EpicTutorial: The Rules of RPG Battle Theme

じ☆ve冰风

EpicTutorial: The Rules of RPG Battle Theme​

Hello everybody! I am EpicFILE, and this is my first tutorial in the forum.
Today I will share my knowledge about the rules of an RPG battle theme.
More precisely, a regular battle theme for turn-based RPG. (not the boss battle)

You might have played countless RPGs.
And, you might notice that some RPGs have a battle theme that never gets old.
The one that always stuck in your head for years even if you already forget about the game itself.
Sometimes you might secretly hum it in the bathroom.
On the other hand, there are forgettable battle themes, or downright annoying to listen to.

It makes you wonder, isn't it?
How come a battle theme can be so memorable, so magical it never leaves your mind?
A good battle theme follow some kind of rules.
Good composers might have follow the rules intuitively that it becomes a second nature.

Without further ado, here are the 5 rules of a good battle theme:


1. The beginning needs to be “striking”
The beginning of a good battle theme quickly catches your attention.
It needs to give a feeling of surprise (or mild surprise).
An abrupt transition between the map theme and the battle theme.

2. Short intro is enough
In contemporary music, intro is essential. But in battle theme, just keep it minimum.
Or you can just go to the main melody straight away.
A battle theme that break this rule is FF13 battle theme. While the music itself is good, the intro takes too long.
The battle might've ended before the most hype part of the tune kicks in.

3. Make it easy-listening
If you really love to do some music experiments, you might want to go all out and make some complex music.
But you need to remember that a regular battle theme is played over and over. You don't want to make a battle theme that makes the player think too hard with its quirky time signature changes, awesome violin solo, or whatever.
Listening to complex music endlessly while fighting enemies might give a “critical-hit” headache. (what does it even mean?)
Save the complexity for boss battle. For a regular battle, make sure it's easy to listen to.

4. Keep the mood constant
You know there are music that begins with a sad mood, a sense of empowerment in the middle, and end with a hopeful feel. That's not advisable for a battle theme. Keep the mood constant. Make it upbeat and infuse some sense of urgency (even if just a little). Stay there for the rest of the tune.

5. Furnish it with some variety!
Same melodies over and over might sound boring and repetitive. Although you need to keep the mood constant, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to put some variety in your music! Be creative and find a way to make varied melodies without changing the mood.


Some Examples!
Now you know the rules!
Let's listen to some great battle themes. (my favorite battle themes)
And check out if they already follow the rules:

SpoilerBattle Theme - Final Fantasy X
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/embed/C34BzC7rnos
Originally I want to put FF7 battle theme because it's popular. But the battle theme is not really my favorite.
So I put FFX battle theme instead. I really love it because it's so stylish





Shooting Enemy - Megaman Battle Network 3
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/embed/3b9D5YWqtFM
Low quality sound of GBA doesn't hinder the awesomeness of this tune. It makes you dance whenever you enter a battle





Gunmetal Action - Wild Arms 3
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/embed/lJ1a6gMjrpc
The sound of the wildwest! Who doesn't love that? The title says it all. "Gunmetal Action". It means extreme coolness!





Feldschlaht I - Saga Frontier 2
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpiL8QIUEWc
At first I really puzzled and amazed by this tune. What is this?
It's sounds so not-battle theme! But it sounds like a battle theme!
Apparently it follows the rules of good battle theme although sounding unconventional.
The creativity at its peak.





Sophisticated Fight - Trails in The Sky
Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/embed/bekkP37HcC0
First time I hear this tune, I was thrown into a hyper "WHAT?" moment. (forgive me for telling you some weird terms)
Seriously, this battle theme is too chill to be considered a battle theme.
But it sounds like a battle theme! What kind of magic trick is this?
Upon further inspection, it follows the rule of the good battle theme.
I consider this as the best battle theme I've ever heard in any RPG.
It sounds out of the box without abandoning the feel of a battle theme.





And the last one is...
The battle theme I made for my cancelled game, Father's Trace. The never-born predecessor of Hidden Trace.
Kinda sad when I remember about it... But here we go!
Courageous Heart - Father's Trace







本贴来自国际rpgmaker官方论坛作者:EpicFILE处,因国际论坛即将永久关站,为了存档多年珍贵资料,署名转载到本论坛存档,由于官方帖子为英文原帖，需要中文翻译请点击论坛顶部切换语言为中文就可以将帖子翻译成中文浏览,方便大家随时查看,原文地址：https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/threads/epictutorial-the-rules-of-rpg-battle-theme.88738/