Noriko Matsueda

where her first assignment was to score the 1995 title Front Mission alongside Yoko Shimomura. Matsueda's first solo work was Bahamut Lagoon, which also represented her first collaboration with Eguchi, who arranged and orchestrated "Theme of Bahamut Lagoon ~ Opening" for the bonus disc of its original soundtrack. In 1996, she created the composition "Tower Block" for the multi-composer game Tobal No. 1. Matsueda was responsible for all the music except the battle, opening, and ending themes. and provided three arrangements to the Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection album, which were both better received by critics. The Piano Collections album was her last credited work, and she has since left Square Enix along with Eguchi.

Musical style and influences Matsueda is noted for her jazzy style, which she often incorporated into the soundtracks she worked on; she also touched on genres like jazz fusion, lounge, and ambient. For the scores that she collaborated on with Eguchi, she was responsible for most of the jazzy tracks, while Eguchi provided the majority of the electronic music. Matsueda has said that the best qualities of a composer are their curiosity and sensitivity, and that watching many things, listening, touching, and feeling are important factors in composition. When asked why she creates music, Matsueda replied that she feels it is an appropriate way to express herself.

Works Video games Year Title Role Co-worker(s) 1995 Front Mission Composition/arrangement Yoko Shimomura