https://www.vizzed.com/videogames/music.php?game=7814#/player1?catid=0&trackid=22 (some tracks don't work)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB0xooEkKbSbK4nWqYb4Exo0nofuvwjgh

Dragon Quest V was the first of the series released for the 16-bit consoles. Despite being technically inferior to Squaresoft products (inferior graphics, mainly), its story was still very interesting and had astounding plot twists. How did its soundtrack stand?

I have to admit that it was rather disappointing compared to “the main RPG competitor”. First the arrangements sound less complex. The Dungeon Theme, for example, does sound dark as it should; but the two main tracks consist only of the same few brass notes and violin arrangements. The main track is a flute, which sounds like a strange choice for a dungeon. Lord Milrath (the final boss) suffers from the same problem. What you hear the most are the same few brass notes in the background with a few more brass and flute notes in the first part. The second part of the loop sounds a little more epic, but it’s not even up to what the NES version were able to do in matters of epicness. The Fairy World theme also sounds empty. The background arrangements are for the most part, the same few brass notes (that do get a little more jazzy in the second part) while the main track “flute” doesn’t have that many more notes; they are sensibly the same in the first and in the second part of the loop (both parts are distinguishable, at least).

Second, even compared to previous Dragon Warrior games the tracks don’t sound like they have been exploiting the Super Nintendo sound chip optimally. Take the Castle Theme for example. It uses violins instead of drums like most other such themes, and it’s a nice innovation. However the main trumpet track sounds kind of sad – like a funeral almost. Castle themes are supposed to be more militaristic and epic. The Dark World theme sounds better than in the preceding games, but it still doesn’t sound “dark and evil” at all. It sounds more mysterious than dark; like entering an old abandoned house. The first part of the loop is rather “empty” in the background. The Flying Theme, on its side, lacks the epicness Uematsu was able to create even in Final Fantasy III. It’s definitely better than the Balloon Ride in DW IV, which sounded like the loop was stretched just to show that Sugiyama was able to compose well on the NES. But in V, the way violins are used in the background (stretching the note) is not dynamic enough to evoke a feeling of flying. And please, flutes are supposed to be used for relaxing, not for flying. And the Tower theme always seemed strange compared even to DW II. Starting in the second part of the loop, violins go up and down like someone was voluntarily changing the speed of a vinyl disk and it sounds ugly. Also, the main flute, once again, sounds strange for a theme supposed to have mystery and anguish.

That being said, the soundtrack wasn’t a total disaster. The ordinary battle theme really sounds like one with excellent bursts of trumpets and, surprisingly, a good integration of flute arrangements. In the second part of the loop, the violins in the background get more high-pitch which was good. It’s then followed by upbeat brass arrangements that add well to this battle track. The boss battle track, although not “optimal”, was at least the first one of the series that was created, at last (FF III did it for Squaresoft). The tempo is slightly quicker and the flute helps creating a more dramatic ambiance perfect for such a theme. The violins in the background are very quick and the main brass track adds an excellent touch of drama; I think the only other boss battle theme that could compare would be the one in Chrono Trigger. The overworld theme sounded nice and epic and perfect at least for the hero’s youth. The background violins show the little care he had since Pappas was always close to him to protect him, the main flute track also showed that lightness. However there should have been at least another theme for when he becomes an adult. The Ship Theme sounds like a “realistic” version of the DW IV theme. The violin arrangements sound very beautiful and grand, as sea voyages are expected to sound like. The flute you can sometimes hear under the violin arrangements is also beautiful.

Finally, let me finish with the best track of the album: Zenithia Castle. Whereas the DW IV version sounded more mysterious (it was named Unknown Castle, and was very fitting), this one sounds VERY grand and epic. The violin arrangements are simply wonderful, whereas the cellos in the background give the track a very majestic feel. The flute in the first part also adds to the majestic feelings of the track.

In short, Dragon Warrior V is still a good addition to your music library. Despite its shortcomings it is still memorable, and the tracks are usually fitting of the situation – the village theme is slower than the town theme, and the ruined village theme does sound sad.