Please remember that WiKirby contains spoilers, which you read at your own risk! See ourgeneral disclaimer for details.
The Arena (theme)
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
- This article is about the title screen theme of The Arena. For the theme that plays in battles of the mode, also called "The Arena" in some games, seeArena Showdown.
"The Arena"[derived from Japanese][1][2] is a music track that first appeared inKirby Super Star and can be heard playing in theeponymous game mode.
Composition[edit]
"The Arena" uses very dramatic instrumentation, namely timpanis, woodwinds and strings which likens it toanother track associated with this same game mode. Much like its sister track, its staccato rhythm evokes the "Mars" movement ofGustav Holst'sThe Planets suite, fitting the warlike image of the Roman god. The initial woodwind melody lilts sparsely above the commanding backing strings before they become a string section themselves, all the while the powerful percussion gives the track an intimidating feel. The melody swells up, building higher and higher, bringing the backing strings with it for a short period before just as quickly coming back down and finishing the first loop with the same kind of drawn-out chords it had entered the string section with.
Game appearances[edit]
Kirby Super Star[edit]
As mentioned before, "The Arena" plays on the title screen for the eponymous sub-game inKirby Super Star, though it also plays on the victory screen shown to the player after they clear the mode. "The Arena" is track 63 inKirby Super Star'sSound Test.
Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]
InKirby Super Star Ultra, The Arena was given an additional title theme, and the original track no longer plays on the mode's victory screen, instead being moved around to play during both the newly-added opening cutscene and in the initialCopy Ability selection room.
Additionally, two new rearrangements of "The Arena" are introduced: one is a faithful, guitar-heavy arrangement (serving as the theme ofHelper to Hero) while the second is a slower, hard rock-styled arrangement that features a new second half quoting "Arena Showdown" (serving as the theme ofThe True Arena). "The Arena" is track 082 inKirby Super Star Ultra's Sound Test, while the new "Helper to Hero" and "The True Arena" are track 090 and track 100 respectively.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe[edit]
InKirby: Triple Deluxe, both "The Arena" and "The True Arena" received new arrangements for its version of the respective game modes. Both rearrangements were done by Jun Ishikawa, and use a mix of higher-quality instruments alongside a few instruments that sound as though they came directly from the original versions of each track. In the game'sJukebox, "The Arena" is track 113, while "The True Arena" is track 118.
Other appearances[edit]
An unnamed and unreleased music track used in a number of episodes of the Japanese run ofKirby: Right Back at Ya!, includingPrediction Predicament - Part II, features a slower, even more dramatic version of "The Arena".
"The Arena" is present onThe Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks as track 14.
TheKirby Super Star Ultra version of the track can be found on theKirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track CD as track 27.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 格闘王への道[1][2] Kakutō-ō e no Michi | The Road to Become a Fighting King Japanese name of The Arena. |
References
- ↑1.01.11.2The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks; while no specific credits are given, only Jun Ishikawa out of the two composers forKirby Super Star is credited on the album
- ↑2.02.1Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track
| |||||||||||||||||
