Welcome to Morning Music, Kotakuis common Hangout for people who love video games and the cool sounds they make. Today’s column is all about an invigorating classic that didn’t make it into the game it was promoting.
Link awakes (Playlist /. long game /. VGMdb) is one of the greatest games in the Legend of Zelda Franchise when it comes to music, and “Ballad of the Wind Fish” is the crowning gem. It’s an instrumental part (no pun intended) of handheld gaming, both at key gameplay moments and for storytelling purposes, so when it came time to advertise the Switch remake
I was already a huge one Link awakes Fan, but that sealed the deal. The breathtaking singing of the Japanese folk musician Ichiko Aoba, the haunting ethereality of the piano melody … this song was made for me. I would listen to the short excerpt from the commercials when repeated. Fortunately, the full title was eventually uploaded to the remake’s list on the Nintendo official website, giving music channels the opportunity to re-upload it for easy consumption.
Nintendo / Dystify Music (
Nintendo also recorded “Ballad of the Wind Fish” with English and Korean vocals, and while both share the same wonderful qualities as the Japanese version, they don’t quite go together. Still, they made for a nice change of pace during my long loop sessions with the song.
Here is the English version:
Nintendo / Dystify Music (Youtube)
And here is with Korean singing:
Nintendo / Dystify Music (Youtube)
While they may seem like shoe-ins for the credit sequence, these tracks never appeared in Link awakes on the switch. And strangely enough, the Japanese track has mysteriously disappeared from all Nintendo channels. The original TV ad is no longer on the company’s YouTube or Twitter feed, and the full title has been removed from the official website.
Maybe there was an argument between Nintendo and Ichiko Aoba. Maybe the rights were only for a limited time. Or maybe Nintendo is just Nintendo in terms of the whole thing. Either way, the strange disappearance only makes the song’s ghostly features all the more compelling.
That’s it for today’s morning music! Do you have any favorite video game tracks that never made it to a game? Or something else on your mind this Monday morning? Let us know in the comments and see you soon!
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