FFXII soundtrack near completion

MAKUHARI MESSE--During a stage event on the second day of Square Enix Party 2005, Final Fantasy XII composer Hitoshi Sakimoto appeared on stage to announce that music development for the game is almost finished. He also confirmed that the game will follow along the series' tradition and include the Chocobo theme, which may mean that players will be able to ride on the birdlike creatures once again.

Sakimoto didn't seem to have a definitive number of tracks for the finalized soundtrack. He commented that he's currently creating about 70 to 80 pieces, but the number may grow larger considering the many events in the game. He added that the music in FFXII was composed with an orchestral touch, and gamers should expect the same kind of feel for the new Chocobo theme.

Visitors to the show were treated to a performance of a couple of pieces, including the themes for main character Vaan and the Arcadia Empire. When asked if it was difficult to work on the game's combat music because the fights in FFXII no longer switch screens, Sakimoto replied that it wasn't much of an issue for him since he's worked on many games that didn't have such stark transitions.

Square Enix also presented two of the game's voice actors on the stage: Kohei Takeda (Vaan) and Yuna Mikuni (Penelo). This is the second time that Takeda has appeared on stage for FFXII, following Square Enix's first FFXII announcement back in 2003. Mikuni is a young actress born in 1985 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Though she's worked on numerous TV shows, this is her first time as a voice actor. Both actors also contributed to the motion capture for their characters.