"Road to Victory" is a theme first heard inKirby's Return to Dream Land, although it was originally planned for the cancelledKirby for Nintendo GameCube game. It was composed byHirokazu Ando,^[1] and it is the basis of many other songs of its origin game.

Composition[edit]

Hirokazu Ando composed "Road to Victory" and "Sky Tower" at the same time as dark and light versions of the same tune, respectively.^[2] Ando originally wrote "Road to Victory" as stage music forKirby for Nintendo GameCube, for a setting that would have been normal and bright at first but devastated and dark later on.^[3] With these two light and dark versions of the stage motivating the composition of both "Sky Tower" and "Road to Victory", Ando also wrote the two songs to serve as the root of the game's soundtrack by embodying certain common driving musical motifs, making "Road to Victory" originally quite an important track to the game.^[3] The importance of "Road to Victory" is noticeable in how it was originally featured as the music for theKirby for Nintendo GameCube E3 2005 trailer, and the shared history and vision behind the two songs is evident in how "Supreme Ruler's Coronation - OVERLORD" transitions directly from "Road to Victory" to "Sky Tower", highlighting their similarities.

Whereas "Sky Tower" makes use of a somewhat light-sounding combination of piano, guitar, and aerophone samples, "Road to Victory" is an imposing orchestral composition, starting with a brief prelude of orchestral hits and continuous percussion. The first portion is in DDorian mode and is built around a phrase with an ascending progression of D-G-A expressed in brass and woodwind samples, mirroring the ascending piano progression of "Sky Tower". After around half a minute, the track shifts to a motif that mirrors the motif of the second half of "Sky Tower". Each phrasing of the motif is in G minor with a brief usage of G Dorian on the second measure; the first instance of the melody is played by low strings, which is repeated by trumpets on the second instance. After a culmination of this portion still in G minor, the tune returns to a D minor mode to explore variations on the D-G-A progression with some use of electronic instrumentation, before looping back to the beginning.

While "Sky Tower" is composed in D-flat major, "Road to Victory" is set throughout in minor modes. In particular, it starts in the Dorian mode, also called the Russian minor scale and often associated withGregorian chants. The use of minor scales further roots "Road to Victory" as a dark counterpart to "Sky Tower". At the same time, the use of a major sixth (rather than the minor sixth that would be used in a natural minor scale) for the first motif and occasional reversions to a major mode keeps the darkness somewhat restrained.

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby's Return to Dream Land[edit]

"Road to Victory" debuts inKirby's Return to Dream Land as the title screen theme forThe Arena, as well as the battle theme for bosses there and most of theThe True Arena. It can found as track 100 in theSound Test.

Besides its aforementioned major counterpart "Sky Tower", the theme is also incorporated into other tracks in the game:

• "A Visitor from Afar" — Opening cutscene theme, begins immediately with a major variant of the motif, and also features the first and second sections of "Road to Victory" throughout.
• "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" and "Dangerous Dinner" — Level select counterpart themes doubling as title themes for the game andThe True Arena, respectively. They carry their own motif, and both have a third section based on "Road to Victory".
• "The Adventure Begins" — Stage theme forCookie Country - Stage 1, features its own motif, and includes "Road to Victory" near the end. Notably, "Road to Victory" is absent in the "Original Short ver." (inKirby: Triple Deluxe).
• "Bring On the Super Ability" (by extension "Final Battle" and "Final Battle EX") and "Ultra-Super Boss Battle" —Super Ability themes, both are a mix of the middle section of "Road to Victory" and "Green Greens".
• "Lor Restored!" — Cutscene theme for "Oars Restored!", "Right Wing Restored!", "Left Wing Restored!", and "Emblem Restored!"; an F major arrangement of the first section.
• "C-R-O-W-N-E-D" — Boss theme for Magolor'ssecond form andMagolor Soul, has the motif scattered amidst others.
• "Each to His Own World" — Ending cutscene theme, has an ostinato based on the main motif in the first section and the beginning of the second.
• "Return to Dream Land" —Staff credits theme, mirrors "A Visitor from Afar" at the beginning and includes other fragments of "Road to Victory".

Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition[edit]

The original version of the theme plays on the instructions screens beforeMagolor Race 1 andMagolor Race 2 of theNew Challenge Stages mode.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]

Once again, the original version of the theme returns as one of the stage themes forRoyal Road - Stage 8 EX. It can be found as track 083 in theJukebox.

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

The original version of the theme is yet again reused, in this game for theWhispy Woods andPyribbit quests of theTeam Kirby Clash sub-game. It can be found as track 071 in theJukebox.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

There are three distinct arrangements of this theme inKirby Star Allies.

• "The Palace of Fulfilled Dreams" — This is a piano focused arrangement that plays inDream Palaces. This was arranged by the original composer,Hirokazu Ando, and can be found as track 048 in theJukebox.

• "Puzzle-Solving Galaxy" — This is a chiptune remix of the theme, which plays in the puzzle rooms in the stages fromFar-Flung Starlight Heroes. This was also arranged by the original composer,Hirokazu Ando, and can be found as track 062 in theJukebox.

• "Supreme Ruler's Coronation - OVERLORD" — DuringMorpho Knight's boss battle, if player 1 is Magolor, Morpho Knight's theme will be replaced by a medley of multiple themes fromKirby's Return to Dream Land related to Magolor, and "Road to Victory" is among them. This was once again arranged byHirokazu Ando.

Super Kirby Clash[edit]

InSuper Kirby Clash, a remix of the theme, which adds electric guitars, a choir, and more percussion to the original song, is used as the theme for the Tough rank quests againstWhispy Woods andKracko, and the Tough rank Party Quest againstPyribbit.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]

"Road to Victory" naturally returns inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, in the same places as the original game,Kirby's Return to Dream Land. It can found as track 163 in theJukebox.

Moreover, several tracks new toKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe also include fragments of "Road to Victory":

• "Judgment of the Malus Pumila" — Main motif and title theme ofMagolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler, has "Road to Victory" in the intro, as well as prior to the "A Visitor to Afar" throwback.
• "Onward to a Pain My Heart Knows Well" —Locandra Dimension stage theme in Magolor Epilogue andThe True Arena rest area theme prior to theMaster Crown. Features larger portions of "Road to Victory" mixed in, namely as the second section.
• "Mistilteinn, Tree Crown without a Ruler" — Boss theme for theMaster Crown, has a C major quotation of "Road to Victory" separating the track into two large sections, as well as nearing the end.
• "Crossing into the Parallel with You" —Staff credits theme of Magolor Epilogue, features "Road to Victory" and "Four Adventurers: Cookie Country" alternating with "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler" in the transitional section.
• "Supreme Ruler's Coronation - OVERLORD" (fromKirby Star Allies) — Boss theme forMagolor Soul inThe True Arena, reused but with an added choir and Magolor's cries for help in the second phase.
• "The Merry, Magical World of Magolor!" — Main theme forMerry Magoland after clearing 100 Magoland Missions. It features "WELCOME TO MAGOLAND!", "Green Greens", and other themes from the sub-games ofMerry Magoland. In the section from "Return to Dream Land", "Road to Victory" replaces "Sky Tower".

Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World[edit]

InKirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World, "Road of Victory" plays as one of the sections of "Judgment of the Malus Pumila" and "Onward to a Pain My Heart Knows Well" during the first phase and second phase of the battle againstForgo Leon inThe Ultimate Cup Z EX respectively. After clearing The Ultimate Cup Z EX, the tracks also appear at theWaddle Live! Corner Stage as tracks 136 and 137, respectively.

Other appearances[edit]

"Road to Victory"'s first appearance was in the reveal trailer forKirby for Nintendo GameCube at E3 2005, which would had been the song's first appearance if the game had not been cancelled. Notably, the song is the exact same that was eventually used forKirby's Return to Dream Land. Due to its use as the trailer's theme, it's likely that the song would had been one of the main themes of the game, which eventually carried away toReturn to Dream Land.

"Road to Victory" is one of the songs present in theKirby Wii Music Selection album. ItsKirby Star Allies remixes also make an appearance in theKirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack album.

Names in other languages[edit]

Road to Victory[edit]

Lor Restored![edit]

The Palace of Fulfilled Dreams[edit]

Puzzle-Solving Galaxy[edit]

References

• Good pages
• Music in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
• Music in Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition
• Music in Kirby: Triple Deluxe
• Music in Kirby: Planet Robobot
• Music in Kirby Star Allies
• Music in Super Kirby Clash
• Music in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

• Articles which list Japanese names
• Articles which list Chinese names
• Articles which list Dutch names
• Articles which list French names
• Articles which list German names
• Articles which list Italian names
• Articles which list Korean names
• Articles which list Portuguese names
• Articles which list Spanish names