcadia” or a methodical piece like “Fake.” A more impersonal battle theme than “X vs Zero” from Mega Man X5 was, “Fake” focuses on how this battle plays out rather than touting itself as a musical extension of the adversary being fought. The track is simply ingenious in how it not only respects the past, but in how it musically illustrates the differences between two very similar battles. Polar opposites come together in a more tangible way within “Resistance” where bold advancement and relaxation intertwine in a satisfying hybrid of emotion.

In the remaining sub-section of music, one finds numbers whose core concepts have either been greatly built upon or have been seeded out all together. The eerie subtext heard throughout “Ruins of lab” would more or less disappear, although it’s my theory that it was the inspiration behind the dark and intense numbers that would help define the seriousness of the series storyline later on. The forward progress of “Express UG” comes into play in later installments as well, most notably in Rockman Zero Physis where similar pieces like “Caravan -Hope for Freedom-,” “Straight Ahead” and “Exodus” quickly make their mark. Still, this is not to say that every idea here has been revamped or extinguished. The warm embrace of “Captive Legend” (which is essentially the yin to “Theme of Zero’s” yang) has been retained much to the displeasure of a certain aquatic comrade of mine, and the stilted malice of “Infiltration” would once again pop up again in “Imminent Storm” even though “Infiltration II” would curiously (and successfully) drop this flavor in favor of the hard rock edge that was cultivated in Idea.

So, in breaking down the good and the bad, what does it all mean? What is it that makes that makes the soundtrack to Rockman Zero succeed or fail? Does it succeed or does it fail? Again, there is no easy answer, but while the minuses above don’t seem too detrimental when taken in one at a time and peppered with the positives, everything comes down to the use of phrases like “the future” and “in future installments.” But why? In what is a relatively unflattering cliché, each piece of music here is like a piece of a puzzle. When the music is put together in the game, it provides a clear enough picture. However, once it is when taken outside the scope of the game, the experience is a lot like putting the same puzzle together only upside down. It still all fits together, but imagine how surprising it would be if picture on the other side failed to form an identifiable object, as if each piece was derived from a different image and didn’t form a concise whole. You would be confused, right? This is the downside of the environmental/world approach used throughout, a ploy that leaves some tracks like “Scorching Desert” with not place to a call home.

Strangely enough, this conundrum doesn’t seem to be born out of the structure of the world as much as it originates from the composer himself. In essence, allowing Yamada to compose for a completely new Rockman saga was like removing the training wheels on the bike of a youngster. They’re going to wobble, they’re going to wiggle, and they’re going to fall down. This is certain, and it’s an undeniable part of what Rockman Zero presents to the listener. Unfortunately, there is a major difference between how people view the trails and tribulations of a fledgling bicyclist compared to those of a professional composer, one being expected and the other being unwelcome. Such a situation is compounded the general success that Ippo and Inti crew attained with Mega Man 9, adding even more validity to the idea that Yamada is very unsure of where to go when there is no guardrail guiding him. Factor in the unforgiving beast known as time throwing in its two cents into the equation and it becomes apparent all is not well here.

CONCLUSION:

While Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero remains an important building block in the music of the series - and the career of its main composer - the sad truth is that it’s a score that’s been severely outclassed by its predecessors. How this came to be and how quickly it occurred is a story in itself, but it goes without saying it would be foolish for one to pass over it when exploring what the series has to offer. Just be aware the experience isn’t built to last and that you may be chipping tracks off your playlist faster than you may be use to with a Mega Man soundtrack. Still, if there is anything to be taken from the experience set forth here, it’s that all the ingredients that make up the music for Mega Man Zero are present and accounted for; it’s just the recipe has yet to be perfected.

Overall Score: 6/10