"Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection" is the name of a musical piece which first plays during the third phase of the battle withStar Dream inKirby: Planet Robobot. It was composed byHirokazu Ando.

Composition[edit]

"Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection" builds upon the original song of "Bright Spinning Planet", the title screen theme, and remixes it to use more intense, machine-like, computerized instruments and expanded, fast melodies, also borrowing parts of "The Noble Haltmann" with altered timing. It also arranges the alarm from "Marx's Mad Plan" and excerpts of "Milky Way Wishes: Shooting", to signify Star Dream's similarities with theGalactic Nova. Finally, at the end, it takes a part of "Haltmann Works Co. HQ", played with an electric guitar, and near the end, an erratic arpeggio finishes off the intense melodies. Then it transitions to a calmer version of the song with chiptune instruments, quiet almost to near silence, before looping again to the main part of the song.

Notably, the song shares commonalities with "Soul 0 System" (a remix of "Milky Way Wishes: Shooting") and "Vagrant Keepsake of Oblivion" (a variation on the song itself that starts at the "Haltmann Works Co. HQ" motif and quickly transitions to the main song), both of which are used in Phase 4 ofStar Dream Soul OS.

Game appearances[edit]

Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]

InKirby: Planet Robobot, at the beginning ofStar Dream's third phase, theAccess Ark's front covering falls off, revealing a cat-like face resemblingGalactic Nova. Once its eyes start to flash at theHalberd, "Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection" starts to play for the remainder of the final battle. The track can be found as Track 095 in theKirby: Planet RobobotJukebox.

"Vagrant Keepsake of Oblivion" is used for the second phase of the fourth phase of theStar Dream Soul OS battle inThe True Arena. It can be found in the Jukebox as Track 155.

Kirby Star Allies[edit]

A partial remix of both "Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection" and "VS. Star Dream" plays when P1 fightsMorpho Knight asSusie inGuest Star ???? Star Allies Go! and Soul Melter (EX) ofThe Ultimate Choice. This medley is named "A Deus Ex Machina from Childhood" onNintendo Music. The remix is also arranged byHirokazu Ando and can be found as track 183 in theStar Allies Jukebox as of Version 4.0.0.

Super Kirby Clash[edit]

A remix of "A Deus Ex Machina from Childhood" plays during the Super Party Quest againstPres. Parallel Susie.

Other appearances[edit]

The theme was performed live at theKirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival as part of the "Kirby Finale Battle Fest" medley, along with the "Final Boss" theme fromKirby's Adventure, "Vs. Marx", "0² Battle", "C-R-O-W-N-E-D", and "Fatal Blooms in Moonlight".

Development[edit]

The song's first prototype was created with the idea of "existence beyond the human knowledge of the galaxy"^[2][3]. For the second prototype, composer Hirokazu Ando made the second half more exciting to make it feel more like a "decisive battle with a countdown in progress"^[4][3]. Then feedback was given, asking to make it "more intense, then quiet to almost oblivion, to revive it with a loop", and so a third prototype was made. After that, further improvements were made until the song was completed.^[5][3]

Etymology[edit]

"Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection" may appear to be a confusing title at first glance, but each term within the title relates heavily to the boss fight with Star Dream. To begin, "counting song" refers to the actual fight, where Star Dream counts down from 5 to 1 for the "Fatal Error" attack;Galactic Nova also counts down from 3 to 1 when granting wishes, suggesting it to be a common trait between them. "Vagrant" is used to describe a person who does not have a proper home and instead wanders and begs for their livelihood. It is also used to describe something with an inconsistent nature, or that has fallen "off course". As Star Dream is described in its pause screen as having "lost its master and purpose", this is also an apt description of the machine. Finally, "retrospection" refers to looking back upon past events and situations, especially with one's own life. This likely refers toPresident Haltmann himself, who by this point has merged his mind and soul with Star Dream, and—as shown byStar Dream Soul OS's second phase pause screen—is reflecting upon his life in his final moments of consciousness.

In other words, the title refers to a being which has lost its purpose in life, and is reflecting upon the past decisions it has made.

"Vagrant Keepsake of Oblivion", while more straightforward in comparison, is not an exact translation of the Japanese title,回歴カイレキスル追約ツイヤクノ忘ワスレ貝ガイ. While based on the same structure as the Japanese title of "Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection",回歴かいれきする追憶ついおくの数かぞえ唄うた, it varies subtly in that it useskatakana rather thanhiragana. Katakana is often used to denote robotic speech in Japanese, including that of Star Dream itself, giving the title a more robotic tone than the original.

回歴カイレキスルKai-reki suru, meaning "vagrant", remains the same from the original title.追約ツイヤクノTsuiyaku no means "from a supplementary contract", i.e., a contract used to extend an existing contract.忘ワスレ貝ガイWasure-gai is the most complicated; it means a "forgetting shell", and refers to a Japanese folktale about a seashell that allows one to forget the pain of lost love when held. The title seems to refer to Haltmann's backstory: he lost Susie during an experiment gone wrong and made a "supplementary contract" with Star Dream in order to get her back, but gradually lost his own memories in the process, eventually becoming unable to recognize her or remember his lost love. It could thus be translated as "Vagrant Forgotten Love from a Supplementary Contract".

Names in other languages[edit]

Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection[edit]

Vagrant Keepsake of Oblivion[edit]

References

• Music in Kirby: Planet Robobot
• Music in Kirby Star Allies
• Music in Super Kirby Clash
• Music from Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival

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