Favorite Tunes #223: ZUNTATA

ZUNTATA! Not the name of a single person but a unit of a plethora of composers similar to Konami Kukeiha Club. They are also known as the Taito Sound Team so if you see the name ZUNTATA or Taito, you can usually expect your ears to be treated to some outstanding music.

Urban Trail - Night Striker (ARC)

The first time I'd ever heard of any music from Night Striker was some ten years ago. I was blown away. I think this game's soundtrack along with music from various Darius titles is what cemented my love for ZUNTAT's music. Now if only Taito would release more collections so I could play this game.

Fire! Fire! Fire! - Syvalion (ARC)

Fukio Mitsuji is mostly know for creating Bubble Bobble. He's also the brains behind Syvalion and if you're wondering why this title doesn't ring a bell, it's because this one didn't fare anywhere near as well as the game with the two cute dragons. Once again, I gotta hand it ZUNTATA, or in this case, Yasushia Watanabe for turning in an amazing soundtrck.

Planet Course "The Nature of Art" - Vertexer (ARC)

When I went hunting for some screen shots or an arcade flyer to use for this entry, I was surprised to find that Vertexer was never officially released. However, the soundtrack to the game, was released in 2015. As one would expect from ZUNTATA (Tamayo Kawamoto), the music is really friggin' good.

Jamming - Darius II (GEN)

Did you think every entry on this list was going to be from the arcade? I mean, sure, Darius II originated in the arcades but it also saw a few home ports, one of which was on the Genesis, titled Sagaia outside of Japan. The music isn't exactly the same as the co-op version but it still turned out pretty well.

Geometric City - RayStorm (ARC)

Released in Japanese arcades in 1996 when 3D and polygonal graphics were really up and coming, RayStorm is one of the few games on this list I've actually played. I picked up the PS port years ago and it has been years since I've played it. I do, however, remember this music as it played on the first stage and upon rediscovering it, I've been listening to it on repeat for days.

Metal Black - Space Invaders Anniversary (PS2)

In 2003, Space Invaders turned 25 years old. To commorate the occasion, Space Indavers Anniversary was released, containing nine versions of Space Invaders. One version contained music from various games in Tatio's library such as tunes from Bubble Bobble, Darius and Metal Black. The music sounds very close to the original pieces, but anyone that's heard these themes enough can tell you that there are some slight differences but not enough to be detrimental. The track from Metal Black happens to be my favorite from that game, Dual Moon. Space Invaders fans living in the west had no choice but to import this one.

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