The EarthBound Kids as Orchestral Brass Instruments
For those of you who don't know, EarthBound (the second game in the Mother series) is an absolutely incredible RPG released in the mid-1990s for the Super Nintendo. It features the adventures of Ness (yes, from Super Smash Bros) as he discovers his psychic powers, meets some other kids, beats people up with a baseball bat, and eventually saves the world from an evil alien fetus that is the producer's metaphor for a child's view of rape. Yeah, random genre shift at the end, and it works really well. Without spoiling the ending TOO much, there's a nice "clap if you believe in fairies" moment that really tugs the heartstrings. Anyways, long story short, the game is fantastic, and you should try it. It also has some fantastic music, which I'll probably feature later in like a "part two" type thing to this post. But for now, a cool little correlation between the protagonists and a brass section.
Ness - the Horn
So, Ness (centre-right) is the first kid you have in your party, and with the exception of two rather short scenes (about an hour combined, and this is a 40+ hour game), you'll always have him in your party. When he's by himself, he's an absolute tank, playing with a nice mix of defensive and offensive PSI. When you're joined by the other kids, your party dynamics shift a bit, with Paula and Jeff taking on an offensive role, and Ness filling in a defensive/support role (even his PSI Rockin' is more just to net the kills that Paula may have JUST missed). When his full potential is unlocked (after Magicant), you realize that he is a total boss, and can basically do everything.
The horn, in an orchestra, is a composer's all-purpouse instrument. When there's a brass solo, it's 90% of the time written for horn. The composers really demand a lot of those instruments, sometimes even making the principal a feature of the movement (Maher 5-3), regardless of how many other brass are playing. However, when the brass tuttis DO happen, the horn will be a supporter, blending with the other instruments while the trumpets and trombones take over (Mahler 5-5, ending). Horns also work well with everyone, whether brass, woodwinds, or strings.
Paula - the Trombone
Paula (far right) is the second character you get, and is depressingly feminine while also subverting that role in terms of mechanics. She's got the pink dress, her weapons are frying pans, and she's kidnapped not once, but twice (THREE times if you count her and Ness being held captive in Threed). However, in a time where all female roles have basically been dancers, White Mages, and skanky archers, Paula is a Black Mage. Functionally. She focuses on elemental PSI, using almost arbitrary rock-paper-scissors weaknesses against the various foes. She's fairly speedy, and low on HP, but hits like a truck every time.
Trombone is one of those instruments that stereotypically plays too loud. In fact, my province is the exception, as we have an unusual amount of quiet trombone players, but a few loud ones to make sure we keep a quota. The point is, listen to a fortissimo low brass section (there's a moment in the Porgy and Bess suite that gets me every time). Raw power, that's all. Trombones correlating to the offensive juggernaut is all too obvious a connection, but occasionally composers will throw their listeners for a loop, and have a beautiful, soft, low chordal transition between sections that just melts people when played on trombone. Thus, though Paula and the trombone are opposite subversions of each other, the subversions make them overlap quite well.
Jeff - the Trumpet
So, Jeff (centre-left) is a boss. He's the only kid in your party without psychic powers, and also the only kid who's known for being able to one-shot bosses. You don't buy his weapons at a regular public drugstore, but at (not very well) hidden arms dealers. With handy items like the Heavy Bazooka, Multi-Bottle Rocket, Hungry HP-Sucker, and Netralizer, Jeff's got a tool for almost every job. Plus, he's got that whole sent-to-boarding-school-and-only-known-family-doesn't-even-recognize-him thing going on.
Oh, the trumpet. One thing that bugs me a tad about trumpeters, though is also something I'm guilty of in a slightly different way (yay hypocrisy!) is shown nicely in this little sketch from Tone Deaf:
Yep, trumpet players are all about their toys, it seems. We've got a new tool for every job. I mean, I like the idea of having different styles of mutes, though idk if I'd go with like five straight mutes all made of different material like some people do (fun fact: a felt ring around the stem of a straight mute gives it a beautiful, failsafe tone colour for like 99% of pieces). And I've never been into the weighted thing (my C trumpet has a random weighted valve cap on the middle valve, mostly cuz I didn't want all of them on, but thought it looked cool, and now can't find the other caps to make them uniform). But, when it comes to comp students asking "what can you do with mutes," trumpet kind of blows every other instrument out of the water.
And yeah... trumpet players are kind of apart from other brass in that, if there's ever some kind of argument or clash of egos, it's always between a trumpet and a non-trumpet. It's a bad stereotype, but happens too often to not have SOME semblance of truth. Though, as with Jeff and the other kids, they are ultimately a team, and we brass ultimately sound best when it's all ranges of voices, with perfect balance.
Poo - the Tuba
Prince Poo of Dalaam (far left) is the last character you add to your team, and in terms of gameplay, a lot of people use him as a clone of Paula. However, Poo has some very unique abilities in Brainshock and Mirror. Brainshock is just a very situational confusion power, but Mirror is something no one else in the party can pull off, by copying one of the opponents' moves and behaviours. It's kinda fun, and Mirroring an Atomic Power Robot in Stonehenge totally makes an otherwise pleasantly challenging dungeon a cakewalk.
Yeah, I was kind of running out of instruments, so relating the Tuba to Poo is a bit of a stretch. I mean, the tuba IS to lesser composers thought of as an extension of the trombones, instead of its own section, much as Poo could be thought of by some players as an extension of Paula in terms of battle strategy. However, it's best when used as its own thing, like its little solos in the first movement of Mahler Five, for example. Also, tuba and euph soloists are infamous for borrowing music from other instruments, much like Poo borrows the abilities of his foes. That's about it, but it's enough for me, considering every other combination of person and instrument was taken.
So, that was the random of the day. I had a great idea for the next post, but I've temporarily forgotten it. Hopefully it will come to me. Expect something, at least, some time this week. Anyways, I'm off. Gotta wake up early tomorrow, and I have a bad habit of staying up much later than necessary.
Now dry your eyes, blow your nose, and smile before we take off. :)
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