Hello everyone. This is probably the
first time you're hearing my real voice.
I've been wanting to try something new
for a little while now. In addition to
creating video game cover songs, I've
been itching to talk about the video
game music I love. So I'm trying my hand
at video essays, specifically video game
music analysis. I thought that the
perfect place to start would be to talk
about one of my favorite games on the
switch,
Super Mario Odyssey. Nintendo's latest
Mario masterpiece is an excellent
demonstration of their philosophy when
it comes to creating games. Nintendo
games are usually built around a central
theme or game mechanic which drives
every other component of the game,
including the art style and the music.
Nintendo doesn't just create a game and
then slap a theme on top of it, the
gameplay informs the aesthetic
experience of the game. For example, how
Splatoon's paint-splattering gameplay
naturally inspired both its ink-spitting
squid protagonists and its punky urban
graffiti art aesthetic. In the case of
Super Mario Odyssey, the core gameplay
theme is travelling around the world and
experiencing foreign cultures. Travel is
one of the main two themes which the
developers have stated were driving
factors behind the development of Mario
Odyssey. And this gameplay theme plays
into every aspect of the game, even down
to its title. The game's title harkens
back to Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey,
which chronicles the hero Odysseus and
his journey home from Troy.
But today the term refers to any long
and epic journey around the world.
Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi and director
Kenta Motokura incorporated many of
their own experiences traveling around
the world into the game, such as
Motokura's trip to Mexico.
Real-life cultures have a huge influence
on many of the kingdoms in Odyssey, but
I'll get more into that later. This core
theme of travel is brilliantly captured
in nearly every aspect of the game.
One example is the visuals: each Kingdom has
a distinct art style, which evokes the
feeling of unfamiliarity and surprise
when visiting foreign places.
This allowed the developers to play around
with lots of environments never before
seen in the Mario series. The visuals
range from the whimsical, Halloween-fueled
landscape of the cap kingdom;
the blocky and almost plastic-looking
foliage of the Lost Kingdom;
to the quirky polygonal look of the Luncheon Kingdom;
or the unusually realistic,
straight-out-of-Dark Souls appearance of
the Ruined Kingdom. These environments
create a sense of curiosity, exploration
and discovery, and really evoke the
genuine surprises that developers were
going for. Even the most minor
experiences involved with traveling
around the world inspire gameplay
elements in Odyssey. For example, the
experience of converting between
different currencies around the world
gave the developers the idea of having
regional coins only usable in its
particular Kingdom. All in all, the theme
of traveling around the world is pretty
smartly implemented into the game,
both aesthetically and in terms of gameplay.
But I want to delve deeper into one
particular way this theme is evoked:
The music. Much like the art style,
the in-game collectibles, and the local
inhabitants and enemie, the music
differs significantly between each Kingdom.
The game's composers took on a
wide array of genres and styles,
many of which break completely new ground
for the Mario series. This contributes to
each kingdoms' unique identity,
and reinforces that magical feeling
of exploring a new place.
Since most of the kingdoms are based on
real-life locations, I'm going to
go through each Kingdom in order
and explore the cultural background of the music,
and examine how the music gives
each Kingdom a distinct feel. There's a lot to say,
so this analysis will be in two parts.
This video will cover the kingdoms
up until the Lost Kingdom. I'm also going to be
skipping over the Cloud and the Ruined Kingdoms,
as they do not have
background music. To begin, let's jump
right into the Cap Kingdom.
The Cap Kingdom is based on England,
specifically London. The architecture seen
in the background is reminiscent of cityscapes
from the Victorian period.
The black metal railing of the fence
and the ornate lampposts really capture
this era's aesthetic. Even the climate
perfectly represents the United Kingdom:
the sea of mist and fog evokes London's
famous pea-soup fog, and the general gray
dreary weather the UK is known for.
The main design motif is the iconic top hat,
a piece of apparel strongly associated with
British culture, particularly worn by
upper-class men. The little ghosts
wear these top hats, and often use
stereotypical British expressions,
giving them the aura of a dandy
British gentleman.
While the music doesn't exactly fit with
a specific genre from Victorian-era Britain,
it's reminiscent of classical ballroom music
associated with high-end European culture.
Personally, I think the music is
more so meant to create a
whimsical and spooky feel.
It particularly reminds me of the work of
Danny Elfman, with its twinkling celesta,
whimsical xylophone, and plucked strings.
This is fitting given Bonneton's dark
atmosphere, and its wonky, twisted landscape
that looks as if Tim Burton and
Dr. Seuss were hired
as urban planners.
The Cascade kingdom isn't based on any
particular location in the real world,
but rather a time period,
specifically the prehistoric era. Because of this,
it's difficult to analyze the accuracy of the
music of the Cascade Kingdom, as we have
no idea what the music sounded like
so long ago. It's almost certain that
early humans made music. Musical instruments are
known to have been created as far back
as the Neanderthals,
but there's no surviving evidence
that tells us specifically what this would have sounded like.
As such, the music of Fossil Falls
isn't meant to emulate a particular style,
but mainly serves to
paint an image of the sprawling wilderness.
Nintendo of America's Twitter account
states that that was written to:
"[...] instill a sense of excitement to
the start of your journey." This uplifting
orchestral theme is truly memorable,
and there's really not much else to say.
So, onwards to the Sand Kingdom!
This is where things start to get really interesting.
A number of kingdoms aren't just
based on one location, but pull from
a variety of cultures around the world.
I personally love this: it grounds each
locale in familiar environments,
while still making them feel unique.
If every location were a one-to-one parallel
with a real country, it might get boring
or predictable, or rely too heavily on
overplayed stereotypes. Nintendo was smart
to mix it up and keep bringing the surprises.
The sand Kingdom is a desert,
and draws from pretty much any part
of the world you can think of which is known
for its deserts. Mexican, Egyptian, and
Middle Eastern cultures all come
together to make an exceptionally unique location.
The town of Tostarena is based heavily
on Latin America,
especially Mexico. Even the name is
very Spanish-sounding. The local Tostarenans
are inspired by the Mexican tradition of
Dia de Muertos:
their colorful painted skulls resemble
the iconic Calaveras, also known as
sugar skulls. These decorative or sometimes edible
representations of human skulls
are rooted in Aztec, Mayan and Toltec traditions.
The Tostarenans wear
traditional ponchos and sombreros,
and are often seen playing the maracas -
a type of shaker common in Latin music -
as well as a special type of large acoustic guitar
called a Guitarron.
TostarenaTown itself somewhat resembles
the Pueblo communities of Mesoamerica,
with its apartment-style residences seemingly
built out of stone or Adobe mud.
The rest of the landscape is an amalgamation of
many different deserts from around the world.
The red sand resembles the mesas
of Southern and Central America,
and the cacti and tumbleweeds give it a
Wild West vibe. The sprawling
sand dunes, dotted with sandstone structures
evokes Egypt, and the famous
inverted pyramid is a reference
to both Mesoamerica and Egypt:
pyramids are well known structures of both
the ancient Egyptians and the Aztecs.
The architecture is decorated with very
Aztec designs and patterns, with a few
Egyptian motifs. Both of these cultures are
again referenced by the Jaxi,
which resembles an Egyptian sphinx, with
a bit of Aztec flair. Jaguars were a
significant part of Aztec culture -
the Aztecs even had a special warrior unit
known as the Jaguar.The final boss
of the sand kingdom - Knucklotec -resembles an
Olmec head, statues associated with the
earliest known civilization of Mexico.
There are also some smaller allusions to
other cultures, such as the
Easter Island-inspired Moe-Eyes.
So how does the music reflect this
amalgamation of cultures? The theme of
Tostarena Town itself reinforces
the traditional Mexican feel.
This style of music is Mariachi,
instantly recognizable because of its
distinct style of violin playing,
Mexican Guitarron strumming, the accordion,
and that prominent trumpet section.
The theme for the ruins section of the map
goes all out with combining every
desert song cliche, and I mean that
in the best way.
It has Latin-style strummed guitar,
a flute which evokes Native American music,
and what sounds like an Indian sitar.
The electric guitar during the second part
evokes the typical cowboy music
of spaghetti westerns.
Film composer Ennio Morricone comes to mind,
known for his twanging electric guitar
for soundtracks such as The Good, The Bad,
and the Ugly. All in all this song is an
impressive mashup of Latin folk music,
spaghetti western film scores,
traditional indigenous music,
and Indian Hindustani music, making for a
truly scorching desert theme. The lake kingdom
is another eclectic blend of cultures.
Visually it seems to be primarily based on Greece:
The architecture is inspired
by the iconic marble pillars and arches
of classical antiquity. Greece is also
known for its islands, such as the
Cycladic islands of the Aegean Sea,
which fits the aquatic surroundings of this Kingdom,
and the small islands which are
spread throughout the lake. Greece was a
maritime civilization which relied on
travelling by sea, and one of its primary
food sources was fish, which
just so happened to be everywhere in the Lake Kingdom.
Other elements of the Lake Kingdom
seem to pull from France.
The name Lake Lamode sounds very French,
and may be derived from the phrase
"a la mode," which means fashionable or stylish.
This is a fitting epithet, given that
Lake Lamode is known for its fashionable clothing,
which is also a further connection
to the French, a culture
known for its high fashion. Lastly,
there are some allusions to Scotland.
The locals are called Lochladies,
which derives from the Scottish word for Lake,
and the presence of Dorrie
the friendly plesiosaur serves as an homage
to Scotland's famous cryptid, the Loch Ness Monster.
The music here is very soothing, and is a
fitting accompaniment to the aquatic
vibe of the kingdom. It's definitely a
worthy successor to the relaxing water level themes
of past Mario games, such as
Dire Dire Docks or Deep Sea of Mare.
I believe this music is derived from
Ancient Greek music - or at least our
modern approximation of it - which fits
the kingdom's architectural style.
The music of the lake kingdom makes
significant use of plucked string instruments,
which just so happen to be
very common in the musical tradition
of Ancient Greece. Ancient Greek musicians
often used a class of instruments known as
zithers, which are a type of
chordophone played by strumming
or plucking with the fingers.
The main zithers used by the Greeks were the lyre,
as well as the kithara, the predecessor
of the modern guitar. The main theme of Lake Lamode
specifically showcases a harp,
which is a zither and descendant
of the Ancient Greek lyre.
Another version of the song has a
bigger focus on the acoustic guitar,
which harkens back to the ancient Greek kithara.
The Wooded Kingdom is an interesting location,
and does not have a striking resemblance
to any real-world country,
at first glance. However, I think this region
was influenced by the European region
of the Alps, somewhere like Germany or Switzerland.
The background visuals have
a snowy mountain range which greatly resembles
the Alps, and the dense boreal forest
resembles the environment of the
Alpine region. The connection to Germany
is strengthened by the name:
Steam Gardens was originally going to be called
"Kogvald," which is a German
composite word for "cog woods."
Moreover, Steam Gardens is known for
its mechanization: it almost has a
steampunk aesthetic. This too can be tied
to Germany, a country known for its
technological advancements during its
industrial revolution, including
rail transport and tanks. The clockwork aesthetic
is also a tie to Switzerland,
a country famous for its
fine craftsmanship such as high quality Swiss watches.
There is also the unique capturable enemy,
the Uproot - a wacky onion-like creature
on extendable stilts.
This may be a connection to another
part of Europe: the Landes region in France.
In this area, early farmers used
wooden stilts to traverse the densely forested terrain.
This connection may be a bit of a stretch -
no pun intended - but I think
it is worth bringing up. The landes forest
is the largest pine forest in Europe,
which definitely brings to mind the
colossal pine trees of the Wooded Kingdom.
The music for the Wooded Kingdom was
one of the few Odyssey tracks composed by
veteran Mario composer Koji Kondo,
the man responsible for most of the
Mario series' iconic songs. When creating a
theme for the arboreal environment of
Steam Gardens, Kondo took a very
unique approach in terms of genre.
There's actually no direct connection between
the musical style and the cultures the
Wooded Kingdom is emulating. This song is
inspired by the surf rock of the early 1960s,
a sub-genre of rock and roll.
This genre was pioneered by artists
such as the Beach Boys and Dick Dale,
and was prominent within the surf culture
of California. It is characterized by a
unique style of electric guitar playing,
involving high reverb, lots of vibrato,
pitch bending, and a technique called
"alternate picking," which creates a
tremolo effect. You can hear the
reverb drenched guitar, and lots of
whammies or pitch bends
in the Wooded Kingdoms theme.
This theme also showcases high-energy rhythm
in the drums, a prominent bassline,
a subtle brass section,
and that groovy organ sound.
Surf rock is also known for
incorporating scales or musical modes
that aren't typical in western music,
drawing from a wide range of Mexican music,
Indian and Middle Eastern music,
traditional Greek and eastern Mediterranean folk songs,
as well as the Jewish style
of Klezmer. Without getting too deep
into music theory, surf rock often uses
harmonic minor scales such as the
Phrygian dominant mode, which is a
defining sound of both Arabic
and Spanish music. This unique flair
is best exemplified by Dick Dale's iconic
surf rock cover of Misirlou,
a traditional Eastern Mediterranean song,
Its a strange choice of genre, for sure,
especially considering that the kingdom
is a forest, not a beach,
and is based on the European Alps,
and not California. But I can't complain -
this song is one of the most refreshing songs
in the Mario series. It's like nothing
we've ever heard in the series before,
and personally, I think it's
one of the best songs in Odyssey. This just goes to show
that Koji Kondo remains
the legendary king of Mario music.
I believe that the Lost Kingdom is
based on an amalgamation of countries
throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Southeast Asia is known for its
tropical and volcanic islands, which fits
the dense jungles and rocky terrain
of the Forgotten Isle to a tee.
Moreover, the Forgotten Isle hosts
a number of brightly colored
and often dangerous insects, which Australia is infamous for.
This kingdom is also home
to the reptilian Glydon,
who is based on a flying lizard, also known as a Draco,
a species of lizard found
in the densely wooded areas of the Philippines,
Borneo, and other places throughout Southeast Asia.
Based on the music, however,
I would say this kingdom is primarily based on Indonesia.
This type of music is a traditional style
known as Gamelan.
Gamelan is a type of musical ensemble
performed in the islands of Bali and Java
in Indonesia. These ensembles are
primarily comprised of percussive instruments
such as gongs, usually made of
bronze and bamboo, plentiful resources
throughout Southeast Asia.
Each ensemble can have anywhere between
2 and 50 instruments, many of which
you can hear in the theme of the Forgotten Isle.
Throughout the entire song,
you can hear the Bonang tuned gongs.
This is the same sort of instrument
you can hear in Mario Kart 8's Thwomp Ruins, by the way.
Another instrument is the Gender,
a metallophone played with a mallet,
similar to a glockenspiel. The flute-like instrument
you hear is called a Suling,
a bamboo pipe common throughout
Indonesian music. You can hear Ceng-ceng cymbals,
and the double-sided Kendang drum,
which were used to mark the complex rhythm and tempo,
which often fluctuate throughout
the varying parts of a Gamelan piece.
There's one instrument here
that's not a component of Gamelan,
and actually comes from a variety of African music.
The unique percussion sound
you just heard is a talking drum,
an hourglass shaped drum common in
traditional West African music.
It consists of two drums connected by
leather cords. These cords are squeezed
to regulate the tension on the drum head,
thus modulating the pitch of the drum.
When played the right way, these drums
could mimic the human voice.
Most sound like human humming, but skilled players
could play whole phrases of human speech,
hence the name. Aside from this one irregularity,
the Lost Kingdom's music is pretty faithful
to this Indonesian musical tradition. This song reflects
the unusual rhythm and tempo of Gamelan.
It is in the mind-boggling
11:16 time signature, an extremely
uncommon musical meter by Western standards.
Gamelan is characterized by
interlocking parts built around a core melody,
which is reflected well in this song.
You can hear a variety of repetitive melodies
layered over top of one another.
It has a somewhat complex
and unpredictable sound, but remains grounded
by the steady and driving drumbeat.
Gamelan is a vital part of Balinese society.
It has a crucial ceremonial role
in the Hindu tradition, and is also
used for fun and entertainment, such as
setting the soundtrack for dancing
and Wayang shadow puppet performances.
I think it's incredibly cool that Nintendo
chose to look at such an obscure musical tradition
for one of their biggest games.
It's a great way to help such a fascinating,
but overlooked style of music
reach a wider audience.
Well that about wraps it up for part one.
In the next video, I will examine the remaining
Mario Odyssey kingdoms, starting with
the infectiously catchy big-band sound
of the fan-favorite New Donk City.
I hope you enjoyed this video,, and possibly
learned something new. This is my first time
trying a video like this, so please
let me know if you liked it, or think that
there's anything I can improve on.
I'm trying to strike a nice balance between
analysis, music theory, history,
so its a work in progress, but I hope it turned out okay.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.
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