A strong runner-up to Horizon Zero Dawn for the top game OST of 2018, Valkyria: Azure Revolution Original Soundtrack as you'd expect is far more in the traditional JRPG vein, though composer Yasunori Mitsuda takes some impressive strides in modernizing the genre with robust orchestral arrangements and high production values. Similarly to that other score, you won't find the same high number of captivating themes as in most game music classics, but the album is a consistently high-quality listen throughout. There's an expected military quality - brass and rolling snares are in plentiful supply in rousing battle themes like "Threat of the Ruzhien Empire" - but it's not too serious to drown out the game and composer's JPRG roots, as heard in immediately endearing town themes like "Imperial City Elsinore" and "Enlivened City". Mitsuda has made it clear in some of his comments the importance he places on evolving technically as a composer, and the Valkyria Revolution soundtrack is a satisfying validation of that approach.