Battle Bards Episode 161: Dragon Quest X

A new episode of Battle Bards is up!

While Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV is enjoying rousing success here in the west, its other MMO — Dragon Quest X — never made it across the Pacific. Today, the Battle Bards assemble to examine the soundtrack to this overlooked fantasy game and see how it holds up by itself and in comparison to the Dragon Quest franchise.

LISTEN NOW

Episode 161 show notes (show page, direct download)

• Intro (feat. “Bright Horizons,” “Soprano of Blue,” and “The Race of Water”)
• “Overture”
• “The Heavens” 
• “Good Night Villagers”
• “Town Music”
• “Melody of the Blade”
• “Casino”
• “Exploring the Hills”
• Which one did we like most?
• Listener notes from Druidsfire, Bill Champagne, Katriana, and Wolfy
• Jukebox Picks: “Endless World” from Dragon Quest II, “Main Theme” from Toonstruck, and “Edge Water” from The Outer Worlds
• Outro (feat. “Comedic Fight”)

Battle Bards Episode 160: MMO Cover Songs Vol. 2

A new episode of Battle Bards is up!

For the first time since Episode 50, the Battle Bards crew returns to the theme of cover songs of MMO tracks. Several extremely musicians tackled their favorite MMORPG tunes to our delight, taking us on a breathless tour of their spin of these classic tunes. Since we want to give all of the artists full credit, you can find links to their full tracks in the show notes — give them a listen!

LISTEN NOW

Episode 160 show notes (show page, direct download)

• Intro (feat. “Grizzly Hills Theme“ from World of Warcraft, “Main Theme“ from Albion Online, and “Fear Not This Night“ from Guild Wars 2)
• “Gondamon Theme“ from Lord of the Rings Online, performed by Brandon Skelton
• “The Secret World“ from The Secret World, performed by Lord Bif Music
• “Forest Calling“ from Lineage II, performed by Dryante Zan
• “Heavensward Synth“ from Final Fantasy XIV, performed by Dutyyaknow
• “Arthas Theme“ from World of Warcraft, performed by Eliott Tordo
• “The Tale of the Mad King Thorn“ from Guild Wars 2, performed by Sharm
• “Stones“ from Ultima Online, performed by Mathias Semborg
• Which one did we like most?
• Jukebox Picks: “Jade Plateau” from Blast Corps, “The Trial” from Epoch, and “An Endless Beach” from Death Stranding
• Outro (feat. “Kelethin” from EverQuest)

Battle Bards Episode 159: Black Desert Revisited

A new episode of Battle Bards is up!

It’s a return to a soundtrack that, over the past couple of years, experienced a lavish remastry. This week, the Battle Bards explore the wild notes of Black Desert, a soundtrack that relishes its situational and ambient tracks. It might not be the most memorable score, but enjoyable? Yes, we’d advocate that. Also, Steff finally snaps and tells her co-hosts off. Draaaaamaaaaa!

LISTEN NOW

Episode 159 show notes (show page, direct download)

• Intro (feat. “Florin,” “The Capital City,” and “Glish”)
• “Serendia”
• “Valtarra Mountains”
• “Treant Forest”
• “Northern Wheat Plantation”
• “Acher Western Camp”
• “Behr Theme”
• “Terrmian Waterpark”
• Which one did we like most?
• Listener notes: George Wilson III
• Jukebox Picks: “Main Theme” from Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, “Magical Merrymaking” from Wizard of Legend, and “Monolith” from Cloudbuilt
• Outro (feat. “Hidel City”)
• Stinger: The superiority of the Swiss