Eternal Recurrence

February 28, 2021

Eternal Recurrence mostly plays when you meet the various mana spirits for the first time. It’s a reference to the metaphysical concept of the universe and its essence infinitely repeating. Due to the game’s brief content where it’s heard, the track’s full length is often skipped.

It begins with a simple yet highly effective call to attention, with a repeating arpeggio over a low A string. In time, a tenor string comes in and meanders a bit as the arpeggio marks some chord changes. Despite this, the low A drones well into the next section. When the main line comes in at :17, the mood changes to something less dire. An introspective bridge, dominated by a low string section, takes over at :35, shifting the focus to a meditative narrative, before arriving at a triumphant chorus of chimes at at :54.

At 1:03, we shift color entirely, to a frenzied reeds flourish accentuating the strings and high piano notes. This section evokes a transition of state, perhaps a particular phase of the universe’s reincarnation. It’s an ambitious orchestral delight that’s tragically limited by the SNES’s sound hardware. There’s another shift at 1:36 that’s not quite as effective as the previous ones. After this part ends in a rush of increasing intensity, it returns to the section heard at 1:03 before returning again, and they both repeat ad infinitum.

Next to Fear of the Heavens, this is the game’s most memorable thematic track, and is sadly underused as a worthy interlude. The many sections show a level of development that’s not heard often in this game, or similar ones of the era.

The remake brings Eternal Recurrence into a more technologically advanced time, not only making use of a full orchestral image, but developing the arrangement further. The sweeping, dynamic execution here would’ve been welcome elsewhere on the remaster’s soundtrack. In fact, it’s so effective that it could’ve become the theme for Secret of Mana.