TOP Track #21 - "Clash on the Big Bridge"

• Track: "Clash on the Big Bridge"
• Composer: Uematsu Nobuo
• Game: Final Fantasy V
• System: Super Famicom (Japan)
• Release: September 1999 (Playstation port)

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This is my favorite "Final Fantasy" battle theme of all time. The easily identifiable opening is the recurring "Prelude" song in most "Final Fantasy" titles sped up to hyper-speed. It also carries the bass-line established in most "Final Fantasy" battle themes since the very first game. I also like the imagery of the title. This isn't some generic name, like many previous games used such as "Battle Theme 2" or "Boss Battle Theme" but a very descriptive title. The thought of running into a powerful enemy in a confined space, barring passage, is one that really invokes a sense of determination which is matched in the music. 

I also love Gilgamesh, whose theme song this is. "Clash on the Big Bridge" only plays during fights with Gilgamesh, in Final Fantasy V and beyond. Gilgamesh is one of the few recurring characters in the entire franchise, and recurring characters is something I absolutely love. Bringing back bosses from previous titles is something I've wished Square Enix would do with the franchise for a long time, partially based on how exciting it is to fight Gilgamesh in Final Fantasy XII (on a big bridge, with a re-arrangement of this song). I really think bringing back old villains as optional fights is something that would really pull people into their online games as well, Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. 

- TOP

@TOPGamingBlog

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I'm not exactly sure what to say about "Clash on the Big Bridge." I mean, it has an awesome name, that's for sure. But having never played Final Fantasy V, or any "Final Fantasy" title with this song, I don't have a real emotional attachment to it. The first time I heard the song was on the debut, self-titled Black Mages album. Freakin' rad! I've been a fan of the song ever since. There are some really good remixes (listed below) and it's funny how I can recognize "Clash of the Big Bridge" in the first 5 seconds of the track starting.

There is one funny note I have about the quality of the track. TOP and I have been using a Google Drive document to keep track of all our potential songs, and each title has links so we could listen to it while making judgments on it. I told him that his "Clash on the Big Bridge" link led to a remix, and that I couldn't find the original Super Famicom version. Lo and behold, I was wrong. The original song from the soundtrack is so good that I thought it was a later version. It really pushed the Super Famicom sound system to its limits. Silly me!

- Deez

@Deezer509

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Derivative Tracks

S.S.H. Remix - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM16WSuHVNY

Neo Excalipur Remix (Unkown Artist) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5reCJiCfp-s