Faxanadu - Piano Journey

[@DjMonak]

Only those who played this game in the early 90s (like me) can understand how MAGICAL the atmosphere of the game was! Thank you for your wonderful performance!

[@GabbPiano]

I am one of them. 😉 Thank you for this precious listening.

[@carrito1981]

This made me think of modern video game players that don't get memorable chip tunes, mostly orchestral ambiance, or music that is already too elaborate to have that earworm power.

[@DanielDaniel-ql6oq]

I'm also one of them! This was a favorite of mine growing up. The music and the world in the tree always enchanted me. Vastly underrated game

[@Grail_Quest]

I was there too, traveling up the branches of the world tree, despairing through the land of mist, emerging once again at Daybreak, claiming the fabled Dragonslayer, conquering the mutated darkness. My favorite game of all time. It has not been surpassed in all these years, and likely never will.

[@SchmendricksLaw]

I was with it in the 80s

[@davidevitale3641]

Mantra is my favorite song.

[@SteveMcqueen.]

Sumamente especial

[@willashe]

Fantastic work! Props for showing so much respect for the game, crediting the composer, and sharing sheet music. "Don't have negative thoughts. Remember your mantra."

[@MrTriath1337]

What?!?!? You actually did Faxanadu!!! YES!!! This game was my first OG rpg grind! Because if you're not racking up 20k gold at the beginning to buy The Magic Shield and Death magic, what are you even doing? Amazingly played, sir! Faxanadu has the best music! One of my favorite games of all time. Thanks for including the sheet music, and thanks for taking me way back to when I was playing this as a little kid with my cousins, brothers, and aunt!

[@GabbPiano]

Aww, thank you very much for this nice comment and for attesting to the quality of this amazing game. It's true that the acquisition of the Magic Shield and the Death spell at the beginning of the game is quite tempting to bother to save the necessary money. (In reality only the Magic Shield is really useful).

[@littleitaly83]

Enter screen, kill 2 spikey slugs and a jumping eye, exit screen. Next, re-enter screen, kill two spikey slugs and a jumping eye, exit screen. Three irl hours later, you have a lost a portion of your irl sanity, but you have the magic shield, Death magic, the J-key and a real chance you won't be slaughtered in the next fifteen minutes!

[@georgesiv2082]

​​@@littleitaly83 Sad thing is: The spikey slug give only bread...no coins

[@kpag3030]

This is my first RPG grind too. I loved this game. Amazing music

[@quistan2]

Very faithful perfomance. Greatly apriciated.

[@kazuho.]

from Japan. Thank you very much for your wonderful performance. It made me feel nostalgic as I remembered my childhood.

[@sveendaag]

Faxanadu holds a special place in my heart. To have stumbled upon this treasure is absolutely magical! Thanks for performing this, Gabb, and for providing sheet music ❤️

[@ants-in-my-eyesjohnson1271]

So.. you tripped and fell on a copy of Faxanadu and the cartridge got lodged in your heart? You probably should have gone to the hospital before posting your mishap on social media. 😧

[@JohnRiggs]

One of my favorite NES games. Great work!

[@Grail_Quest]

Mr. Riggs! Love your channel! Also, love Faxanadu!

[@carrito1981]

I knew Riggs would like this. My comment is only 2 years late.

[@RedstonePyroMan]

A faithful and respectful arrangement! Faxanadu's soundtrack is nothing short of genius and I'm sure that anyone who took the time to understand both the game and the music on this level needn't be reminded. I'm just thankful there are others

[@kingsarbkota]

"Nothing short of genius" is even more accurate when one considers that this awesome music was produced on the NES sound card👍

[@StigmatPlays]

This is honestly one of the best soundtracks in all of gaming. Thank you for doing it justice.

[@florianroeseler2404]

Amazing achievement to honor this very distinct soundtrack by recording every piece! There is nothing quite like it as far as NES music is concerned.

[@STEELTOKEN420]

Melting ,... I played it in 89?? , still almost everyday think of that game

[@jungshin87]

really feels like the original OST was composed on piano how this sounds. mist came out amazing on piano.

[@RainePhoenix]

This is one of my favorite games on the NES

[@alcala315]

Mist was one of my favorites in the game and you made it sound amazing. Thank you

[@stupidbeetle]

This really brings me back to my childhood. While most people seem to find the most nostalgia in certain more popular games, this one has always stood out as the most impactful Nintendo game in my memory. Love this music!

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

AMAZING Faxanadu was THE GAME of my childhood 🙌

[@rivercityhandsome4992]

Serious Steve Vai energy going on at those keys.

[@haimerejd]

holy cow, and im 8yo again! haha Well done!

[@girderzombie]

My man I just want you to know that I am still here listening! Thank you for this gift to the world! You didn't have to, but you did! Thanks!

[@GabbPiano]

Thank you for this faithful listening which warms my heart.

[@trumpet90909]

This is incredible. Thanks for reinterpreting a crucial part of my childhood.

[@richardtencer3698]

Oh man, you smashed it!!!! Perfect!!!! The best Fax piano version ever!!!! Congrats!

[@erickmoralvocal8586]

You sir, are extremely talented and your arrangement/interpretation is nothing less than genius.

[@GabbPiano]

That's so kind of you, thank you !!

[@kpag3030]

Bro that was brilliant. Beautiful playing. I think this is the best soundtrack on the NES. I loved and still love this game and the music was one of the biggest reasons why. Those old NES composers knew what they were doing.

[@GabbPiano]

Yes! Jun Chikuma has created with this OST a very beautiful musical work.

[@christophercastro9943]

Wow absolutely talented and perfect, love all the music but towers and mist is my favorite since i was a kid. Bring back memories watching my older brother playing this game for hours.

[@DanielWillen]

Underrated game, underrated music and underrated piano player

[@Songwriter001]

Nous avons maintenant l'opus complet. Un travail très impressionnant! Félicitations, Maestro!!!

[@GabbPiano]

Un grand merci, Song Writer !

[@anne5251]

Virtuosité dans towers et grande sensibilité dans Mantra: c'est magnifique

[@OBIWANSHINOBISTE]

Tous les thèmes sont incroyablement bien joués ce mec est un magicien ! Ce jeu était une merveille il y a 30 ans, et l'est toujours aujourd'hui. Bravo à ce pianiste, il m'a fait vibrer et évoqué tant de souvenirs.

[@GabbPiano]

@philippeechtebaise3587 Oh merci ! Je suis heureux si j'ai pu restituer un peu de la magie de ce jeu et de ses musiques envoûtantes. C'est vrai que la beauté de Mantra m'a profondément touché à l'époque et résonne encore en moi aujourd'hui.

[@OBIWANSHINOBISTE]

Merci à toi cher Gabb, mon plaisir est d'autant plus grand en découvrant que tu es Français 😀 en tout cas si tu ne l'est pas tu as l'air de maîtriser parfaitement la langue. Merci encore pour ce medley incroyable 😉

[@SchmendricksLaw]

Thanks man. This music is a God sent miracle. Peace dude.

[@KraftLawrence1]

Seriously, one of my favorite songs ever. Glad to see it covered!

[@DanielDaniel-ql6oq]

Can't express enough how happy I am with this, thank you so much. This was a favorite game of mine growing up and the music was one of the earliest in my life that had the power to send chills down my spine and enchant me. Just beautiful work, thanks for doing it so much respect!

[@GabbPiano]

I'm so glad you like this rendition, that comes from my young gamer heart. Thanks a lot!

[@bernarddelosreyes1001]

The KZbin algorithm gods blessed my ears with this awesome video of one of my favorite games back in my childhood years. 😊

[@SinisterMo0n]

Daggers and wingboots, mantras and monsters await you. What a marvelous journey!

[@wraize78]

Seriously got goosebumps listening to this! One of my favorite games and game soundtracks of all time, so beautifully expressed ❤️

[@GabbPiano]

Thank you very much, Grace!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Excellent rendition! 🙂

[@boniface23]

Quand même, si on m'avait dit, quand j'avais 9 ou 10 ans, qu'un jour des musiciens joueraient ces thèmes... Et je n'imagine même pas la tête de ces braves gens de France. Musique et France Culture.😉

[@GabbPiano]

N'est-ce pas normal, pour un musicien, de vouloir interpréter de la belle musique ? :)

[@robertc.iredale9769]

Tomorrow makes 3 years since the upload. I have a 7 string guitar that wishes I had time to learn all these notes. I remember the game very well.

[@GabbPiano]

So I highly encourage you to try playing some of his themes on guitar. Nothing but happiness in perspective. ;)

[@robertc.iredale9769]

@@GabbPiano 👍👍👍 שלום

[@andrewmiller5690]

This game has had a special place in my heart since the time I read about it in Nintendo Power back in the 80s, and the music is no small part of that. Thank you for this wonderful labor of love!

[@GabbPiano]

❤🙏

[@CanadianNewYorker]

Gen Z: Korean pop music Gen X: Japanese composers - whether you knew it or not

[@malkneil]

Very unique music in this game. I always thought the mist level's music was so haunting and isolating.

[@GabbPiano]

True! Jun Chikuma knew how to create quite an atmosphere.

[@JaronDavis]

This is both amazing and relaxing! Excellent job recreating these tunes on piano! I'm immediately transported to childhood, where I played hours of this game.

[@marlonramanan2280]

I remember playing this with my best friend at the time. We weren't zelda fans though we had the game. Same with Dragon Quest. We were just uninterested in these RPG type games. Then we popped this sucker in. What intrigued me? The story made me feel sorry for the people and the main character. That and we didn't know how to get into the first door- in fact we didn't even recognize that there was a door! Hahahah. But as we figured that out and we proceeded..it was just so epic, foreboding and we were just committed to helping this poor man save this thirsty, struggling village! The churches were such a sanctuary too. Those continue codes were a pain but we painstakingly noted and entered it!! Fearful that we messed up! I remember how hard we worked to get/afford winged boots! I guess I can say that it was this game that made be fall in love with RPGs and action rpgs. I even revisited it during the pandemic and was motivated to tackle Zelda 2 on NES. What memories! This music takes me back! Timeless classic!

[@hannes8835]

I didn't realize how beautiful the music of this game really is. A wonderful arrangement. Merci beaucoup pour votre efforts. ^^

[@bigpapaadam1]

This game had an incredible soundtrack! Incredible piano playing! So fast and precise! Beautiful 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@monacia2b]

Absolument génial. Bravo. Vos transcriptions sont magnifiques, la mélodie de « Land of Dwarves » reste le thème de mon enfance et vous le magnifiez à la perfection. Une grande musicalité.. merci

[@GabbPiano]

Merci à vous ! 😃❤

[@samuelb.9314]

Amazing, well played !

[@carrito1981]

Incredible. You brought tears to my eyes with this. Thank you.

[@carrito1981]

I just want to say that I appreciate how you brought an immense sense of appreciation for this music without adding more notes, but by using the piano pedals to bring a more organic/breathing feeling to this otherwise mechanical music. An 'analog midi' mastery is here at work that transcends the digital realm. It brings incomprehensible joy to my mind.

[@SteveMcqueen.]

Amo ese juego, su música es melancólica, me hizo pasar horas tan felices en mi niñez, me recuerdo con el diccionario de ingles español buscando descifrar todo a mis 8 años. He llorado con la melodía del juego cuando tu personaje muere. Me es tan lindo recordar hoy como mi imaginancion se desarrollaba con la trama... Simplemente fascinante. Gracias por este video.

[@GabbPiano]

Me identifico totalmente con tu historia.

[@weareallgonzo6422]

I am man enough to admit I am quite jealous of your Lucious locks. Enjoy your flowing curls Mr. Tesla(Gabb).

[@HosbnVord]

Le piano révèle encore plus la beauté de cette ost, un plaisir à écouter, merci pour le boulot et le talent !

[@GabbPiano]

Merci à toi !

[@dugdigg7385]

I felt like journeying to the Faxanadu dimension, and so the wormhole appears.. by the deft hands of Gabb. 🤟 🎹 🎶 👏 again..Bravo

[@GabbPiano]

What a nice comparison! Thanks!

[@erozsudduth4630]

Thx so much!

[@Tecnocrazia]

impossible not to listen to the whole thing

[@girderzombie]

Piano journey is such an apt description! I felt like I was back playing the game way way back when. This video has been such an unexpected joy for me. Thank you.

[@GabbPiano]

Oh thank you! I like to travel back in time and take people on a journey with me. A piano can be just as effective as a DeLorean for such a journey. :)

[@TheBillproject]

i played this as a kid.... sir you are A+

[@notrab13]

Great arrangements and execution! If there’s one NES game that deserves a modern remake with even more world building and action, it’s Faxanadu.

[@GabbPiano]

I so agree!

[@imageofchaos]

Beautifully done! Great game with such a memorable soundtrack! Remember your mantra!

[@sordos1]

Gee thanks! now i can't get these out of my head... not like they ever went away!

[@GabbPiano]

The music in this game is excellent, it's not my fault... 😅

[@jstgermain256]

Au risque de me répéter, j'apprécie beaucoup votre reprise de cette trame sonore. Elle est exceptionnellement fidèle à l'originale; tout y est, y compris les progressions d'accords jusqu'aux moindres notes dissonantes. Ceci donne tout le caractère unique à cette oeuvre méconnue. Chapeau pour les trames de la tour et du donjon final.

[@GabbPiano]

Un grand merci, Joé, pour ce commentaire généreux et chantant. Cette œuvre de Jun Chikuma mériterait en effet d'être davantage connue.

[@MrEthera]

This is so under appreciated. Great work and please please continue your work. Having the sheet music along with this is like icing on the cake.

[@GabbPiano]

Thank you for this kind encouragement!

[@KawasakiCruiseControl]

Absolutely magical. And I love the braid.

[@estebanneumann5508]

REALLY AWESOME. GRACIAS!! MEMORIES FROM 1995

[@JamesDziezynski]

How did I miss this one?! Amazing playing!

[@Dinosaurs_with_laser_guns]

The Towers theme is amazing. Sounds so evil

[@RutabagaSwe]

A bit late to the party here, but fantastic medley of one of the coolest soundtracks from one of the best games on the NES. Such a hidden gem 👍

[@GabbPiano]

Thank you! ✨Yes, Jun Chikuma gave us a wonderful OST for a game that I still enjoy replaying.

[@agiworem]

Ohlala les souvenirs! Merci!

[@severinewang1214]

Mais quel travail ENORME! Une de mes musiques de jeux vidéos préférées! Je n'ai pas assez de mots pour vous remercier :) C'est génial, mille mercis!!!! Et en plus on a les partitions!! MERCI MERCI MERCI! Vous jouez magnifiquement!

[@GabbPiano]

Je suis très touché par cet adorable commentaire, merci beaucoup ! ❤

[@turnkey_hole]

Beautiful interpretation of the spundtrack! It's rare to find a classic game that sounds just as good on solo piano! I think you really captured the grandness that the OST was angling for

[@DezorianGuy]

15:26 Just now noticed this genius transition you did to introduce the next song.

[@GabbPiano]

These are very different songs, I added this transition so that the contrast wouldn't unsettle the listener too much. I'm glad you like it. :)

[@drewdoom]

😯 Amazing! You even nailed the crazy boss music at 9:17

[@MisterE001]

I remember playing this with my late father. Listening to you play brought be back to those days. I thank you sir and your playing was spot on and a pleasure to enjoy.

[@GabbPiano]

Thanks a lot! I'm happy to have awakened in you these precious memories.

[@devonlord-moncrief9355]

This was absolutely fantastic.

[@lecazjf]

Exceptionnel, quel merveilleux pianiste, bravo

[@GabbPiano]

Oh merci beaucoup !

[@BlindEnmity]

Ah yes, the mantra, the bitter sweet lullaby that it was bed time, and you’d best write down your password with all lowercase and uppercase correctly or all that work was for not.. 🎉 cheers mate, and bravo. 👏🏻 thank you for relighting an old adventure never forgotten, but less known and travelled by the simple. 😈

[@GabbPiano]

Thank you Valor56. A great adventure indeed, in which I enjoy diving back into regularly.

[@jtom9354]

日本の視聴者です。大好きなゲーム音楽を素敵に演奏してくれてありがとう！ 完璧です！

[@GabbPiano]

メッセージありがとうございます。 あなたが私の解釈を気に入ってくれてうれしいです。

[@jtom9354]

@@GabbPiano 次の素敵な演奏を楽しみにしています！

[@drygordspellweaver8761]

that cathedral song sounded like it took inspiration from Traumerei

[@GabbPiano]

This is an interesting point of view.

[@Frewition]

This was a fantastic rendition!

[@DJChaosD]

This whole thing made me smile so much my face hurts.

[@Raskoril]

I've been playing this game for several decades now and always loved the music. I'm glad I stumbled upon this rendition.

[@RealSlimSatan]

Really well done, i used to play this alot when i was young. Always wrote down that damn password wrong too lmao. Mantra is by far my favorite song in this game.

[@GabbPiano]

Yes it's a beautiful piece, which would almost make us forget the difficulty of entering the password.

[@ryanrichko]

Mist went crazy! That place scared me as a kid 😅

[@GabbPiano]

Oh yes! It's a very oppressive place.

[@alohaXamanda]

This game was my safe place when I was a kid.

[@critiquedecritiques]

Que de souvenirs. Merci!

[@joeybassbass]

Amazing. I was given Faxanadu as a birthday gift when I was 8 or 9 years old Great performance!

[@langochat2051]

C'est peut être le jeu de la NES qui m'a le plus marqué, j'y joue encore... La composition de Jun Chikuma est diaboliquement envoutante et vous lui rendez honneur de main de maitre, c'est époustouflant ! Bravo pour la performance encore une fois, c'est un vrai kiff pour les oreilles. ❤❤❤

[@GabbPiano]

Merci beaucoup ! Je vois que vous avez apprécié tout comme moi les jeux d'aventure en vue de profil sur la NES. The Battle of Olympus et Faxanadu possèdent tous deux des atmosphères magiques, et la musique y est pour beaucoup en effet.

[@nikolausklinger489]

one of my favourite songs. its so unknown and so powerful

[@pifpoufmirouf]

Tout s'enchaine naturellement !! Un vrai bonheur à écouter encore et encore !! Merci Gabb !!!

[@fasillimerick7394]

Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@MrBilde]

Fantastic, so much detail, so much heart, bravo! Thank you Jun CHIKUMA, thank you Gabb!

[@GabbPiano]

❤💖

[@goldcanyon340.]

I got chills experiencing this. Amazing!

[@sidescrollmusic]

Memories. Love Mantra. That and the title song get frequently stuck in my head despite the years it has been since I played the game. Gotta go play it again sometime.

[@GabbPiano]

Mantra has a special meaning and resonance for me too. I replay the game regularly and rediscover it with as much amazement as ever.

[@WesleyBrannen]

That was incredible! Thank you.

[@mamaw00lies]

holy crap it's like this game's music was made for piano! This was amazing to listen to thanks for sharing your skills!! I dunno if you'll see this but think about maybe checking out Journey to Silius. That game is known to have amazing music! Another that might translate nicely into piano is The Magic of Scheherazade. That game had me going to back it often because of it's music

[@sveendaag]

The Magic of Scheherazade for sure! Please, @Gabb please!

[@DezorianGuy]

Wonderfully played! Thank you! Edit: You're the best piano player on youtube imho. You are truly living each track, so much emotion in the presses and facial expression... and it reflects on each and every track.

[@GabbPiano]

That’s so nice of you, thank you!

[@girderzombie]

Wow! So very glad I got directed to this masterpiece! I watched from start to finish right away for the first of what I am sure will be many many many many times over! Thank you so much! Thank you!

[@GabbPiano]

Oh thank you very much for this intense listening.

[@girderzombie]

@@GabbPiano It's cool to listen to ALL the tunes but of course I keep getting lured back to Mantra. There is some magic in that song and you execute it brilliantly!

[@girderzombie]

@@GabbPiano Do you take requests? I used to leave this game on pause just to listen to this jam: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2fQl6eGhN6EjpI

[@GabbPiano]

@@girderzombie I admit that Mantra also has a significant place in my heart. Yes, all Castlevanias seduce me with their musical atmosphere and I would like to adapt them to the piano. The Game Boy versions, which I really like, are part of this, even if it will be in a later phase.

[@girderzombie]

@@GabbPiano it would be a dream

[@fredthom8279]

Génial comme performance, mon jeu préféré, ça m'a rappelé de très beaux souvenirs ! Merci

[@GabbPiano]

Merci à toi. 🙂

[@351clevelandmodifiedmotor4]

I smoked my memory of this game up,. I played it long ago and this is reminding me

[@Nerdporeal]

This is so beautifully played. As a fellow piano player, great friggin job. I remember renting this back in the early 90s shortly prior to the SNES release and this is one of those games I rented only once, couldn't beat as a real young lad and then it disappeared as the SNES and the Genesis games took over the video game rental section. They sold off the NES ones to make room....I did buy Little Nemos Dreammaster. That would be a great one for you to tackle next.

[@adelberthartwell2622]

This is such a nostalgic adventure to listen to! The tone and power of each piece is incredibly well balanced that it is able to evoke certain emotions at times that was missing in the original works.

[@GabbPiano]

Thank you so much. I tried to reproduce the emotions I felt while playing the game.

[@adelberthartwell2622]

@@GabbPiano Yes, you empathized well in that regard.

[@rbivgq1734]

This is really really good and the music in this game really transported you.