General RPGs' AMVs 20

You know what I realized last year, when I was making the music list rant about the remixes and original fan songs and whatnot?  A lot of composers of original fan songs actually go to the trouble of making an accompanying music video to go with their tunes.  So, like, why wouldn’t I also count those as RPG AMVs?  That being the case, expect to see a bunch of these original RPG AMVs in the next couple of these rants.  There’ll still be plenty of “normal” AMVs, too, though, no worries.*



FALLOUT

Fallout 4: Some Things Never Change, by Miracle of Sound
The music used is Some Things Never Change, by Miracle of Sound.  The perfect video to accompany Miracle of Sound’s beautiful, haunting, weary love song to Fallout 4, this AMV displays the singular beauty and tragedy of the Fallout setting with sweeping, unhurried treks through the post-apocalyptic Commonwealth, perfectly in tune with the music.  Tributes to a game’s setting are difficult to make a great AMV for, particularly for landscapes that emphasize quiet and emptiness, but when they work, they work damn well, and this is a great example of that.


FINAL FANTASY

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Warriors, by RivAyshil
The music used is a cover of Warriors, by Imagine Dragons.  The cover itself is done by 2WEI.  This AMV is strong overall, a good match of song to game in terms of atmosphere and gravity, but it’s especially notable, I think, for the great timing of the game footage to the music.  The powerful and pervasive percussion of Warriors is matched at every point by the movement and actions of the visuals to create a single, flowing entity of sound and sight here.  I especially love the part right before the minute mark where the audio’s far-off marching is matched to characters’ steps in the game--it’s a small detail, but it shows off the skill and effort that went into this AMV as a whole very well.  Great stuff.


FIRE EMBLEM

Fire Emblem 16: The Storm, by Ramona BadwolfTM
The music used is The Storm, by TheFatRat.  This is a pretty neat AMV--the creator has picked an interesting song that, when paired to the game’s footage with such precise and artful timing, demonstrates Fire Emblem 16’s characters and conflicts, their relationships and their pain in a way that’s refreshing and compelling.  Let’s face it, after a certain point, there are some games whose AMVs tend to start to blur together, and Fire Emblem titles definitely seem to be examples of this phenomenon--but this music video manages to make the story and its cast feel new again, somehow.  It’s an interesting case of the AMV being genuinely fun to watch, even if it’s got enough gravity and sincerity that I wouldn’t call it a “fun” AMV, if that makes any sense.


NIER: AUTOMATA

Nier: Automata: Mercy Mirror, by Rail
The music used is Mercy Mirror, by Within Temptation.  You know, I hadn’t really thought about it before, but between A1 and 2B, Devola and Popola, the splintering of N2’s consciousness, the duality of the machines and the androids as a whole, and just a whole lot of moments from the game’s narrative, there really are a lot of examples of mirrors in Nier: Automata, huh?  An interesting realization I wouldn’t have had without this high quality AMV calling attention to it with its smart choice of scenes to coordinate with the song’s lyrics and tune, and interesting exploration into the theme of mirrors within the game.  This is a solid work with a neat thematic focus!


THE OUTER WORLDS

The Outer Worlds: The Fine Print, by The Stupendium
The music used is The Fine Print, by The Stupendium.  I love this one--the song’s a strikingly perfect and ingeniously written representation of The Outer Worlds’s setting, theme, and lore, and the video that goes along with it is excellently tailored to emphasize and enhance the music, giving us a great set of visuals from The Outer Worlds to pay it proper tribute, while staying contained and sparse enough that the video never distracts from the song and its message.  The Stupendium’s own role is played perfectly as he sings, and his background, visual effects, costume design, and overall presentation and progression are all excellent, engaging, and in complete sync with the source material.  I legitimately don’t think that a better tribute to and representation of The Outer Worlds could be made than The Fine Print--hell, I might even go as far as to say that this AMV is superior to the game itself, even on the game's own terms!


SUIKODEN

Suikoden 1 - 3: SuikoPath, by Squall583.
The music used is Path, by Apocalyptica.  There’s very little to say on this one--it’s a blast from the past, possibly older than some of you reading this, and a prime example of a classic, good, basic AMV that gets the job done and is enjoyable to watch.  It’s also a bit noteworthy for managing to maintain a cohesive, strong music video from start to finish, in spite of having very little to work with (given how few cinematics the initial trilogy of Suikoden possessed)--granted, some scenes are reused in this, but the way they fit so well into the chorus effectively disguises this as an artistic choice rather than a limitation.  Good stuff!


TALES OF

Tales of Berseria: A Demon’s Fate, by Ard1n LC
The music used is A Demon’s Fate, by Within Temptation.  This one’s a solid, well-constructed AMV that skillfully brings the visuals and lyrics together in a song that works well with the source material; there’s not much to say about it beyond that it’s a good work all around.

Interestingly, this video also continues with a second AMV for Tales of Zestiria, done to a different song.  It’s a fine enough music video, but not great in and of itself.  It is, however, kind of a neat thing that the author did this, as ToZ takes place in the far future of ToB’s world--it makes it so that the AMVs sort of set up their own narrative.  Nice touch.


UNDERTALE

Undertale: Way Deeper Down, by The Stupendium
The music used is Way Deeper Down, by The Stupendium.  It’s a pretty simple video, obviously more about the music than the visual component (which is fair, since this is meant to be the release of The Stupendium’s new song first and foremost), but Way Deeper Down is nonetheless a fun and serviceable AMV.  Even if the clever and fun lyrics of this song about Undertale’s iconic undead are clearly the star of the work, the appealing, simple art nonetheless help bring them to life.  The Stupendium is a darned fun creator as a whole, and this AMV is certainly on-brand for him.









* Yes, I know no one was actually worried about this.