Soundtrack/Commentary/Winding Roots

**Spoiler Warning**This page contains spoilers for the main story of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. Proceed carefully.

## Winding Roots

The theme of the 33rd instalment of the "Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin" music commentary is the last dungeon's song, "Winding Roots".

Finally, Sakuna embarks on a journey through the last dungeon, the Abyssal Remnants. It seemed like a dark dungeon spreading deep into the earth, but it was surprisingly bright and mysterious - a place that held a part of the power of the Tree of Creation. While defeating the numerous demons, Sakuna descends through the branches to reach the evil dragon lurking in its depths.

I don't really search my own name, so I haven't seen anything about the reputation of the BGM of this work, aside from the popularity of the "Yanato Planting Song", though even I somehow feel that "Winding Roots" is very popular.

I put a lot of effort into this song, but I think it will leave a strong impression on players because of the unique situation in which it is played. In the events leading up to the final battle, there are four different songs: "Vow", "Yanato Planting Song -Festival-", "Winding Roots", and the final boss song, "Profane Deity". In the events leading up to the final battle, the theme of the Yanato Planting Song is transformed into various forms, and the composition of the final boss song, "Profane Deity", is a composition that inspires the player more than ever.
If I had to sum it up in one word, I'd say it's pretty emo.

It was so well received by the production team that it was used in promotional videos and trailers. It's probably unusual to see a song from the last dungeon used in a launch trailer, if you think about it, I guess that's why the tension and excitement of the song, as well as the game's music, was so suitable for conveying the message of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.

Two things were important to me when creating this: "a summary of all the adventures I've had so far", and "something different from what I've done before".

First of all, in terms of a general summary, all the Japanese instruments that have appeared in the dungeon so far, the shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, and flute, should be used. Each of these instruments is given its own distinctive phrase, reminding us of the long journey we have taken to get here. On the other hand, the drum pattern should be more techno-like, giving it a different feel from the previous dungeons. Especially in the chorus where the first theme of the Yanato Planting Song is played, the kick becomes a four-hit, as if it were a dance arrangement of it. I wrapped these elements with guitar, bass, and strings to add a sense of weight, urgency, and grandeur.

(See the attached MIDI, 39\_itsuki.mid, in the article.)

In this part of the chorus, the top of the strings goes up one note at a time and the bass goes down half a note, which I personally like because it gives a sense of the expansion of the world view. After the repetition of the first theme, a brief arrangement of the second theme is included, and after the convergence, it returns to the introduction.

It's a pretty dense song with a lot of instruments, thick strings, and a lot of drumming, but I'm really grateful that so many people seemed to like it. Naturally, this song will also be included in the arranged album "Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin Musical Arrangements -Play-", so please look forward to that as well!

Next time, I will introduce the final boss BGM, "Profane Deity".