Ochette, the Hunter/Castti, the Apothecary

Track 1-3: Ochette, the Hunter

Today we enter the character theme zone!

First up: Ochette, the Hunter. Ochette is a beastling from the island of Totoʻhaha. She’s cheerful and happy-go-lucky, but she also has the inner strength to squarely face the sweeping quest she eventually gets caught up in.

As a result, with her music I wanted to convey a warm sense of fun and optimism, but also express the gravity of her mission.

Ochette’s theme is characterized by lively clickety-clack percussion combined with synthesized kalimba and stone-like timbres that bring to mind [Toto‘haha’s inhabitants’] ties to the land. As an African instrument, the kalimba is particularly effective for establishing a natural vibe. There are also some gamelan sounds mixed in to add a mystical element.

The melody played on recorder after the introduction is full of leaping phrases that express Ochette’s free-spirited, energetic side. I think quite a few people might be surprised to learn that these sounds came from a recorder. The soloist is Kei Sakamoto (@okei1113), who also played on the OT1 and CotC soundtracks!

This is followed by a sweeping melody on the strings that hints at the grandeur of Ochette’s mission, reminding the player musically that she’s more than just happy-go-lucky—she has two equally appealing sides to her character.

Incidentally, the wind instrument playing in unison with these strings is a tin whistle, also played by Sakamoto—talk about a versatile talent!

Track 1-4: Castti, the Apothecary

The apothecary Castti begins her story suffering from amnesia. During her travels, she assembles fragments of memory that gradually teach her who she is and why she lost her memory to begin with.

Her music expresses the loss she feels due to that amnesia, combined with her gentle personality and kind, maternal nature as an apothecary.

The marimba is a particularly distinctive element in this theme, and is played using a technique called tremolo, where the notes are repeatedly struck with the mallets as quickly as possible. Combined with the timbre of the instrument, this creates a vaguely empty, lonely sound.

Meanwhile, I gave the melody to the flute because I wanted to express the feminine, kindly supportive side of Castti’s character. In that sense, you might detect some similarities to Ophilia’s theme in OT1. However, the melody I wrote for Castti is meant to conjure up a sense of searching for a place in the world, feeling your way forward, and ruminating on memories again and again.

Once more, the flute is played by Kei Sakamoto!

Translation: Matt Treyvaud