Traverse Town & Hand in Hand | KH Music Compilation/Evolution

Channel:

Novayon KH

Subscribers:

14,800

Published on April 27, 2023 10:15:00 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pj9r_Z5mAg

Game:

Kingdom Hearts (2002)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 19:07

2,147 views

113

Iconic.

- *Novayon Links* -
Gameplay | https://www.youtube.com/c/NovayonII
Discord | https://discord.gg/RHyfJTgzDd

- *Timestamps* -
00:00 Traverse Town KH1
00:34 Traverse Town CoM
01:09 Traverse Town Re:CoM
01:42 Traverse Town coded
02:17 Traverse Town Re:coded
02:51 Traverse Town 1.5 Remix
03:24 Traverse in Trance
05:28 Hand in Hand KH1
06:37 Hand in Hand CoM
07:44 Hand in Hand Re:CoM
08:53 Hand in Hand 1.5 Remix
09:59 Hand to Hand
11:04 Hand in Hand - Union χ Version -
12:24 Hand in Hand - Attraction Flow Version -
13:32 Hand in Hand - Reprise -
14:24 Memories in Pieces
15:07 Hand in Hand KH2
15:41 Dream Drop Distance - The Next Awakening -
17:10 Hero Upgrade
17:41 Unreleased - Prelude to Adventure
18:13 Unreleased - The Burning Building
18:31 Unreleased - Showdown with the Titans
18:52 Unreleased - A Corridor of Light

- *Notes* -
For me, nothing will ever top the original "Traverse Town" and "Hand in Hand", but there's still some great renditions found throughout the series.

Starting with Traverse Town's field theme, if you've seen a few of these videos you'll know what to expect. It's quite a short loop. CoM and coded sound appropriate for their hardware, Re:CoM feels like a refined version of KH1's, and 1.5's is like a modern version of that. It's a lot softer here and nice to listen to, but I do kinda miss that more prominent piano.

"Traverse in Trance" is DDD's re-imagining of the theme. With new elements, it has sleepy lullaby qualities - fitting for the sleeping world incarnation. At first I wasn't sure, but this song quickly grew on me and now I love it. It's a very sweet mood setter.

That's the simple part of the video out of the way. Now we have "Hand in Hand", which began as Traverse Town's combat theme (after Guard Armor is defeated, before that it's Night of Fate) but as soon as KH1's ending, also became a series mainstay. It's the theme of adventure, and the Sora, Donald, Goofy trio.

But first, the world themes. Similar to Traverse Town, they follow the general styles. Except we don't have coded/Re:coded here because that game used Night of Fate. I like that Re:CoM maintained the same percussion style as its original. And 1.5 is 1.5.

"Hand to Hand" incorporates DDD Traverse Town's circus style quite nicely. I like the field theme more but this is still a good remix.

Now we move on to some alternate uses of Hand in Hand. Starting with the first inclusion of Union Cross in one of these videos, the game that killed my family and stole my credit card number. But seriously, it's quite a cool slowed down, quirky remix for the menus. After this is the attraction flow version, very notable, probably heard way too many times on first playthroughs and not so much on repeats, especially on critical. The ending was surprising to me, I feel like the attractions usually run out before it reaches that part of the song, or maybe it loops earlier in game. It's very big and orchestral.

Then a grab bag of aternate songs featuring Hand in Hand. The KH1 reprise, started a trend of the song appearing at game endings. It's a promise of adventures to come. Chain of Memories opens with "Memories in Pieces", the beginning of which is a slower and softer Hand in Hand as the cutscene plays back the KH1 epilogue. KH2 follows with the simply titled "Hand in Hand", very much a follow up to KH1's reprise. More upbeat, and featuring Dearly Beloved at the end. "Dream Drop Distance - The Next Awakening -" is the credits music and features Hand to Hand, among other world battle themes from the game. I didn't want to leave it out.

The final officially released song here is "Hero Upgrade", from the scene in KH3 where Sora fights with the Big Hero 6 team and inspires them. That scene also features Sora's theme but that part didn't make it to the soundtrack somehow.

And of course there's the KH3 unreleased music. The prelude to adventure cutscene is a redone version of 2.8's ending, but while 2.8 simply reused Hand in Hand - Reprise - from KH1, KH3 has a new variant. The collapsing building scene in Olympus has a fantastic dark version of Hand in Hand. It doesn't last long but is cool nonetheless. Then, when SDG arrive to help out against Hades and the Titans and Hercules frees the gods, we get yet another variation. It all blends quite nicely with the Olympus theme, I've done a video with all of those previously.

Aaaand finally is the very end of Yen Sid's getting off his ass moment, as the Guardians of Light run through his light corridor, a final heroic flourish for Hand in Hand, so far at least. I'm sure it'll be back, it's one of the major KH themes.

Composed by Yoko Shimomura
*Additional Arrangers*
Hand in Hand - Reprise - | Takahito Eguchi
Hand in Hand (KH2) | Kaoru Wada
Hand in Hand - Attraction Flow Version - | Yuko Komiyama
Dream Drop Distance - The Next Awakening - | Kaoru Wada/Yoko Shimomura
Hero Upgrade | Yoshiki Nakamura

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