Brave Wave Productions has revealed that it will be releasing a newly arranged version of the soundtrack to Sunsoft's cult classic Famicom platformer Gimmick, featuring an all-star lineup of musicians from the world of video game music.
According to the announcement, the project is being led by Masashi Kageyama, the original composer of the game, who will contribute new versions of several of his classic tracks. He will be joined on the project by a group of other Brave Wave-affiliated artists, including Manami Matsumae (Mega Man), Harumi Fujita (Mega Man 3, Bionic Commando, Strider), Takahiro Izutani (Metal Gear Solid 4, MGS: Peace Walker, Bayonetta), and Tee Lopes (TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, Sonic Mania, Metal Slug Tactics), to name just a few of the many contributors who are involved with the album.
Gimmick was originally released for the Nintendo Famicom in Japan back in 1992 and notably used the Sunsoft 5B chip — a modified version of Sunsoft's earlier FME-7 chip — that gave Kageyama access to three additional sound channels to work with.
According to an old interview with VGMO, Kageyama would end up pushing these additional sources to their absolute fullest during the development of the rock, pop, and acid jazz-infused soundtrack, stating Gimmick's designer Tomomi Sakai was incredibly selective about the individual components that made up the game, forcing him to do his best to meet the developer's high demands.
In 1993, a localized version of the game was released for the NES in Scandinavia under the name Mr. Gimmick! This version, however, featured a slightly adapted version of the Famicom score, designed to fit the NES's original five sound channels, as opposed to the Famicom version's eight. A remake of the game was also later released in 2020 for the exA-Arcadia arcade system, which was then followed by a "Special Edition" remaster for PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in 2023.
Here is the full track listing for the new album:
- Good Morning (Pentadrangle)
- No Limits
- Happy Birthday
- Good Weather
- Slow Illusion (Manami Matsumae)
- Paradigm
- Lion Heart
- Cadbury (Takahiro Izutani)
- Strange Memories of Death (Tee Lopes)
- Aporia (Harumi Fujita)
- Identity Believer (Marshall Art)
- Long Tomorrow (Andrew Elmore)
- Just Friends
- Sophia
- Paradox (Mamomo)
- Innocent
- Siesta
- Good Night (Smoke Thief)
- Gimmick! Ultimate Medley (Super Strikers)
You can pre-order the digital album now from Bandcamp for $18. Physical copies of the soundtrack are also planned for CD or Vinyl from the record label Black Screen Records.
Here is a full list featuring all of the streaming services and other places where you will be able to find the album.