Composer reacts: Shiva's Theme | Final Fantasy XIV

Composer: Masayoshi Soken
• Video
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#FinalFantasyXIV #Reaction

[@hlonghi]

Fun fact for you Atlas, the main vocalist of this song isn't a professional singer, but a member of Square Enix's localization team Ayumi Murata. Soken also mentioned in a interview: "If anyone has two sides it would have to be the vocalist I got to sing for the track. Normally, she's a polite, humble, little lass from the Localization team with a cute smile and an apology in her pocket for every time she insists she's not worthy. But beware all ye who might put a mic in her hand, for once unleashed, there is no stopping her inner demon."

[@coolyeh1017]

The same thing happened with Ravana's theme "Unbending Steel" too. Soken just heard Dan Inoue speak in a low baritone voice in a meeting and literally tried to barge into the meeting to drag him out to get him into a recording booth right then. He also provided the vocals for "Fiend" also known as the theme for Sehpirot.

[@AtlasBenighted]

😆 She is real life Aggetsuko

[@Marshe.Valias]

@@AtlasBenighted SOON as I read the comment itself this was exactly what I thought lol

[@Theheadless1858]

You should do Return to Oblivion. It’s an evolution of this song that plays when we revisit Shiva. Shiva as a primal god is grand and elegant like ice, whereas Ysayle the woman who channels Shiva is grittier and tormented. She becomes shiva while dying alone in the snow. So the waltz + rock are meant to signify that we are dealing with 2 very different people at the same time - which we don’t actually learn until much later in the story.

[@scotty110]

I think it was Hraesvalgr that found Ysayle out in a snowstorm and helped get her to safety, she, being gifted with the "Echo" had a vision of Shiva being in love with Hraesvalgr and giving herself to him, which made Ysayle believe that she was Shiva reincarnated

[@hlonghi]

I have PTSD from Light Rampant to this day. the tragic tale of getting flashbanged for hours until you figure out wtf was happening.

[@imaninerrah3127]

Agreed that return to oblivion. So many years after this and it's amazing❤

[@Theheadless1858]

@@scotty110 You are correct. I was speaking metaphorically.

[@Toksyuryel]

@@hlonghi Again and again and AGAIN AND AGAIN

[@mr.mystere4999]

Yes, that transition actually happens in game, sound effect and all. Midway through the fight, she'll use her Diamond Dust attack and the music stops. That snap you heard is what she does in the game to kick off Phase Two. It is by far, one of the best phase transitions in the game. Just about every Trial Boss Battle that has multiple phases each get their own music for each phase.

[@Scorpius1122]

Out of context, its easy to see that transition being awkward, but when it hits in game, its awesome.

[@cherrydragon3120]

😂 its pretty much the game in a nutshell. The music doesnt make alot of sense for someone who doesn't play the game. But for us players, we see the visuals when the music hits. We know the story we are there. It just hits very different then when you listen to it out of context

[@williamroche5249]

FFXIV Music drastically changing with a boss's phases isn't uncommon, but this, Footsteps in the Snow to Oblivion, has to be the most extreme example. Although they both share certain leitmotifs if you pay close enough attention

[@smward87]

This was the first time he did such a drastic phase switch though which is why it such an extreme turn. The other times it's been done haven't been nearly as jarring because he got better at making it more natural sounding.

[@TheBachKornett]

This transition and fight is the first time they did this in a main story fight that everyone is gonna experience. it was also a moment that blew my mind and made me appreciate how special this game, its music and fights are

[@LuccatielD7]

That snap and transition made me fall in love with the game.

[@poro9084]

this is the song which got me into FFXIV.. loved this when i heard it for first time

[@Hato1992]

Totally agree. In other games music is in background, in good games, it can change your mood. But in FF XIV music is part of story.

[@Zangetsu248]

So something to note with Shiva's theme is that the music during phase 1 is slower because Shiva is building power to unleash Diamond Dust (Her ultimate attack that freezes everyone and thing). It's why the tempo is low because she uses very few abilities in that phase of the fight, she's trying to focus for a much larger finishing blow because we have somewhat cornered her. As well as this section of the fight is based much more on the lore of Shiva available prior to the heavensward expansion (much of her traditional FF encounters). As we reach the transition of the fight, the clack you hear is matched by her stomping her heels against a characters head to shatter the entire party. It then transitions to a higher tempo song because the track is no longer based on the traditional Shiva and upon the character who summoned her. The lyrics are tied much more closely with the history of Shiva in 14 and the ties to the summoner as well. Much of the lyrics mentioning not giving up are the summoner and not the player, and her desperation to succeed. Narratively the track is telling us the summoners back story, abandoned in the snow alone and naked, abandoned by her people but Shiva's will took her in and comforted her. It builds up more as the fight progresses as she gets progressively more desperate to beat us and escape.

[@God_is_a_High_School_Girl]

For reference, in the fight that clap you heard was the moment Shiva executed her Limit Break attack on the party. The song is reflecting the fight's tone shift from "Let's dance in the falling snow" to "It's time to get serious".

[@dumpsterfyre278]

Stomp on me mommy!

[@raindrain1]

It's not even a clap- it's a finger snap, part of the animation for Shiva's Diamond Dust since... FFX, perhaps?

[@guinness12691]

Return to Oblivion is a must after Footsteps in the Snow & Oblivion. Great reaction!

[@AtlasBenighted]

Thank you!

[@Ataraxia476]

Good bossfight, and cool tracks. Do more XIV music. It's astonishing.

[@cherrydragon3120]

A dying Gasp, ALL i'm saying. Thats enuf

[@kse3]

4:49 "k, it changed here." Those that know: Oh just you wait. 😁

[@nicolascordier12]

When you hear this song later during the MSQ of HW you know shit's about to get real, and damn, it did get crazy real.

[@BongSwansong]

Easily one of my favorite arr trial themes Shivas theme never gets old

[@chachan6044]

This is definitely one of those songs where in context and in the midst of the actual boss battle, the shift in music just leaves you in awe. Theres a reason why this boss battle is where a lot of people officially get hooked onto FF14.

[@SuaveRenegade]

The ultimate sad thing about Shiva's theme is that her normal fight is so comically easy these days that people rarely hear alot of her "Rock Music" phase music. Usually you hear the first 20 seconds and then she's dead.

[@AtlasBenighted]

She is a realm reborn boss is she not?

[@SuaveRenegade]

@AtlasBenighted Yes. She is the "final" boss of ARR's post main story. The last one you fight before starting Heavensward. But her fight is pretty straightforward. It doesn't have any instant death pits like Titan or confusing mechanics like Ramuh. So honestly, with a full team of 8 people, she (pun intended) just melts before you can hear her song. The bright side is that on the "Extreme" version of her fight there is a chance she drops a mount that plays the entire rock song on loop when you ride it.

[@Heroisback92192]

I have seen plenty of comments mentioning this but, it's one of my favorite parts about the songs is the leit motif is used with the words instead of the instruments. 7:01 Fragile creatures we're taught to fear the reaper, ever running we are dead before we meet her! Is the same as this part of footsteps in the snow at 2:02 There is more to that as the majority of Footsteps in the snow is in Oblivion but, it's my favorite part. I love listening to the orchestral version and being able to sing to the parts haha.

[@AtlasBenighted]

That's my favorite line of the lyrics!

[@Nikzzza]

For me it's the part at 10:45 "For the last time.." part that's repeating. That's at 5:11 in the 1st song. To which Atlas even had a nice little reaction when it started 😊

[@SaltExarch]

Finally! Someone who reacts to the second part of Shiva's theme! It's got this late 90's- early 2000's rock sound that just makes me smile every time!

[@BabyShenanigans]

Many FFXIV trial bosses (where you go into an arena to fight just one specific boss, versus several monsters in a liner dungeon) have an elaborate phase transition, sometimes involving the player to do a specific action, leading into a second phase with a different song. It's very exciting for us as players!

[@dumpsterfyre278]

You have to watch a video of the fight for the song to make sense. Some of the attacks are in time to music cues and the rock song is a phase change in the fight after she freezes the party and begins the next phase.

[@Juansetheunknown]

yes!! LOVE this one also Oblivion theme in her second phase, i recommend "The Worm's Tail" from FFXIV Stormblood 💛💙❤

[@sparemobius7430]

5:54 if you check the video on the battle, yes that is the phase change, it is brilliantly done too, if you dont deal with mechanics before that point in the song you die. She does her ultimate skill and freezes everyone, the snap is in sync with her stamping the ground to shatter the ice and then she gets serious, start phase 2.

[@AtlasBenighted]

Wipe mechanics, hate those 😆

[@cherrydragon3120]

Absolutely hate them but i understand why they do it. Plenty of people who suck at the game to the extend you're just dragging their corpses trough the fight. 😅 we do need some bars to be set to be able to proceed. Like a minimum competence bar to get past in order to get further. Cuz some really need to learn to do tutorials first before playing the main game 😂

[@revol113]

The leitmotif's from the first phase are so cleverly brought back in a completely different genre of music in the second phase. Soken smashed it and your video is great!

[@AtlasBenighted]

Thank you!

[@TheGirlWhoStoleAStar]

When they're available for sale again, I have a great one from FFXIV you'll really love. The Ultima Weapon theme from the Ultimate version of the fight is INSANE. Gives me shivers every time I do that fight.

[@AtlasBenighted]

Great! 😆 I open limited spots the 1st of each month at 1PM EST 👍

[@cherrydragon3120]

That one is good indeed. There is better, but it is pretty nice. Especialy since its the realm reborns final bossfight. (Well it used to be, they changed up the place a bit a while back that brings one more fight after)

[@UnholyGB]

One of my favorite peices ever written in FFXIV. “Return to oblivion” is a must

[@ilakya]

"This voices telling me let it go. I try and try but I can't say no." Koji Fox who wrote the lyrics said Frozen just came out and Let It Go is all over his head and he try to avoid using it. And he can't lol

[@cyrusmiller5271]

theres some insanely good songs in final fantasy xiv! i hope to see your takes on more of them!

[@TheIndigoEclipse]

This song was the moment I was hooked on FF14's music as I played through the adventure. That phase 2 hit me so hard in the nostalgia as I loved British punk rock from late 90s, early 00s. If you enjoyed this one, I HIGHLY recommend Return to Oblivion. During a later expansion, Soken re-imagined a lot of the boss songs from early FF14 and it's took the original theme and lyrics and cranked it to 11.

[@EmpyreanRagnarok]

Okay, so it's a consistent thing in ffxiv songs: lyrics are from the pov of the boss or its followers.

[@AtlasBenighted]

Oh! I see!

[@tomvallieres4241]

Outside a few rare exceptions, no spoilers though.

[@maik5201]

the most difficult thing to note its that the lyric's melody it's trying to emulate the melody of the first theme (1:42 6:56)

[@continuallyblessed44]

One of my favorite boss fights and 90% of it is due to the music and visuals. Watch a video of the fight to get context of the phase transition, it’s awesome!

[@kelmirosue3251]

So to give some context to the boss theme, the first half is indeed a phase one. And during the end of it the boss circles the arena before freezing everyone in ice. And when you clear that "click/clock" sound thats when the boss steps on someone and shatters all the ice starting phase 2

[@mr.e3123]

its almost like were breaking the icy exterior of the orchestra and getting at the inner layer which is this early 2000s late 90s metal

[@TheViper079]

FF music rarely disappoints its just crazy how many good songs have come out of the game series

[@Nempo13]

Scream comes to mind as an absolute standout.

[@RockR277]

Yeah the mid fight song change is common in this game. It doesn't always happen, but a lot of bosses will have a completely different track for phase 2. Since the trial series introduced in HW, certain bosses that a part of the same story arc will have the same phase 1 theme, and then their own personal phase 2 theme, though that's not a hard rule.

[@FunnilyForgettable]

I just remember yelling, " THE GAME JUST WENT FULL ANIME!!!" It was the moment I truly fell in love with the game and it's story.

[@jeremiahbullfrog226]

I love the garage punk band style in phase 2 of the theme

[@mareczek00713]

I love how the song goes from Shiva's theme with dignity and serenity to Ysayle's realising we're not going to just die, getting afraid and realising shit just hit the fan, starting her theme explaining her fears, inadequacy, and future growth where she goes from somebody who escaped from who she is and her fragility cowering behind masks of Lady Iceheart and a reborn Shiva to embracing who she is and boldly sacrificing her life for the people she trusted to end the war between Ishgard and dragons.

[@MysticArcadia]

My favourite fight in the entire game for the music alone, i would recommend watching the actual fight so you can watch the transition in action as its quite jarring without the context and the in game sounds as well

[@bazdonaxdumaul1493]

so. Shiva, also know as the Ice queen, singing let it go, is not a coincidence. my suggestion for reactions from that game is "What Angel Wakes Me" and "Beauty's Wicked Wiles"

[@Phnxkon]

I really like the video of the fight accompanying this for obvious reasons. Got me good the first time.

[@xSHIELDBREAKERx82]

"You should never have come here, Warrior of Light. I labor only to forge a lasting peace. A peace you would deny us out of ignorance and blind faith. No matter. If it is our fate to be at odds, then it is mine to strike you down. We, whom gods and men have forsaken, shall be the instruments of our own deliverance. Partake of my flesh. Fill this vessel with your light. Walk amoungst your brothers and sisters once more. Oh, Saint Shiva, still the hatred within our hearts... And bless us with eternal grace."

[@slayersam1]

Fun fact riding the mount ypu can get from this mount plays the second half of this boss theme

[@shweppy]

The Ice Queen has voices in her head telling her to Let It Go. :)

[@Velshin1986]

The tin tin ton ton at 5:12 is so good I remember I got so addicted to it when I was playing FFXIV.

[@BananaMellor]

There are plenty of other great tracks for various fights, but Return to Oblivion would indeed be a good followup to this one. Without getting too much into it, there will be some similarities and differences due to the method and people involved in granting 'Shiva' her existence.

[@Eilanzer]

LOVED the dubs in this vid! 👌

[@BaithNa]

I think the composer chose to use that British rock theme in the second phase because this is the second Shiva fight and the catalyst for her summoning was a young girl this time so it better reflects her youthful energy. The first phase is a remix of the original Shiva theme which used a woman as the the catalyst for her summoning.

[@Tylwth]

Uhh, Oblivion plays in the second phase of the original ARR fight, the second fight uses Return to oblivion, which is a different song.

[@samuffert]

Yeah the phase transition is meant to be rough, since she freezes the arena, the music slowly stops, 5:48 happens and she explodes the entire arena to enter phase 2, if you ask me this moment is where FFXIV really reveals itself to you, Leviathan had a similar thing going on before this fight happened, but Shiva had a way better excecution

[@MrValentineGhost]

all the ARR Trial fights have this kind of tone change with the phase changes tbf

[@ddbs9415]

You should definitely do Return to Oblivion. It's so good!

[@ayanhart]

The transition is helped by actually seeing it in game - the sound effects match when she freezes and then shatters the party. It's super-epic when you're in game and experience it for the first time. It's actually two separate themes 'Footsteps in the Snow' is the first half and 'Oblivion' is the second. The lyrics are telling the story of Ysale, who believes she is the reincarnation of Shiva, and summoned her spirit to help fight alongside the Dragons (and fight us, who are aligned against them at this point). She was originally cast out and almost died in the bitterly cold weather of Coerthas, but Hraesvelgr (a dragon) saved her and her newfound connection to Shiva gave her a purpose and new life. If this one was a request, I'd say they're doing the song dirty by asking for a reaction to it, as it's one of those themes where you really need the full context to appreciate it properly.

[@kennycardoso]

listen to the Oblivion version (see.Never let it go) where the sad lyrics really shine because the same song acoustic version

[@Gwydion_Wolf]

I second the comment someone else said when they mentioned you checking out "Return to Oblivion" later. The "Switch" in music, as you correctly noted was a break between "Phase 1" and "Phase 2" :) The short 'pause' between the switch with the "snap" is choreographed with Shiva "Freezing" everyone in ice, then 'snapping' her fingers to shatter the ice to start the 2nd phase, and killing you with the Snap if you didnt correctly do the end of Phase 1 first :D

[@kitten9138]

The Shiva fight is a 2 phase fight. The first part you listened to is the first phase of the fight while the rock part is the 2nd phase. Out of all the ARR boss fights, it's one of the best not only in terms of music but also in the fight mechanics. Soken is a masterful composer and has brought so much extra life and feeling to the entire world of FFXIV and as a player, we're lucky to have someone as talented as him bringing us music like this over and over.

[@paine_inflicta]

One of my favourites, definitely. The thing about boss themes, is they're not really supposed to be heard in isolation, the visuals are just as much a part of the song - like the phase transition here, just listening to the music, it sounded incongruous and out of place, but in the moment, with Diamond Dust going off, and the fingersnap, and everything, it just works.

[@joellachmann1529]

If you ever gonn play Final Fantasy XIV and reach this point, you will understand the change between tha phase 1 and phase 2 approach.

[@proudlarry8225]

As far as versions of this track, there isn't just "Return To Oblivion" which plays in game as a sort of ephemeral "third phase" due to being a reprisal made for a later expansion for a very different version of the fight... but there is also an official album version that is acoustic called "Oblivion: Never Let it Go" which is by FAR my favorite version of the theme.

[@yaz78]

You have to hear king theoden's ost and the endsinger's 1st and second phase

[@avenged-khaos]

another thing that you aren't fully getting is the phase transition as it happens during the boss fight its much more epic and makes you feel oh shits getting serious

[@WoWRefugee]

Even if you don't know the context of what's happening in the game, watching the 'Fight' while listening to the music let's you see how the music helps the players not only in fight transitions, but the music is so integral to the storytelling of the game.

[@rennierzamora3582]

Damn... Hearing this music makes me remember the time we run MINE this duty

[@PDohm123]

You can't go wrong with FFXIV's music. If there's one aspect of the game that is always immaculate, it is the music. The composers for FFXIV always know exactly what they're doing. The music gets you wrapped up into the story. So many people choose not to listen to the music in game, and I feel like they're missing out on a core aspect of the game. Glad that you enjoy the music from FFXIV!

[@PDohm123]

Also, Shiva is an Ice Primal. Primals are elemental gods of beastmen in FFXIV. In previous Final Fantasy games, Shiva has always been an ice themed goddess/magical creature. These creatures have gone by other names such as summon monsters or espers.

[@Revonlieke]

Avril Lavigne is the prime example of the 2nd phase of the song. Very ealy 2000's punkrock.

[@VikTimmy]

as someone who has context, Most (not all but most) of the songs with vocals in FFXIV, particularly when they are boss themes, should be taken to have come from the bosses/antagonists perspective, not the players. at this point in time, there is really only 1 song during a boss fight that could really be said to be the players perspective/as if we were the boss, and that would be the second phase of the final boss of 6.0.

[@TheZorch]

The story of Shiva is a tragic one. She is a Primal, a divine entity that can be summoned by way of fervent prayer and judicious, almost dangerous amounts of magical energy. Primals are usually difficult to control, and have the power to bend mortals to their will, turning them into fanatical believers. These prayers empower them, and their need for massive mounts of magical energy to maintain their physical form is dangerous to the surrounding environment. Shiva is a bit different, a mortal woman named Ysayle going by the name Iceheart summoned Shiva and became the core of the primal, essentially transforming into the divine being herself. Ysayle's motivation for doing this is to end the 1,000-year Dragonsong War between the nation of Ishgard and the Dragons, and force the church which rules over Ishgard to reveal the truth behind why the war started. The Shiva Ysayle summoned is not the true Shiva, but a misguided vision of what she believes her to be. The original Shiva was a mortal woman who fell in love with a Dragon, thus ushering in a time of peace between men and dragons for a time.

[@andrewmurray5093]

This audio track doesn't include the transition melody and shatter of her phase change which I find makes it more cohesive. Likely because it's a local sound effect in game triggered by her HP or when the orchestrals end rather than part of the song directly.

[@grand1994]

We need to get him to do Return to Oblivion while this song is fresh in his mind haha

[@KenanVonKaiser]

Oblivion!

[@FF-tp7qs]

You should listen to a track called Scream from one of the latest raid boss battles

[@vordoch]

The change in music would make much more sense if you had the fight up in a video, it works really well in terms of what happens in the fight at the phase change :)

[@nef4588]

Such a great reaction, 14 is a game ive followed since its start and the music throughout is a highlight. You would also love Genshin impact, Shenhu's story, sang in the style of traditional chinese opera. Very awesome piece of the game.

[@AtlasBenighted]

Thank you!

[@MajorLeeAwesome]

Love what you do. If you're looking for more, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs has a stellar ost. If you're interested, go to tracks are "Mandus" or "The New Century".

[@millamiqote8827]

Funny thing, around 3:47 where you said you'd seen pictures of Shiva, the picture you showed is actually not the Shiva that's associated to the song you just listened to xD. Don't wanna say too much as I don't know if you are or plan to play the game but lets just say, there are two versions of Shiva, and they have different music (or different versions of the same theme🤔) . "Footsteps in the Snow" and "Oblivion" belong to the first version of Shiva, which you showed a little bit of at 2:40 . "Return to Oblivion" is the song belonging to the Shiva in the picture at 3:47.

[@cyrusmiller5271]

im a end-game player of this game, if you would ever like suggestions of tracks or context for some of the songs id love to help!

[@HolyEmperorRaigin]

id love to see you react to more ace combat. Unsung war is widely considered one of the best songs in the series.

[@rafaelribeiro3375]

FF soundtrack is another level

[@cherrydragon3120]

This man must react IF he reacts to another FF14 piece of music, by standard deffinition a dying gasp, Hades his theme. Its by far one of the music pieces that made me just lose my shit due to the story being so amazing 😊😊

[@brreakfastYT]

I'm always praying that she steps on me when I hear that snap úwù

[@AtlasBenighted]

Ay caramba!

[@danryox1]

Me mentally seeing the transformation ❤❤❤❤

[@Shikori_Tsuru]

More FFXIV, woooo 🎉

[@menosay1912]

These are two different songs. In this case Footsteps in the Snow and Oblivion. So this is the trick to get you to do 2 songs together.

[@NakuruKouChannel]

the photo you saw was actually the wrong Shiva lol, there are two in this game and that one was mimicking the original Shiva

[@vanilla_macaron]

this is my official request for what angel wakes me from ffxiv! its a boss battle and needless to say everyone who has done the fight will never be able to get the song out of their head :) haha

[@ClessTheAngel]

Like everyone is saying, you should definitely review Return to Oblivion if you liked Oblivion!

[@hpalpha7323]

aahh Lady Iceheart

[@angelbabydragon]

Take a dip in the music of Remnant 2 and listen to the song The imposter kings.

[@borkupine9800]

Thought I got a dm for a sec-

[@AtlasBenighted]

Gotcha!

[@Hato1992]

Did you expect boss battle in FFXIV without lyrics? We don't do that here.

[@AtlasBenighted]

I'm starting to see that

[@JRGomez81]

The song really shows Ysayle's (the current avatar of Shiva) mindset. At the start she is trying to be the image of Shiva that she has in her mind, but slowly her true self is being drawn out, you can hear this with the piano as it creeps in during the waltz/orchestral phase. Until the second phase where she forces herself to go all out, focusing less on the image she has in her mind than she is on beating the player characters. The piano in the first half is done at the same cadence as the lyrics in the second half.

[@KitzelTheMuse]

Also the shiva picture you showed in the video (The still.) Is uhm... not ysayl's shiva. ^^; That's *spoiler*

[@undercoverspy123]

Please react to FFXIV - Flow song is too powerful.

[@tyty8484]

RETURN TO OBLIVION!

[@Samsara339]

Always funny how pplmreact to Phase 2 XD

[@Norsy]

I think Oblivion is due a remaster. Amazing as it is, the sound has aged =/

[@AtlasBenighted]

I think the music production was meant to sound raw, but something more polished is welcome too

[@ryanrebs5830]

Watch the videos lol

[@ShikiRyougi05]

Not one of my favourites but still a cool track regardless

[@Arekiris]

Heh, "cool".

[@ShikiRyougi05]

@@Arekiris 😐

[@Valkross9]

The transition just feels off without the game.

[@Dracounguis]

The picture you showed is not the Shiva of the music you are listening to.