Musical Influences
The RPG series Dragon Warrior and The Legend of Zelda were central inspirations for MIDI Quest. These series represent two distinct "schools" of early game music - "Classical/Orchestral" and "Adventurous/Atmospheric."
Koichi Sugiyama, composer for Dragon Warrior, was a pioneer in bringing classical music theory to the NES. His influence here is seen in the collection's formal structures.
Tracks are often written in standard A-B or A-B-A forms, and the voice-leading follows strict rules of counterpoint.
This gives the MIDI Quest themes a sense of prestige and timelessness, moving them beyond simple bleeps and bloops into the realm of legitimate musical composition.
Koji Kondo, composer for The Legend of Zelda, focused more on how music interacts with player agency. Themes often changed based on the environment or the player's actions.
While MIDI Quest is a static collection of instrumental themes, it similarly adopts rhythmic motifs to drive the music’s narrative.
Zelda’s influence is particularly apparent in the adventurous, syncopated melodies that characterize the collection's overworld and battle themes.
