Rygar (NES)
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- For other games in the series see Rygar.
Rygar is an early Metroidvania where the player controls the legendary hero Rygar who must save the land of Argool from the monstrous villain known as Ligar. The game is a reworking of Rygar (ARC) which was a platform action game without the adventure elements. The original Famicom game, known as "Argos no Senshi: Hachamecha Daishingeki," had its soundtrack modified for the US release. Five tracks differ from the Japanese original compared to the US release.
Screenshots
Music
Michiharu Hasuya composed the soundtrack for Argos no Senshi: Hachamecha Daishingeki (FC), but then reworked several songs for the US release of Rygar. Changing music in Japanese games to better fit American taste isn't unheard of, but the specific reason for why the music was altered is not known. An interesting fact is that the track Legendary God was later used in another work of Hasuya's, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (NES).
Though there were versions of Rygar for the arcade and Sega Mark III, both feature different music by different composers; the arcade version by Tsukasa Masuko, and Mikio Saito and H. Iijima for the Sega Mark III version.
One unique aspect to his soundtrack is that the triangle and noise channels are not used in the majority of the music. Instead, only the two square waves are used, the second channel for the lead, the first for backing. It is very doubtful this was the decision of the composer, and most likely the result of a weak audio driver which could not interrupt music with sound effects. Nearly all of the game's sound effects use the noise and triangle channels of the NES APU. A few sound effects use the square wave channels, like the boss growls, but these only play in sections of the game where there isn't background music. The only song that uses the noise channel is the ending music, which could take advantage of the channel since sound effects wouldn't be playing then. Although, curiously, it still doesn't make use of the triangle channel.
According to Hasuya, he had to write the game's audio using hexadecimal notation.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sueru Mountain | Michiharu Hasuya | 0:35 | Download | |
| 02 | Gran Mountain | Michiharu Hasuya | 2:24 | Download | |
| 03 | Garloz | Michiharu Hasuya | 2:00 | Download | |
| 04 | Eruga's Forest | Michiharu Hasuya | 3:47 | Download | |
| 05 | Primeval Mountain | Michiharu Hasuya | 0:38 | Download | |
| 06 | Den of Sagila | Michiharu Hasuya | 2:43 | Download | |
| 07 | Palace of Dorago | Michiharu Hasuya | 0:13 | Download | |
| 08 | Tower of Garba | Michiharu Hasuya | 0:35 | Download | |
| 09 | Lapis | Michiharu Hasuya | 3:08 | Download | |
| 10 | Legendary God | Michiharu Hasuya | 1:21 | Download | |
| 11 | Flute of Pegasus | Michiharu Hasuya | 0:04 | Download | |
| 12 | Sky Castle | Michiharu Hasuya | 1:52 | Download | |
| 13 | Rygar Defeated | Michiharu Hasuya | 0:01 | Download | |
| 14 | Argool Saved | Michiharu Hasuya | 3:03 | Download |
Credits
- Ripper: Mk-II (Japan), Kevin Horton (USA)
- Recorder: TheAlmightyGuru
- Game Credits:
- Not Credited Composer: Michiharu Hasuya
- Not Credited Arranger: Unknown
- Not Credited Programmer: Unknown
(Sources: The game lacks credits. The composer verified his work on his web site.)
The game does not have credits. However, Michiharu Hasuya has verified on his Twitter and Facebook (before it was shut down) that he was the game's composer. Other Tecmo staff have also verified Hasuya's involvement with the game. Yoshiaki Inose was also a director for this game, but had no involvement with the game's audio. However, it seems that the driver used by Hasuya is based on the code of Inose's sound driver.
Game Rip
This rip includes rips of the Japanese and USA releases.
Ripping NES music is a very arduous process that is beyond the scope of this site.
Releases
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Links
- mobygames.com/game/nes/rygar - MobyGames.
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/587594-rygar - GameFAQs.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rygar - Wikipedia.
- w.atwiki.jp/gamemusicbest100/pages/4762.html - Atwiki.jp (Japanese).
| Rygar | |
| Rygar |  •  •  •  •  •  • 
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| Rygar (NES Version) | 
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| Rygar: The Legendary Adventure |  •  • 
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| Notable Songs | Sueru Mountain • Gran Mountain • Garloz • Legendary God |
| Notable Personnel | Michiharu Hasuya |
| Notable Companies | Tecmo |
