Almost as iconic as the imaginative creatures and worlds of the early Pokémon games, is the series’ music, whether it’s the whimsical and jolly cycling music or the epic scores to important trainer battles. The chiptune jingles may have sounded like an orchestra in our juvenile minds, but now, the music from Pokémon Gold and Silver has been given an actual orchestral treatment by composer and arranger Braxton Burks for a release called Johto Legends.
As the album currently exists, it’s made up of virtual instrumentation, but the current Kickstarter campaign is near its goal, which will mean that the entire hour of music will be re-recorded with a real orchestra by talented video game musicians who can be heard on games like Destiny, Minecraft, and others. Preview what that will sound like with an as-is sample below:
The album is also set to be released in a gorgeous 2LP vinyl edition via iam8bit. This release is set to include a premium foil stamped jacket (which features the kanji symbols for “gold” and “silver”), gold and silver foil inner sleeves, half-and-half color Pokéball vinyl records, and a gatefold illustration that hasn’t yet been revealed.
The vinyl edition will be available for pre-order for $40 beginning tomorrow via iam8bit, but if you’re interested in other formats instead, the Kickstarter campaign offers digital and CD versions as well. Burks has also previously given the first-generation Pokémon games the same music, so find some samples of that on his Soundcloud, and let us know in the comments below what piece of Pokémon music is your all-time favorite. The only answer we’ll accept is “PokéRap.”
Images: Materia Collective, iam8bit
