Whisper and Mantra

February 28, 2021

This is the Water Palace theme music. Let’s take a look at the visual concept:

Like all 2D games, we have a projection of the actual idea, and need to fill in the gaps with our mind. Before the remake, I imagined we were walking on a platform over a vast pool of water that we couldn’t see from the camera angle—those waterfalls have to go somewhere. This was confirmed in 2018, but with the limited scope of the graphics, it makes the Water Palace seem smaller than it appears in the 16-bit version. Considering how large the place looks on the outside, I imagine there’s other levels that we can’t see, perhaps a whole labyrinth of rooms at the top. The smooth floors are illuminated with sunlight beaming through stained glass, along with ritual fire.

Thus the visual concept brings purity to mind, not only in the water itself, but in the structure that houses it.  “Whisper and Mantra” reflects this well. Glassy notes are played over the melody which uses a choir-like patch. The heavy syncopation of the main line contrasts sharply with the evenness of the keyboard instrument. At one point, we hear the low sounds of the wilderness again, reminding us that even in this peaceful oasis from our travels, there is an obligation to return to the quest.

The 2018 version takes a different approach. The minimalist purity from the SNES keyboard line is replaced by a meditative piano sound, accompanied by a relaxed orchestra that’s part of a new intro. A low A on the piano (:31) announces the coming of the main theme. It’s played much slower than the original and evokes the aural image of a choir in worship, echoing through the Palace. The theme repeats (1:30), this time with embellished harmony invoking many voices clamoring for attention, not atypical of the 2018 remix as a whole. This calamity is broken at 2:24 by a striking piano interlude which retains the repetitive keyboard line. Over time, the orchestra intensifies, completing this as a New Age mood piece, and by far the best one of that type on the remake’s soundtrack. A low A from the piano (3:55) announces the end of the piece, symmetrical with the earlier one, closing out our worship.

The SNES version is closer to a mantra than the remix, but both have their unique qualities that evoke a sense of tranquility and reflection. The latter has a level of nuance and subtlety that would have benefitted the remastered soundtrack as a whole.

Hiroki Kikuta had this to say about Whisper and Mantra, and its companion track, Mystic Invasion:

For both tracks, I used the theme of mystery to compose them. When it comes to [themes] of mystery, it’s both beautiful yet hard for people to make sense of. So I tried to make the rhythm and harmony beautiful yet not entirely understandable. So simple rhythm or chords couldn’t be used. The fact that everyone who listens to these tracks find it to be a bit hard to understand yet find it beautiful, I feel that makes it a success. As for why it’s in fourths, if it was easy to understand…it would reduce the mysterious[ness] of the music!”

Reddit AMA, February 23, 2014