ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the interplay of music and design. It examines the reverse—the effects of design on music. Many of the various design and development trends that began in FFIV culminate in FFVII, and the musical trends are no exception. The chapter analyzes the quantitative aspects of the soundtrack. Videogame music tends to repeat forever, as long as the player has not changed the conditions of the game by progressing to the next level/zone or activating a power-up with its own unique music. In an album form, this infinite loop tends to only repeat twice fully, then fades out on the third repeat. The music explains to us that Barret Wallace's brashness is his most obvious quality, and his regret is apparent, too—but the reason he wants to change the world is because of the vulnerable and melancholy heart he hides from the world.
