{"id":54404,"date":"2025-11-29T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=54404"},"modified":"2025-11-28T17:26:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T08:26:05","slug":"like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Octopath Traveler 0&nbsp;<\/strong>(Zero) is the latest mainline entry in Square Enix\u2019s turn-based JRPG series, set to release on December 5.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>The&nbsp;new <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/what-kind-of-game-is-octopath-traveler-0-we-ask-the-developers-behind-the-100-hour-prequel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prequel<\/a> was built into a full-length console game from the foundations of the mobile gacha game Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (hereafter CotC). Its sound design is also somewhat unique compared to past Octopath entries, as series composer Yasunori Nishiki tells AUTOMATON. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 | Story Trailer\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n1fJATFjRp0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the previous installment of this interview, we talked about Nishiki\u2019s charmingly named <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/console-game-music-is-full-course-dining-live-service-music-is-delicious-fast-food-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-the-games-addictive-soundtrack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cfast food\u201d approach to creating the game\u2019s soundtrack<\/a>. But another creative pillar behind Octopath Traveler 0\u2019s music is the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years: an old-school, angsty ending theme.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nishiki reveals that he wrote 23 new tracks for Zero. While he initially wished he could have added even more for the fans, he\u2019s confident that it\u2019s a very strong selection. Among them is \u201cBattle 0,\u201d which the game&#8217;s director Kidera praises as \u201ca battle theme on the level of Square Enix\u2019s all-time greats.\u201d Nishiki recalls that the piece \u201ccame out in one smooth burst,\u201d adding that many of his best tracks tend to emerge that way, simple in structure and spontaneous.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the centerpiece of the soundtrack is the vocal ending theme, an arranged version of the game\u2019s main theme with heavy emotional messaging. Nishiki explains that throughout his work on the Octopath series, he hasn\u2019t been trying to innovate just for the sake of novelty. Instead, he has tried to reinterpret the things he once loved in classic RPGs. For Octopath Traveler 0, that led him to a new challenge: bringing back the kind of ending song that hit so hard in older JRPGs that \u201cthe feeling doesn\u2019t fade even after 10 or 20 years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1514\" height=\"846\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1514px) 100vw, 1514px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-002.jpg 1514w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-002-380x212.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-002-768x429.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He ties this directly to the philosophy behind Square Enix\u2019s \u201cHD-2D\u201d games as a whole: the belief that the excitement people felt as children has been lost in many modern games, and the question of what happens when that sense of wonder is rebuilt using contemporary technology. He aims to do the same through the music he makes. \u201cWhen a vocal song plays during the game\u2019s finale, that feeling stays with you.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Director Kidera cites Final Fantasy IX as a personal example of an ending song that defined his youth. He wanted Octopath Traveler 0\u2019s finale to have that same kind of permanence,&nbsp;becoming a piece listeners can recall instantly, including its lyrics. Creating that required close collaboration between Nishiki, scenario writer Kakunoshin Futsusawa, and the production team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Octopath Traveler 0\u2019s&nbsp;producer Hiroto Suzuki emphasizes that the ending theme isn\u2019t simply background music for the credits. Instead, the finale is specifically staged as an event, with the song\u2019s lyrics displayed at carefully chosen moments. Because the text timing differs between Japanese and English, he says, syncing message delivery across languages was surprisingly challenging. The goal of this elaborate setup is&nbsp;to build a finale that gives players a reward and emotional payoff for the ~100 hours they invested in the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.square-enix-games.com\/en_EU\/games\/octopath-traveler-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Octopath Traveler 0<\/a>&nbsp;releases on December 5 for PC (<a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/3014320\/OCTOPATH_TRAVELER_0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steam<\/a>\/Windows), PS5\/PS4, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and Xbox Series X\u2758S.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/octopath-travelers-core-value-is-a-high-degree-of-freedom-the-upcoming-prequel-takes-it-to-the-next-level-with-extensive-town-building\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Octopath Traveler\u2019s core value is a \u201chigh degree of freedom.\u201d The upcoming prequel takes it to the next level with extensive Town Building<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/octopath-traveler-0-producer-shocked-his-dev-team-with-a-town-building-system-idea-elaborate-enough-for-its-own-game-taking-it-this-far-was-absolutely-necessary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Octopath Traveler 0 producer shocked his dev team with a Town Building system idea elaborate enough for its own game<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Octopath Traveler 0&#8217;s music was written with the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":54406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-54404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Octopath Traveler 0&#039;s music was written with the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Octopath Traveler 0&#039;s music was written with the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-28T15:01:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"848\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amber V\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amber V\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST","description":"Octopath Traveler 0's music was written with the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST","og_description":"Octopath Traveler 0's music was written with the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years.","og_url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/","og_site_name":"AUTOMATON WEST","article_published_time":"2025-11-28T15:01:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1512,"height":848,"url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-header.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amber V","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AUTOMATON_ENG","twitter_site":"@AUTOMATON_ENG","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amber V","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/"},"author":{"name":"Amber V","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fdc6517a00e35b6917ffdb02e8b574d9"},"headline":"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0","datePublished":"2025-11-28T15:01:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/"},"wordCount":631,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-header.jpg","keywords":["News (Japan-related)"],"articleSection":["Interviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/","name":"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-header.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-28T15:01:00+00:00","description":"Octopath Traveler 0's music was written with the desire to recreate a feeling many JRPG fans haven\u2019t felt in years.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-header.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251128-54404-header.jpg","width":1512,"height":848,"caption":"Octopath Traveler 0"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/like-that-one-jrpg-vocal-finale-song-that-has-stuck-with-you-for-20-years-octopath-traveler-0-devs-on-creating-an-ending-theme-befitting-of-a-100-hour-game\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u30db\u30fc\u30e0","item":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cLike that one JRPG vocal finale song that has stuck with you for 20 years.\u201d Octopath Traveler 0 devs on creating an ending theme befitting of a 100-hour game\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/","name":"AUTOMATON WEST","description":"AUTOMATON is a website that covers the Japanese gaming world. We bring you the news on video games from Osaka and Tokyo.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#organization","name":"\u682a\u5f0f\u4f1a\u793e\u30a2\u30af\u30c6\u30a3\u30d6\u30b2\u30fc\u30df\u30f3\u30b0\u30e1\u30c7\u30a3\u30a2","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/activegamingmedia_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/activegamingmedia_logo.png","width":374,"height":190,"caption":"\u682a\u5f0f\u4f1a\u793e\u30a2\u30af\u30c6\u30a3\u30d6\u30b2\u30fc\u30df\u30f3\u30b0\u30e1\u30c7\u30a3\u30a2"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/AUTOMATON_ENG","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCabvYnvuUUbbGUrxkaFRgSA"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/fdc6517a00e35b6917ffdb02e8b574d9","name":"Amber V","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/12252024-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/12252024-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/12252024-100x100.jpg","caption":"Amber V"},"description":"Editor-in-Chief since October 2023. She grew up playing Duke Nukem and Wolfenstein with her dad, and is now enamored with obscure Japanese video games and internet culture. Currently devoted to growing Automaton West to the size of its Japanese sister-site, while making sure to keep news concise and developer stories deep and stimulating.","url":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/author\/amber-vjestica\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54404"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54408,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54404\/revisions\/54408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}