Despite being a primarily fantasy-based franchise, the Zelda series has dabbled with technology quite a bit, especially in recent entries. From opposite ends of the timeline, Breath of the Wild’s Guardians and Sheikah tech and Skyward Sword‘s Timeshift Stones speak to a world where science and fantasy mix. Perhaps that’s why there are so many synth and lo-fi versions of Zelda songs: It just fits. Qumu’s “Overworld Remix,” based on a song from Spirit Tracks, invites us to imagine another swirl of past and future: a Hyrule where futuristic bullet trains are ridden and Link is a young, techno train conductor whose outfit glows with the golden brilliance of the Triforce as he rides the light rails.
The remix starts with the iconic notes of the whistle that has stirred the hearts of Spirit Tracks fans ever since they first boarded Link’s locomotive. Soon after, the synthetic beats start.
Throughout the first half of the song, there’s definitely a single, repetitive, heavy beat that reminds me of the tech version of a train’s movement. It sounds like the futuristic equivalent of the “chugga chugga” sound we imagine during our childhood.
Accompanying this beat is a repeating series of two notes. The first note is lower and reverberates for a bit before rising up in pitch. Like the deeper beat, this one also calls to mind the sounds of a train. Its repetition makes me think of the sound of the tracks as the train travels. The clacking sound of the wheels crossing the tracks has transcended such physical noises and evolved into a soothing, two-beat combo similar to a heartbeat.
Alongside the synthetic beats are the more rustic sounds normally heard in Spirit Tracks and Zelda in general. The familiar whistle or recorder and violin sounds that normally make up this track are heard throughout. At the 2:19 mark, though, the beats fall away momentarily and are replaced by a piano. The mixture of piano, recorder, and violin conjures images of techno Link reminiscing as he rides the rails. He’s thinking back to the times of his past ancestors, when trains still burned fossil fuels and demons terrorized the land. The use of a few familiar notes of the Zelda “Main Theme” call him back to the present. Well, at least fossil fuels could be defeated. Enemies remain. Not all things can change for the Hero of Hyrule after all.
Qumu brings fans into a fantasy both old and new. The mixture of synth and older sounds creates an innovative Hyrule out of beats and breathy whistles. A new land is created that lives only within the notes and beats of this song, but those of us who visited can be content in knowing that a return trip is only ever a few mouse clicks away.
