Kid Icarus: Uprising Original Soundtrack

The Kid Icarus: Uprising Original Soundtrack is, as the name suggests, the original soundtrack for the game Kid Icarus: Uprising. It was composed by Motoi Sakuraba, Yuzo Koshiro, Masafumi Takada, Noriyuki Iwadare, Takahiro Nishi, and Yasunori Mitsuda, which were many of the same artists who worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

3 Disk Soundtrack
Shin Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami Original Soundtrack (新・光神話 パルテナの鏡 オリジナル・サウンドトラック) is the 3 Disk version of the soundtrack that was released in Japan by Sleigh Bells and Procyon Studio on August 21st, 2012.

First edition versions, marked by a gold sticker on the upper right-hand corner of the case, include AR Cards for the Daybreak and Pit (Revived).

The length of the first disk is 1:16:15, the length of the second disk is 1:03:59, and the length of the third disk is 1:15:53, giving it a total play time of 3:36:07.

Music Selection
Shin Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami Music Selection (新・光神話 パルテナの鏡 ミュージックセレクション) is the 1 Disk version of the soundtrack, released only for Club Nintendo members in Japan on March 22nd, 2012.

This version is roughly one-third the length of the 3 Disk version, having a total play time of 1:11:54.

Comments by Masahiro Sakurai
Nintendo UK's official website has a subpage for a handful of tracks from Kid Icarus: Uprising, providing commentary from Masahiro Sakurai about each piece.

Main Theme
''The original Kid Icarus game, released in 1986, contained several great songs that remain memorable today. Each one of these songs is included in this new game, though the recordings and arrangements are different. We did think, however, that Kid Icarus: Uprising required its own main theme, which is why we produced this song.''

''This is the song that plays on the Main Menu, and also when the player is "at home" - that is, the place where Pit and Palutena live. Indeed, we have come to treat this song as though it is "Palutena's Theme".''

Magnus's Theme
''This song starts playing after the player has encountered Magnus during the Land Battle in Chapter 2. Magnus is also aiming to take down the Dark Lord Gaol, and decides to fight alongside Pit.''

''The music that plays during Chapter 2's Air Battle and in Gaol's castle is a different arrangement of this song, based around the same motif. The song that plays in Gaol's castle, that is, the one that plays before Pit meets Magnus, has a slightly quieter feeling. This song is more stirring, and therefore provides a nice contrast.''

Dark Pit's Theme
''Dark Pit appears to be Pit's rival (?). His theme song is a guitar composition created with a duel from old Westerns in mind. Since it's played on an acoustic guitar there's a certain Spanish flavour to it.''

''There are several arrangements of this song. During the "Light Versus Dark" multiplayer mode, the song is played when the angel appears. A rather quiet arrangement plays when there is one angel in play, with another track added when both angels are in play.''

The Reaper's Line of Sight
''For this song, we used a live recording. The power of flight lasts for five minutes, during which the scenery will change a great deal. As a result, the music that plays during aerial battles is continually changing to match the scenery and the battle situation.''

''This is a recording of the music that plays during the Chapter 4 Air Battle, from start to finish. During the game, the player will proceed through the skies, wasteland, valleys and arrive at the Reaper Fortress. Note however, that sometimes the music will stop playing during the early parts.''

Boss Battle
''I've worked on many different games. Naturally these have included many songs that could be considered "boss themes". I think the boss themes in this title really stand out, however, and are some of the best I've been involved with. Many boss themes are imposing, powerful songs, or ones that sound rather oppressive.''

''The boss themes in this game, however, are positive: encouraging the player to fight and win. I think this fits in with the game concept in general.''

Space Pirate Theme
''The Space Pirates are a military force quite different from the Underworld Army. They are said to soar through the galaxy, using the blade on the bow of their ship to sever constellations so that they can snatch up the stars.''

''As the name suggests, the Space Pirate Theme was written with the mixture of seafaring pirates and outer space in mind. Though easy to remember, the melody is full of tension, because the Space Pirates are pretty tough! This theme is also used to alert the player that the Space Pirate captain has spotted an intruder on board his ship.''

Practice Arena
''The Practice Range is a place where players prepare before they begin a multiplayer battle. It's a good place to see how much damage weapons and powers can do, so be sure to try out all sorts of techniques. What's more, there is no limit on how many times powers can be used in the Practice Range.''

This song has a light feeling and a really analogue tone - we were actually intending to use this song somewhere completely different, but we thought it was just right for the tense build-up to a multiplayer game.

Hades's Infernal Theme
''I'm sure that anyone who's played the game knows this, but this game's story really gets started when Hades, Lord of the Underworld, and Viridi, Goddess of Nature, appear! Hades is the main Underworld boss, but his optimistic nature doesn't really go well with a Medusa-style, serious atmosphere. As a result, this song is a mixture of chaos, violence, and a circus-like feeling.''

However, I am aware that the chorus in the middle of the song involves a chant of "Hades!"

Wrath of the Reset Bomb
The medley at the start of this song is used as the theme for Viridi (the Goddess of Nature), with its structure and arrangement changed in various places.

''This song was originally only made for the Air Battle from the Chapter where the player attacks the Reset Bomb, but I just became really captivated by it, and it basically became the theme song for the Forces of Nature. Though there are lots of Air Battles in this Chapter, this one is my favourite.''

Aurum Island
''At a certain point, the mysterious alien civilisation from Aurum Island suddenly appears - and every time we tried to make a song based on that image, we ended up with a techno-pop song. Though I'm not bothered about a song's genre, I didn't want to make it feel cheap. I also wanted it to fit with the game's other songs, so this piece was frequently remade and adjusted.''

''Halfway through the game, Pyrrhon, the one who calls himself the god of the sun, bursts onto the scene. This song is treated like it's his theme, but when I was listening to it, I didn't want the early part (that plays during the Air Battle) to end.''

Lightning Chariot Base
''The Lightning Chariot Base is home to the Chariot Master. Though it looks like an ordinary tower, we changed the features for every floor to introduce as much variety as possible.''

''Because this is a big open stage, we aimed to make this song something that players wouldn't get tired of listening to for long periods - something that, although you notice its presence, you don't get bored of. We also wanted to give the player the feeling that this was where the Chariot Master lived, and I think we've managed that.''

Trivia

 * The track "Vault Menu" (コレクション, lit. "Collection") is absent from both versions of the soundtrack.
 * The composition of Dark Pit's Theme is used in five different tracks in the Kid Icarus: Uprising Original Soundtrack: the original song, a remixed version in "Ch. 6: Dark Pit," a slightly stripped down version in "Ruins of the Temple (Ch. 6)," a brief part in "Ch. 9: Medusa's Final Battle," and a brief part during "Credits."
 * Additionally, a remixed excerpt was created for Dark Pit's victory theme in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U.