Hearing Nocturne's battle theme stripped down to just piano keys is genuinely jarring in the best way. The SMT III HD Remaster Piano Arrange album takes Shoji Meguro's compositions and lays them bare, and tracks like The Conception and Cathedral of Shadows gain this lonely, haunted quality that the originals buried under distortion.
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The Fiend arrangement is chilling when it's just notes hanging in silence. But the real draw might be the rare soundtrack half. Drum of Amala, Empty Lobby, Spirit of Misfortune, these are unused and ambient pieces that feel like deleted scenes from the Vortex World.
Assembly of Nihilo in this raw form hits totally different. If Nocturne's atmosphere ever got under your skin, this collection peels back another layer.