So begins another series of weekly updates for Sound Test. Daryl Banner's Link to the Past consists of 14 tracks from the most praised titles on the SNES.

The eponymous first track opens with Title, though the theme is played by a completely different set of instruments and in a much faster tempo. The polyphony is quite marvelous and invokes in the listener a sense of awakening. One could almost feel the sun's rays peeking through the curtains with birds chirping in the background as evoked by the high-pitched woodwinds. The track, then, switches to Opening Demo. Most of the segment is waltz-like, unlike the original which had a longer segment in 4/4. The part is significantly smoother and more subdued without the marimba playing insistent semiquavers. Oboes, then, herald the entrance of Time of the Falling Rain. The subtle percussions and the ascending acoustic guitar layer are simply breathtaking.

It Is a Stormy Night in Hyrule opens with a long distorted segment before the theme appears. The drums are much more subdued than the original's powerful timpani segment. The instrumentation and arrangement almost give the piece a Middle Eastern feel, particularly the earlier parts. The descending continuous glissandos also add to that feel.

That's it for this update. Check back next week for another track from Link to the Past. Have a great weekend!

Fermat's Last Theorem, M.D.

Sound Test Curator