Found the blog of one of the composers. Actually, she put it under construction, so I got this from a cache.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:5-gBn7Sll5cJ:ameblo.jp/makirica-music/entry-10773815637.html+&cd=10&hl=ja&ct=clnk&gl=jp&client=firefox-aA quick and dirty translation:
Let's reminisce on Soldier Blade.2011-01-20
This is a story from when I worked at Hudson.
In a mere one and half years, I composed music for 10 games. I was young then.
Of all the games I worked on before I quit, the final and most enjoyable of them all was a game called Soldier Blade.
It was part of the Star Soldier series, which was the official software line of a nation-wide caravan. The top floors of department stores all over Japan had people competing in caravan events to get the highest score. Soldier Blade was one of the games.
My memory of it is pretty hazy. In those days, just like now, I actually had next to no experience playing video games. Exactly how I wound up at Hudson making music is a story I'd like to tell later.
"Caravan? What the heck is that?"
I was the out-of-it girl in the office, but the others at Hudson back then took care of me. Maybe they forgave me because I was young? I just worked there, and that was that.
I actually think the reason why I'm able to recall this somewhat clearly is because I only worked at Hudson for a year and a half. After that, I got a completely different job and went down a completely different path. But now, I'm returning to music...
So, looking back on those days, I understand a few things.
To the managers who I gave so much trouble to, I really want to say thanks.
Anyway...
Soldier Blade was my most fun project at Hudson.
I split the work with another person. His name was Hoshi, and he was an in-house composer.
He was the composer of music in many popular games, both before and after then. PCE fans probably know him. He wrote straightforward melodies and had a heavy sound. His songs were spectacular.
(I wonder if he's still at Hudson?)
Hoshi and I were like a tag-team on that game, and listening to the tracks now, I'm not quite sure whose tracks are whose. Lol.
We were always giving each other rave reviews.
We did every last track in that game. It was a lot of fun.
Getting down to details, I did Stages 4 and 5, the last boss, the ending, the credits, and the 2 and 5 minute caravan modes. Hoshi did everything else. Though there were tracks where we helped each other, so I can't say all this for sure!
Setting aside the sound, Soldier Blade was a game that was produced by a 100% in-house group of the most elite programmers and designers at Hudson.
As the Super Famicom and other next-generation hardware kept coming out, everyone wanted to show the world the capabilities of Hudson's own PC Engine. I remember how that was the fighting spirit everyone had as we moved forward with the project.
What took me back to those days? That would be...Niconico!!
I had a copy of Soldier Blade as part of my work history, but I never even had a PCE system. To me, it was like a phantom project that I would never hear again. It was slipping away from me, but then a year and a half ago, I searched the net and found this:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm2957396"Soldier Blade complete sound collection."
It knocks me out that there are people out there who like the Soldier Blade soundtrack.
I feel moved knowing that people out there truly understand the way the staff in those days was trying to keep making things happen on the PCE.
Thanks, you guys. Seriously.
I hope that some of you who uploaded the video and commented on it can see this blog.
I just watched it for the first time in 6 months, and I noticed my name in there as the "female composer". ^^;
People sure know a lot these days. I was surprised!
Yes, that's me, and I'm making music as Maki Rika now.
Some game fans are following me on twitter.
To all of you who played Soldier Blade back in the day, if you care to, give me a shout.
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EDIT: This is her:
Topic: "I did the music in Soldier Blade" (Read 902 times)
