4/5 ★ – Llafer's review of Rudra no Hihou.

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK REVIEW (From my RateYourMusic Profile) I’m the only person in the entire world that when asked for a JRPG recommendation immediately cries: Treasure of the Rudras! Why do I do that? It is simple. This game is a completely unknown game, probably because it released at the end of the SNES era (I believe it is the last square JRPG of SNES) and by the time it released in 1996 people preferred the 3D polygonal 3D graphics of N64 and PSOne. From the very start of the game, Treasure of the Rudras becomes a very unique game. Its art direction and the setting of the game, the split story mechanic in which you play as the four different protagonists and see how the plot weaves between them until the very end, the magic system which is definitely one of the most interesting ones in that generation. Everything in this game is really polished and beautifully implemented making it one of the lesser known but charming JRPG’s in what is probably the first golden era of Japanese role-playing. And that everything also includes its soundtrack. After working in the soundtrack for Mystic Quest and Final Fantasy Legend III, Ryuji Sasai is asked to solely compose the soundtrack for ‘Rudra no Hinou’ and he ends up delivering something memorable. Regarding the soundtrack, there are four different tracks that are associated with each of the protagonists Sion (‘Sword of the Valiant’), Surlent (‘Between two Worlds’), Riza (‘Crime of the Heart’) and Dune (‘Take the gold and run’) these four will serve as ‘leitmotiv’ during the entire soundtrack. Personally I found Surlent’s theme to be the best. Some other tracks that need to be mentioned are: ‘Holiday in the Village’ which is a simple but beautiful song. ‘Rudra’ the song that plays during the opening cinematic as well as ‘Underwater City’, ‘Sanctuary’, ‘The Aquarians’, and ‘Land of Doom’ all of which feature very good compositions and contribute to the strength of the soundtrack. To conclude, I always found ‘Rudra no Hihou’ soundtrack to be really underappreciated. I just wonder how much love it would have gotten if it had released just one year earlier. If you ever happen to trip over this review and like JRPG’s, give Treasure of the Rudras a go. Nowadays there is an English patched ROM as well as a Spanish one in the internet. The game never made it outside Japan but it is easier than ever to enjoy this buried gem!