Aggressive FM synth metal that pushes the Sharp X68000 to its absolute breaking point. AQUALES is a 1992 action title and its soundtrack is a masterclass in what the X68000's YM2151 chip could do in the right hands. "Metal Navigator" rips with a crunchy lead that sounds like it's trying to escape the hardware, "RIATT!"
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is pure adrenaline with this relentless driving bassline, and "Action Into The METAL!" is exactly the kind of unhinged track that title promises. The pacing across the full set is surprisingly smart. "Blue Point" and "As A Stream" cool things down with more atmospheric passages before "Scale Battle" and "GEAR'S!"
slam you back into the action. "Phantom Of Deep" has this eerie, underwater tension that gives the game its identity beyond just another action title. Then there's "Ending ~ Garlant Happiness," which trades all that intensity for something genuinely warm and resolved.
The opening theme sets up a world, and the ending actually earns the payoff. For anyone who thinks FM synthesis peaked on the Mega Drive, the X68000 library has things to show you, and AQUALES is one of the loudest arguments in the catalog.