What Lies At The End (Alm Act 4 Player Phase) - Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia OST

[@baltemys6097]

Fiiine, twist my arm.

[@kingmarsh4657]

Allow me! Allow me. Yes, allow me.

[@nillynush4899]

Echoes and Awakening compliment each other very well I think in hindsight. With the knowledge that Valentia becomes Valm, you start seeing little connecting threads Awakening made with Gaiden. Then Echoes came full circle with it, when recreating Gaiden and then referencing Awakening itself in turn. Maps from Awakening like the Mila Tree gain incredible new significance with Echoes, and the characters and locations of Echoes are significant just by existing in an Epoch before Awakening, knowing they are nation building.

[@funfactmaker4924]

Can’t believe they put a fucking V in front of Alm’s name and called it a brand new country title The place’s names are pretty rough going from valenties day to Alm with a V

[@natdomo]

i want to erase my memory and hear this song for the first time again :') it was epic and emotional

[@classorswag4317]

this is my favorite use of the fe theme song motif

[@morcatna4767]

Playing this gem again and boy do I hope we get another FE game like this where the art and mechanics are stellar instead of fanservice.

[@idvdump]

playing it again right now too and i hope so as well

[@silvore64]

I'm also playing this game again and at this part of the game to. Playing it again and I will still say it's my favorite in the series.

[@ImWatchingYou69]

The mechanics and levels in this game suck lol but everything else is so good I end up not caring. Really comfy game.

[@morcatna4767]

@@ImWatchingYou69 for me the only things I didn’t like were the map designs, most felt big and empty but since this is a remake, I didn’t really hold that against them. I respect your opinion tho 🫡

[@tony2hu]

Hopefully when they do the Genealogy remake we get this level of quality

[@Londoniusthe3rd]

This shit was definitely blasting in Walhart’s head as he conquered Rosanne and fought Chrom’s army.

[@jamesgo8454]

Best ost ever!

[@MLPflutterguy]

too bad the crappy battle theme interrupts it

[@exuvia9039]

Come at me fool

[@Arkensius1157]

Ha! Stand back!

[@GreenBomber]

Just say the word!

[@MrXtr1]

@@GreenBomber Step aside!

[@KnightsofTheEmblem]

The mother walks with me

[@natoyola3849]

Yes. Allow me

[@aquano1972]

2:05 is perfection

[@thekiss2083]

Hearing that theme get developed throughout the whole game and then hearing the goddess sing it over the end credits was absolutely beautiful

[@eink-reviews]

This playing during Faye's A support with Alm crushed my soul.

[@MrXtr1]

This is like drinking Nostalgia from a bottle

[@tabby7189]

The use of orchestration is so powerful

[@maplemabel]

top 3 game song full stop

[@ichi_san]

Fire emblem games have some of the best soundtracks I've ever heard

[@ElwindMage]

"Alright, let's go."

[@mp_o_roxo]

Watch me go!

[@kamakura9722]

TT_TT This one is the best!!! So much nostalgia ;)

[@_blankspace]

The dislikes are from Australia

[@blazingblade28]

Celica: Fine, go and wage your war Alm, after all that I've done to got here killing those pirates. lol

[@BlueSunStudios1]

I wonder what map in Fire Emblem Engage this would best fit on if we're going to do legacy references and all.

[@xionia6908]

Too bad the battle theme ruins such an amazing track

[@AegisEdge]

wdym

[@GoogleAccount-jn5qb]

@@AegisEdge Every time a unit attacks another unit, the player phase theme is interrupted.

[@shootingstardust97]

U could always play with animations off

[@AstraProc]

This track is goated, but does not fit the context in which it is used in game. Why is this the map theme for the invasion of Rigel from start to finish? The fuck you mean "What Lies at the End?", the invasion literally just started bro. The underdog nation of Zofia is invading the mighty Rigel empire (which makes no sense by the way, but that's besides the point), so the music should really be communicating the great challenge that is being undertaken by the Zofian's, and Rigel's might too. Also, the well known fact that war is hell, and the invasion of Rigel itself actually being morally dubious and poorly justified by the character's are even more reason why this triumphant map theme makes no sense. Honestly, this tracks use in game is one of the worst misplacement's of a track that I have ever seen in a game. It gets even weirder when you realize that Celica's Act 4 theme fits the context of her part 4 narrative perfectly. So does "A Song for Bygone Days" of course. The latter actually fitting the context makes this tracks contextual mismatch even more apparent, as you that overworld theme right before this map theme each time.

[@ByrneBaby]

There's way more nuance than nations invading and who's right and who's wrong. Alm lead The Deliverance on a warpath through Rigel to push back their invasion of Zofia completely and stop them from ever invading again, but it's also a commentary on his Rigelian roots. War and combat make sense to him, even if his time being raised in Zofia made him into a gentler man. The music reflects that in how it sounds more like a somber decision to fight than strong belief in one's principles. The use of soft piano melodies, the melancholic flute, the distant horns in the back, the solemn, determined drum march, the slower tempo than the past battle themes, and the long, dramatic notes of the strings all imply this tone of sadness, a little regret, and reluctance. The title itself is referencing Alm's discovery of his roots, which become more apparent as he gets deeper into Rigel. It also can be reflecting the conflict between him and Celica, and how their natures as representatives of Duma and Mila's wills caused them to misunderstand and split apart, but they continue their quests with heavy hearts anyways. The music is communicating the sentiments and journeys of the two main protagonists, not the nations they represent. In fact, Alm's literal tone, how he speaks and sounds, slowly shifts from this fiery, starry-eyed optimism to this pragmatic, cold honesty. Leading a war changed him, for better or worse, and he understands fully what's at stake by Chapter 4, and what this war means to many, many people, from both sides. He seeks what lies at the end: A calm after the storm of war.

[@AstraProc]

@@ByrneBaby I would very much not describe this as a solemn piece of music. The tone of this piece is quite triumphant in nature, and my entire point is that the narrative is not yet at a point in time where such a triumphant tone is fitting. The game itself agrees with me, as neither the Overworld theme or Celica's map theme of the same act have this sort of feel to them. The piano reprisal of the game's main theme that you mentioned, at 1:04, which sounds to be subtly doubled by a flute, is certainly heartfelt and emotional in a sincere sort of way, but fundamentally it is triumphant. Regardless, I don't think that any of these emotions are really apt to underscore the invasion of an empire, at least not the start of it. This map theme starts playing during the very first battle on Rigel soil, a battle that the cutscene prior to it depicts as pretty intense and violent. Something like "Crimea Marches" from Path of Radiance, "Eternal Bond" from Radiant Dawn or "The Long Road" and "Chasing Daybreak" from Three Houses underscore vibes much for fitting for kicking off an invasion and finding yourself in the midst of bloody warfare. I also wouldn't really describe the bit at 1:04 as a soft piano melody. While it is not very loud in the mix, the performance itself is quite clearly in a moderately forte/loud dynamic, and the performance is quite energized too. Even the subdued bridge at 1:34 primarily serves to further emphasize the quite triumphant main theme's reprisal at 2:05. You describe the strings as long and dramatic, but I am not hearing that. Take the violin melody at 0:50 for instance. The performance here is totally triumphant and celebratory in nature, with the piece itself actually modulating to F major to emphasize that tone further. It is undeniably emotional, but in a much more retrospective manner than is fitting for the in game context. The fact that the piece itself is just straight up an arrangement of the main theme further points towards it being more fitting for an end game scenario. Apex of The World from Three Houses is basically an arrangement of it's main theme, and that is used as the final map theme for two of the routes. You yourself say that this track underscores how Alm seeks the calm that lies after the end of the war. My question then is: why would that be the main thought to underscore right at the start of the invasion? Why not ask "what lies near the end?" when you are actually near the end? This piece is actively detrimental to the game's narrative, as it actively communicates that the war is near it's end and that victory is in sight, when you are literally just getting started with your most difficult challenge yet. The player should be thinking "shit, can we actually topple Rigel?" but the music states: "victory is in sight, Rigel is basically finished." This map theme certainly works for act 5, where all these things are true, but not act 4.

[@alconfalcon]

In my opinion, this map theme embodies Alm and his ultimate goal of bringing peace to Valentia. He understands that that Rigel must be stopped, and that they cannot be given a second chance to ruin Zofia and what it stands for. Rigel (in Alm’s eyes) manipulated Zofia into becoming ruled by a tyrannical general, who attempted to destroy what little remained of its structure, as well as trying to destroy Alm’s allies’ spirits (seen in his torture/execution of Mathilda) in horrific and cruel ways. In addition, Rigel had let the Duma Faithful infiltrate the country, and even begin to abduct innocent civilians, ripping people away from their villages (as seen with Delthea). By Act 4, Alm feels no guilt in attempting to overthrow Rigel, and if anything, he sees himself as doing the right thing by doing so. This track embodies who Alm sees himself as: a hero, who intends to completely obliterate the greatest threat to his people’s lives: first, the threat of Rigel, and later, the threat of the Duma Faithful. The name of the track also adds onto this whole argument: Alm is looking to the hopeful future of Valentia, and “What Lies At The End”; a nation where no one has to suffer under cruel tyrants or manipulative generals, but instead, one (hopefully) ruled by a righteous and benevolent ruler. In summary: this track isn’t meant to represent the invasion of Rigel: it’s meant to represent the internal mindset of Alm, and his transition from a warrior who directly opposes the cruelty being inflicted upon his people’s lives, to a hero who fights to ensure such cruelty could never happen again. (These are all my personal opinions and interpretations of this track, though, so I could be wrong about all of these points, and if you want to argue against them, feel free to)

[@shadowsofvalentia]

the theme is definitely less triumphant than march to deliverance with it being in minor key and everything the other commenter said so yes in context it isn’t a”we’re so back” kind of song. sure, they’re still going to march onwards because at this point alm feels obligated to if he wants to end the war where it started! and yes there is some triumph to it because they ARE making progress through rigel. they HAVE made progress. but there’s a heaviness to it.