As with all competitions, we shall begin with an "easy round." Each round will progressively become more and more difficult, culminating in the Final Round.

Your task in this round is create a remix based on a battle theme from any RPG released from the first quarter of 2004 up to present. To clarify, a battle theme shall be limited to a piece that is used exclusively for enemy encounters, e.g. Boss Battle or Esper Battle from Final Fantasy XII. Field music from games in which exploration and battles are continuous shall not be allowed. It doesn't matter if the theme is played just once for a special boss or is the generic battle music. As long as the game falls under RPGamer's coverage guidelines, then its music is allowed for this round. Likewise, a game released in 2003 but localized in 2004 is also permitted. Submissions which shall use themes from remakes, e.g. the battle theme from Final Fantasy IV DS, as the main subject shall not qualify for judging; as would Clash on the Big Bridge ~Final Fantasy XII Version~ since the theme was originally from Final Fantasy V. Such pieces may be used for secondary or transitional themes.

There shall be no limitation as to the musical style, form, or instrumentation in this round. This will be as free as you can get, artists, so use this opportunity to "warm up," get some bonus points, and earn yourselves some fans who'll vote for you later on in the competition!

The judges for this round shall be yours truly, Francis "Fermat's Last Theorem" Gayon (Sound Test Curator), Michael "Macstorm" Cunningham (Public Relations), and Jason "Ish" Schreier (Game Reviewer).

Theme (10%) - This score represents how well the submission adheres to the theme of the particular round. Unlike in the previous competition's rules, a grade of 0 is not possible for this criterion, as a submission which fails to adhere to a particular round's theme in its entirety will not even be eligible for judging and shall be treated like a regular submission to Sound Test. There can be some gray areas, as most rounds's themes shall be comprised of multiple conditions; thus, remixers are warned to be very specific and exact with their remixes.

Remix (35%) - The category encompasses how well the remix represents the original work(s). The piece should be strong enough that someone familiar with the original work recognizes the source material, but that it also strong enough to stand alone from the original.

Creativity (45%) - This category is a critique of the artist's compositional decisions in the songs creation. What has been added to really breathe life into the remix? Does the piece flow solidly from section to section, and stay fresh without becoming repetitive? Is listening to this song enjoyable?

Production (10%) - This category encompasses the technical qualities of the sound, including the quality of samples used, of any recording done, and of mixing and panning.