The Music of Square Enix - Magic, Memories and Melodies is a confident celebration of decades of live concerts

Over the years I've had more than a handful of opportunities to attend a number of Square Enix's orchestral concerts - multiple Distant Worlds, the Eorzean Symphony, the Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Orchestra and even NieR: Orchestra Concert 12024 [the end of data]. It's easy enough to sit at home and correctly remark that Square Enix is unmatched with their musical legacy; it's another thing entirely to experience that point made evident in person. Yet, each of these events had one thing in common - a focus on one game or franchise, rather than the sheer breadth of Square Enix's musical catalog across the entire spectrum.

Last weekend, I had the chance to attend The Music of Square Enix - Magic, Memories and Melodies. From the same team that handles Distant Worlds, Square Enix has finally put together a showcase that celebrates their history of titles. Not just Final Fantasy, not just NieR, not just Kingdom Hearts - but the full spectrum of their musical repertoire, except for Dragon Quest. Far more than I expected to be represented heading in, and what feels like a proper celebration of Square Enix as a whole, not just individual series.

All of this was framed by some key art with photos of different Square Enix franchises on the wall - as a song would begin, it would pan to a series before fading into a movie for the game in question. Sometimes this was a slice of gameplay representative of the music being played. In the case of opening themes, such as with Scars of Time from Chrono Cross or Hikari from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, the orchestra would do a live playing to said opening. The latter especially was probably the highlight of the night - hearing the room's energy spike when we all realized what was happening.

It's not just the larger series that saw some love, either. Megalomania from Live A Live was played, as well as music from Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven and even Xenogears. Reading between the lines, the Chrono series saw extra attention; likely due to the same team's upcoming Chrono Trigger concert series later this year. Regardless of the game represented, the music was played beautifully - as expected from the team behind Distant Worlds.

Getting to hear tracks from newer series' that haven't yet had their orchestral debut, or at least not outside of Japan, delighted just as much as hearing the more established classics. Having the chance to listen to Decisive Battle II from Octopath Traveler played live is essentially priceless - and getting to hear music from NieR Re[in]carnation, kindling hopes for that game to see a re-release much like Octopath's mobile game has, felt much the same.

Not every series I would have loved to hear represented was present, of course, but that speaks more to just how many franchises they have to choose from in the first place - and doubtlessly leaves room for future tours to pick and choose as they please. I'm hopeful that future showings might include deeper cuts like Harvestella, Voice of Cards, Valkyrie Profile, and more. It's a good problem to have, and one that will guarantee I'll want to attend shows in the future, even if Square Enix declines to offer us a pass.

It's the type of concert that, in a word, is made for super fans. You already know if this concert is for you, and chances are if you're a regular reader you fall in that camp to begin with. Square Enix continues to be the absolute best when it comes to representing their music across live concerts, and The Music of Square Enix - Magic, Memories and Melodies feels like a victory lap. Confident and secure in the knowledge that they have both the musical legacy to justify such an indulgence, and the decades of history of performances to back it up. I can't recommend it enough.

RPG Site was given a free ticket for the Los Angeles stop on the tour.