Tobal No.1 was received with 8 composers from the Square Sound Team. Variety was quite strong as many styles were employed, like Jazz, Tribal, New Age, Dance, etc… With Tobal No.2, Square decided to let a composer from DreamFactory(The Developer of the Tobal games, Square only published the games) handle the music, which was former Sega veteran Takayuki Nakamura. Nakamura was blessed with having the opportunity to have worked on the first few Virtua Fighter games along with Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, as this experience was vital for Tobal 2’s music creation and inspiration. For Tobal 2, Nakamura focused his compositions on three distinct styles: Jazz, Fusion and Rock. Was he able to surpass the 8 composers from the 1st Tobal? Let’s find out.

The first track aptly titled “TOBAL2” starts with mechanical effects, soon strings and drums join, along with some stylish synth work. The synthesized chorus adds up an already well placed feel of quality, which says a lot on the soundtrack overall. The next track “Checkered career [album original mix]” is even better. A strong bass builds up with drums and synth on the side, then the synth takes the lead and helps create the mood for warming up before battle. It all ends up with some impressive electric guitar work, which again defines the quality level of this score. “The Origin No.5” starts up with a quick organ/string intro, before the synth, bass and drums start taking over, and moves on with more complex synth play, which renders the track so catchy and addictive. “Beating Hard” has the perfect elements for a fusion track, the guitar intro is quickly supported by synth and brass, which is the right mix for dueling with others. The guitar starts to have a bit more action halfway, which ends with some smooth synth. “Hero’s Looking Glass” also has a guitar intro, this time the guitar and drums work together, with more than halfway in, the riffs start coming in one after the other. “Knee Drop” is another example of a pure rock track, the guitar, drums and synth all work together and slowly bring the theme to a climax, in which Nakamura displays even more impressive guitar skills. It is by far the “hardest” track on the disc. “TOBAL2 1st Ending” has the slow paced rock ballad which has some occasional riffs yet remains fairly quiet compared to other tracks and also has the feel of accomplishment which is exactly what an ending theme is supposed to convey. “TOBAL2 2nd Ending” works from the previous track and adds some jazz elements; the strings do their part in creating the feel of calmness and victory while the synth takes care of the rest.

While Tobal 2 may seem less interesting to those not fond of Jazz, Fusion or Rock, everybody else will be able to enjoy the style focus. Like the early Virtua Fighter soundtracks, Takayuki Nakamura aims to show some impressive use of instruments, as well as writing strong and exciting fighting themes. I can safely say he has succeeded in Tobal 2. This disc appears rarely on eBay, but it is likely to show up more often on Yahoo Japan Auctions.