Calmly meditating, “Emerald Moon” still produces a beautifully yearning melody. Melancholic synth washes and a tinkling, silvery melody offer respite from the album’s general busyness. “Emerald Moon” recalls Little Big Adventure‘s “Desert” with its wispy mood. But mostly, this is upbeat, nearly comedic music that thankfully never feels cutesy. And surprisingly – and seamlessly – the composition segues into a dramatic brass climax that amplifies the threat emanating from the strings.
True to the soundtrack’s emotional richness, a hint of tension remains in the high-pitched violin chords. “Honey B.”’s bumbling tuba and string pizzicati rhythms are soon joined by layers of jolly melody fragments. It’s up to “Honey B.” and “Emerald Moon” to lighten the mood and introduce less shadowy locales to the world of the Little Big Adventure 2 soundtrack. Chromatic woodwind ostinati keep the music uncomfortably moving, while the density of the solo instrument lines ingeniously contributes to the claustrophobic atmosphere. Throughout the composition, Vachey finds new ways to break up the cue’s melodic lines, denying any feeling of security. Skittish violin accents cheekily answer deepest string and brass chords, before the live cello plays a fragmented melody. “Zeelich”, underscoring the antagonists’ planet and as sombre as “The Empire”, features the soundtrack’s most virtuosic orchestrations. Further hurried along by pacey woodwind motifs, the jig’s upbeat mood and constant motion soon turns breathless, maniacally driven when pushed forward for too long. Where “The Empire” surprises is how it contrasts the towering brass with busy solo violin lines that recall a jig. However, Vachey handles this instrument group with far greater melodic skill than what many other Western game composers can muster. Of course, imposing, ponderous brass progressions feature heavily. Little Big Adventure 2’s story does feature an evil empire, and “The Empire” creates the expectedly menacing mood, but in surprising ways. This helps to compensate for the fact that the musical world of Little Big Adventure 2 feels more coherent, but also smaller and less varied than that of its predecessor. However, these new compositions are even more fully realised and densely orchestrated – and most importantly, as emotionally multi-faceted. His pieces on the Little Big Adventure 2 soundtrack might not be as immediately ingratiating as those heard in the first game. What hasn’t changed though is Vachey’s masterful command of orchestral colours and moods, and their development. The initially scant cello accompaniment grows more continuous and string synths build the music’s scope, until reverberant live drums drive a hopeful, uplifting string melody.īeginning on a note of serenity – rather than outright optimism – the Little Big Adventure 2 soundtrack quickly turns out to be a much darker, heavier work than its predecessor.
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But as on Little Big Adventure, Vachey has perfect control over how to build a composition. It’s a surprisingly static, pensive opening that underscores a peaceful state of mind, contently frozen in time. All that the track initially presents is a beautiful, sparse piano melody, backed by the sounds of playing children. Its opening track “Song for Gabriel” is strikingly minimalist compared to the franchise’s trademark orchestral richness. The Little Big Adventure 2 soundtrack has more surprises up its sleeve. Mind you, it’s not a substantial issue – Vachey’s writing is at least as strong as it was on Little Big Adventure. However, the Little Big Adventure 2 score is even a smidgen shorter than its predecessor.
The larger scope of Little Big Adventure 2’s world would suggest that a more extensive soundtrack was the logical result. If there were any complaints, it would have been that the soundtrack was rather short. Philippe Vachey’s score for Little Big Adventure had turned out to be a milestone of Western orchestral game music. Little Big Adventure 2’s world was significantly larger than that of its predecessor and even included multiple planets. Gamers hoping for a title that was bigger and better still than Little Big Adventure were duly rewarded. In May 1997, Little Big Adventure 2 was released and even better received than the first game. Fans didn’t have to wait too long for a sequel to hit store shelves. Little Big Adventure had won gamers’ hearts with its charming, open-ended fantasy world. Little Big Adventure 2 Soundtrack, Philippe Vachey, 1997
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