What kind of overall atmosphere does the music of MOTHER 3 have?

Sakai: (MOTHER 3) has a refreshing kind of atmosphere with it’s music, I think. I’m a little nervous myself, as I intended to give strong first impressions. But that’s why it has such a refreshing sound.

Did Itoi-san order any specific details?

Sakai: There was nothing in particular. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted to (laughs). On the other hand, there might be some people at Creatures being told what to do. I’m sure they’re sick of it, so I’m thankful to make my own orders.

Please teach us a little bit about your roles.

Sakai: I compose all the main songs in the entire project. 

Kitsuta: I take the songs Sakai-san makes, digitize them (by utilizing raw sounds in the game, they can be digitized) and add sound effects. This is our creative process.

Sakai: Back when I replaced Hirokazu Tanaka, I composed a song inspired by his work…

Kitsuta: I’m going to play a song I contributed as a guest. We’re doing it in a shifting 2 person system like this (laughs).

The sound of MOTHER 2 is present. Was this your choice?

Sakai: I often listened to the music of MOTHER 2 for reference. It was a surprise, because my music has a different flavour compared to it. So I think the music of MOTHER 3 will sound completely different from 2.

Have you made a lot of songs so far?

Sakai: I thought about it before, and I think there will be about 100 songs once the project is completed in its entirety. However, about 40 songs have been made so far. There is a main theme throughout it too. I arranged it and put this jingle wherever I could. While the melody itself stays the same, the arrangement itself changes so it feels like a completely different song. While it may be the same song, I think it’ll be hard for the player to notice. Also, depending on what’s on screen (Action, weather, and player’s emotions), I’m changing the music ever so slightly. 

Did the song writing go smoothly?

Sakai: That’s not the case. There is a song that has a habit of appearing in the scenario whenever necessary. Most of the songs were composed by myself, with a refreshing approach in mind. So, this is the only song Itoi-san himself took part in. I was asked to create a ‘strong sounding’ song, and I think I did a good job creating that. 

What kind of song is it?

Sakai: It gives off a poisonous feeling, like a ruling fist. It has a very alternative style, like a military song. It’s a song with such a twisted feeling (laughs.)

So you composed all the songs yourself, Sakai-san?

Sakai: No. I left all the techno or mechanical music to Kitsuta-san.

What kind of scenes does that mechanical music appear in?

Kitsuta: Well, after all there is a scene where a mech appears. It’s a battle scene, therefore I approached it with a feeling of shouting  “let’s go!” (laughs) 

Previously, Itoi-san told us he wanted to use music to drive battles?

Sakai: It feels very good (laughs). Itoi-san told me what he wanted to do, and I said, “Very well! I’ll take care of the rest.” (laughs)

By the way, how does the sound function on the N64?

Kitsuta: There is enough sound quality to the synthesizer as is, so it’s expressive power can be properly reproduced. 

Sakai: Kitsuta-san’s programming is so good, it comes out keeping the raw sound of the music alive.

Lastly, I’d like to ask a few words about Sakai-san’s music. What’s it like?

Kitsuta: Right. There are subtle nuances throughout, from recurring melodies which are intertwined with the music. I think many will be surprised by it.

I can’t wait to hear all of it. Thank you very much for your time today (I listened to some songs from MOTHER 3 after this, and it had a quiet feeling I can say I’m truly impressed with.)