Masayoshi Soken Wants to Conquer Horror Game Soundtracks: The FF14 Composer Speaks

Even if you have never played Final Fantasy 14 Online, It’s challenging to overlook the impact that its composer, Masayoshi Soken, has exerted on the gaming world.

Be it his diverse back catalog the encompassies everything from bossa nova to speed metal, or his infectiously optimistic personality, Soken has become a beloved figure among 14’s player base - and it is fair to say his work keeps plenty of fans coming back to the game each and every patch.

Outside of the popular MMORPG, Soken was also the lead composer of Final Fantasy 16 , as well as some Nintendo DS favorites including Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and the exclusive Japanese horror title Nanashi no Game. I recently had a conversation with Soken where we discussed his creations, what inspires him, and our discussion touched upon his desire to revisit the horror genre sometime in the future.

In the studio

Soken starts off by stating that when it comes to crafting original compositions, he leans towards an involved method rather than approaching it as just working on the soundtrack for a game.

When developing, I aim to play the game first if circumstances allow," he explains. "I consider myself an experienced player, and I believe there are numerous insights I can gain from engaging with the game and grasping the overall experience.

That hands-on experience isn’t something that Soken always has the privilege of getting, however. And in such cases, he finds he has to get creative.

“There are quite a lot of occasions where I’m unable to play the game. So I use the power of my imagination to try and understand how the gameplay will be, then create the songs. But thankfully, there haven’t been any occasions where I’m completely lost on what I should do and what kind of song it should be.”

A new record

Final Fantasy 14 Online has been operational for nearly 12 years now since its start A Realm Reborn relaunch back in 2013, and Soken has been composing for the game for just as long. During that time, he's had plenty to work with in terms of environmental design and the themes of certain dungeon and raid encounters.

Soken’s work on both Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16 encompasses a broad range of music genres. We’ve heard everything from classical and jazz to metal and electronic dance music. To that end, I wondered how Soken is planning to broaden his musical horizons even further. Though given the breadth of his work so far, such a thing may be quite a challenge.

“For [Final Fantasy] 14, I would say that it’s actually harder to find a genre that we haven’t touched on,” he explains. “Even the current Arcadion raid series, we’ve made a sort-of hip-hop style with rap songs, and we’re always challenging ourselves with new genres. We’ve done big band sounds as well, but at this point, I’m wondering what it is that we haven’t done yet.”

An eikonic effort

One strength of Soken’s work is that you often don’t know what to expect from his compositions. One example that stands out to me is the track that accompanies the Titan Lost boss fight in Final Fantasy 16. The game features a largely classical composition, but this particular fight throws a curveball by leaning into an industrial rock sound.

Soken mentions regarding the Titan Lost battle, "The sequence of that fight was indeed traditional." However, once he started playing the game, he felt that sticking solely to the classic tunes they had previously used would be out of place. He believed that continuing with the same style wouldn’t quite fit.

I figured this track had to be rock and roll," he went on. "So I decided to add it to the game right away and then discuss it later. The one who requested that was actually [ Final Fantasy 16 producer] Naoki Yoshida.

The initial response came from the development team, which led me to believe that implementing this would be okay, so I didn't mention it to Yoshida at first. Later on, I approached him and told him I believed this would greatly enhance the gaming experience. I figured he might have wondered about some classical composition I had devised, only to be surprised by the unexpected rock track... yet all he commented was that it was well-executed and integrated seamlessly into the game.

Getting spooky

It's accurate to say that Soken enjoys significant creative liberty, particularly when he composes music for various projects. Final Fantasy 14 Online. However, I was intrigued about whether he—if given the opportunity—would consider composing music for an entirely different type of game, and the response I received was rather unexpected.

"I've previously worked on music for horror games, and if given the chance, I'd likely compose for them again," he clarifies.

Horror games incorporate numerous aspects related to the terror induced by the unseen. This genre heavily relies on auditory senses rather than visual cues presented on the screen. Therefore, it becomes a category that challenges the abilities of developers, and this is precisely why I am eager to take up that challenge.

There could potentially be one small problem, as Soken frankly states: "There is also a downside to this because I'm really not good with horror. Even though I wish to create it, I might end up being unable to!"

A lasting legacy

It seems like Soken has no intention of hanging up his hat just yet. Final Fantasy Any time soon, however. His creations continue to attract millions of streams on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube Music, where his music is officially accessible for streaming.

In addition, he continues to tour with The Primals — a rock group consisting of former members from other bands. Final Fantasy 14 Online The development team -- and shows up at the official events. Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concerts worldwide.

When discussing common sources of inspiration for his work, Soken mentioned the American rock band Rage Against the Machine along with the legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Occasionally, when I'm unsure of what action to take, I often wonder what Mr. Uematsu would do?" remarks Soken with a touch of humor, further stating: "If you find yourself lost, I believe the most effective approach is to seek guidance from God on what steps to follow!