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yogurtbox’s Tree of Knowledge pays tribute to PC-98 eroge music

One key element found in most good visual novels is a soundtrack that is able to elevate the emotional impact of important scenes. The need for music that perfectly embodies the mood that developers and story writers wish to convey has spawned some fairly impressive compositions over the years. The FM synth music used in PC-98 eroge from the late 80s and early 90s in particular is still fondly remembered by many. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the genre and the stigma that surrounds it, this type of music and the impact it could have on the gameplay experience has been lost on most gamers.

Two Western composers, Ken Snyder and Steven Velema, were so impressed with the "catchy and sophisticated style" that they heard from 90s-era eroge that they decided to create Tree of Knowledge, a tribute album meant to bring this type of music the attention it deserves. A large part of their fandom stems from the music composed by Ryu Umemoto for Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO. As a result, their original tracks sound as if they were ripped straight from a 90s dating sim.

To complement the soundtrack, yogurtbox cobbled together a partial story as well as a cast of characters that includes the girl next door, the sports fanatic, the mysterious shrine maiden, and the young bratty girl. As one would expect, the soundtrack contains a theme song for each of the heroines. Diana Jakobsson was asked to create character portraits in the style found in earlier games while Jordan Chewning contributed some pixel art. Their work can be seen throughout the official web site and in the bonus artwork that comes with the soundtrack.

HOME PAGE Tree of Knowledge @ yogurtbox
PERSONAL PAGE Ken Snyder (coda)
PERSONAL PAGE Steven Velema (surasshu)
DEVIANART PAGE Diana Jakobsson (pu)
DEVIANTART PAGE Jordan Chewning (DJvenom)
RELATED Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO entry @ TLWiki
RELATED Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO entry @ The Visual Novel Database
RELATED Ryu Umemoto's discography @ VGMdb




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  • http://www.deculture.es/2011/11/05/eroge-90-tree-of-knowledge/ El eroge de los 90 tiene su homenaje en ‘Tree of Knowledge’ | Deculture.es

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