02 - Overworld Suite - The Legend of Zelda (NES) Orchestral Arrangement

With the tone set from my Title Screen track, the natural progression was to make the Overworld Suite much more lively and intense. If this game were ever truly remade, Nintendo would probably have more music tracks for each locale, so a track like mine wouldn't really fit. Instead, think of this as more of a theoretical medley of those individual tracks. I designed the entire piece to encompass the entirety of Link's quest. You have the opening theme, which is optimistic and energetic. As the player settles into the rhythm of adventuring, the theme repeats again with more resolution, the trumpets in fanfare. I added the Zelda's Lullaby theme once again as a way to remind the player that Link remains focused on the main quest. The calmer mood here suggests it might also work as a town theme. Following this, the main melody returns again. Link has enjoyed success in defeating all the monsters. He is a lot more confident and stronger, ready to face harder challenges. Ganon's forces become more desperate, and he sends his best minions to confront Link. Hard brass instruments and a weak flute floating suggests all this is too overwhelming for Link. Oh no, will Link prevail over them? The music leaps ahead triumphantly, proclaiming Link will indeed emerge victorious. This hopefully encourages the player to keep trying.

I tried my best to look past the adorable sprites and the repetitiveness of the original music to figure out the true spirit of the game. There's something to admire in the simplicity of this Zelda game compared to all subsequent ones. No complicated lore about sages, goddesses, purity of heart/soul. All those things actually serve to make Link a duller protagonist in comparison to everyone else. Here you can use your imagination to guess whatever you want about the context. You have all the Hylian residents hiding in holes and caves, and Link the only one outside slashing hordes upon hordes of monsters. Perhaps most people scoffed at his resolve in saving Zelda and the kingdom, but as time went on, they took notice, and they started to whisper among themselves about a young savior doing what the best soldiers in Hyrule could not do. Hope began to fill their hearts, and they cheered from the sidelines, secretly helping Link whenever they can. (All the shop items should have been free. Those greedy merchants!) That kind of emotion is what I am trying to convey in this piece.

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The Legend of Zelda Orchestral Arrangement
Arrangement and fan art by Jeremiah Sun

Originally composed by Koji Kondo

You can buy this game for 3DS from the Nintendo eShop