REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Telos Translation Part 1: "Notes on Tracks"

Released back on December 10th, 2004, REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Telos is the third album in Inti Creates' REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO series. Telos (from the Greek word "ΤΕΛΟΣ "or "Τέλος"  meaning "end", "purpose", or "goal") features 37-tracks worth of remixed music from Rockman Zero 3.

Typically, the majority of Inti Creates' music CDs for the Rockman series and even the Gunvolt series go the extra mile in terms of supplemental content. You'll often find fun things like liner notes, character and development staff  biographies, interviews, development insight and, sometimes, mini manga stories. However, the crown jewel of these albums are the "drama tracks" that further expand and enrich pre-established lore. Rockman Zero Telos is no exception.

Courtesy of our translator Sidier, we're proud to present for the very first time the entirety of Rockman Zero Telos' densely-packed booklet in English. Because of it's length, we'll be splitting its translated contents into separate posts. Today we begin with English-translated liner notes, or "Notes on Tracks" as Inti Creates calls them. Hit the jump below and see what composer Ippo Yamada had to say about various tracks!

Artwork and Sketches from the music CD booklet.

(Note: We chose to keep the original Japanese names, you will read things like Repliroid (Reploid) or Elpis (Elpizo). Tracks from 10 to 19 in the Prier disc are drama tracks.)

DISC 1

1.Title III

"The title (theme) is always made at the end (of development). I was told that there’d be an “intro”; there’s little time left so improvise something to match the “intro” → easier said than done → we want a (signal) noise-like SE → it doesn’t match the theme so I don’t wanna add it → it has a weak impact → make SE to match the logo… The thing that always happens when we’re close to submitting."

2. Neo Arcadia March

"The (game) opening has the now familiar “theme of X”. I actually wanted to do this arrange in Zero 2, but 2 was a story about the Resistance Army so I waited for a chance to pull this off (laughs). I took a sudden turn this time around. I turned into a composition more “typical” of the Rockman series, since Vile has appeared as the big cheese. And thus Neo Arcadia ushers into an age of chaos."

3. Forbidden Ark

"It’s been 2 months since the Elpis incident. The Resistance members walk through a frozen snow field. What appears in their path is the ship of a demon, which was supposedly discarded into outer space a long, long time ago. What lies within that ark?

My own image of this is like it was an act from a movie. I wanted to show that the stance of the enemies was different this time around, but how did that feel like?"

4. Break Out

"The snowy mountains stage that serves as the game’s opening. There were some dark-like songs in the prologue so here comes an up-tempo song to tell you “the game’s now begun”! Zero 3 has a strong “color” to it as the sequel to Zero 2 so I guess you can say this is the Zero 3 version of “Departure”."

5. Darkness over World

"It’s easy to use and thus it’s employed in many event scenes. Hence why I refer to it as the “secret” main theme song of Zero 3. The dark and sullen atmosphere flowing across this game depicts Vile’s anarchism which is swallowing the world."

6. Exiled One - Omega - 

"What (Zero) found when he reached (the goal) was his foes (Fafnir and Leviathan) hurt and defeated, and what he and X had exiled in the past. Omega appears: he will be a big epoch of this game, or, rather, of the Zero Series. Omega was made by Vile to control the Original Body, and it’s not only an armor to strengthen (Omega) but it also has the nuance of being restrains."

7. Omega Battle Force

"A battle version arrangement of Omega’s theme. I actually imagined and made this one first. Omega has an image that even if you battle him with utmost effort you can’t beat him, that anything you do will be repelled. His appearance will force Zero to fight his heart as well."

8. Curse of Vile 

"The theme of the scientist exiled from Neo Arcadia 100 years ago, “Doctor Vile”.

After the Elf Wars ended, the humans of Neo Arcadia, so as to hide the fact that the human “Vile” had triggered the wars, disposed of documentation about that in all kind of ways. One of them was to use this spaceship (the Forbidden Ark) into which they loaded documentation regarding the Dark Elf and Omega and Omega himself, and exile him into outer space. The spaceship was programmed to keep on circling the Earth but Vile, who got into action again, recalled it to the surface.

A short loop of this track is used in the Vile Lab stage in the endgame."

9. Result of Mission III

"The melody and the timbre have changed a bit but Zero 2 and 3 are sequels with a “thick” color to them so there’s not much of a difference. A mini-memo about the results: if you beat the Shadow General in Under Arcadia, you’ll get 5 bonus points and counterbalances the penalty of entering Cyberspace."

10. Prismatic

"The theme of the control room of the renewed Resistance Base. The design of the Command Room has changed. The glowing spheroid below the center of the room is the result of Ciel’s researches, the new energy machine “System Ciel”.

Using the Card-E, you can get posters, flowerpots, cats, Menart’s doodle and so on, making it into a very, very lively space (laughs). If you go to the sea and strike the fishes jumping out of it 30 times in a row, a big fish will jump out and drop a big Energen Crystal."

11. Visor Eyes

"The melody of the briefing that happens at the start of all stages. The Operators, Joan and Rouge, are the ones explaining the mission’s contents. They can pick up a lot of data through their visors.

They only say “Mission” and “Transfer” as voices in-game, and yet I was told to make up their characters… (laughs). Or so Mr. Ogata told me."

12. Volcano

"An energy supply base, supplying to the missile base that can be seen in the distance.

It’s a high-tension track typical of Suzuki Masaki’s Rockman Zero-like style.

The lava part in the 2nd half of the stage was hard due to not matching the tempo (of the platforms) and I cried as I made my way through it.

If you come after clearing the missile factory stage, the missile in the horizon will be gone."

13. Water City

"Rests of a highway that runs over the sea and a sunken city. A melody that makes you feel “near-future” and a sequence pattern that, surprisingly enough, is a guitar, making it very cool.

You chase the sub Inarabitta is riding in across the stage, but if you use the draining buttons before the sub destroys them, the water height will lower and his attacks will become weaker… In principle, that is. but I feel like the water level being at 2nd or 3rd stage instead of fully drain makes it hard to fight him, oddly enough…"

14. Reborn Mechanics

"A Repliroid regeneration factory. It has an industrial & punk image to it. (Hellbat) Schilt is very gentleman-like, but…

Amongst the Pantheons being repaired in his room background, you can also (see) Anubistep Necromanses (the 5th?). If you come after completing the Twilight Desert stage, it’s no longer here so that thing was indeed…"

15. Old Life Space

Ruins of a human residential area of a past age, from before the wars of 100 years ago. A melody that gives off a nostalgic feeling. It’s very wide, has hidden corridors, and the bouncing and moving mushrooms (laughs) give it a strong impression.

16. Crèer and Prier

"The theme of the Baby Elves, Crèer and Prier. Copies of the Dark Elf made when the Elf Wars. The origin of the names is the (French) Crèer (Create) and Prier (Pray). To know how they were named, check out the drama tracks."

17. Crash III

"Here I am, reusing this again (laughs). It appears during mid-boss battles. There’s a big variety of mid bosses (in this game). The modified Pantheon Aqua is one I’m attached to. It’s a foe that’s been changed by the power of the Dark Elf, so we went for an image of a “version down” of Lord Copy X. Its voice it’s an arrange of Copy X’s voice. I sometimes purposely go meet it (laughs)."

18. Final Countdown

"The track of the huge missile base. Zero heads there to put a stop to Vile’s hideous plan to drop a missile loaded with Omega in the human residential district “Area Z-3079” where the Dark Elf has appeared at. The missile’s destination, as Vile said, is “the human residential district furthest away from here…”."

19. Omega Missile

"Zero 1’s Hittite Hottaid [the mining Mechanoloid that tries to dig into the Resistance Base], and the Zero 2 bomber… We need an impactful (situation) that can overcome those (precedents)! This “setting” was born with that goal in mind. “Running over a missile”, that’s the stage concept. Loading Omega onboard and firing it is very bold, indeed. But the melody… also feels like it! Viva! Impact!"

20. Dark Elf - arrange - 

"The very first and emblematic (Cyber) Elf which was supposed to bring peace to both humans and Repliroids, the Mother Elf, and the curse Vile cast upon her. The Mother Elf is trying to deny existing as the Dark Elf, but its huge power degenerates Elpis, Omega and the world. How much longer will her deep sadness go on?"

21. For Endless Fight III

"The 4 stages of the mid-game are stages with bosses revived by Vile. And so I decided to make arrangements of (previous) songs. The Twilight Desert treads on the image given by the name, and so I didn’t chose a “scorching hot desert” type of song but this one instead.

Shooting back upwards the Panteons dropping from the Carrybee G and defeat them along with the vehicle is the best course of action as suggested by Yabe (Yabe Makoto, backgrounds & scenario) (laughs)."

22. Sand Triangle II

Forest of Anatre (East). Speaking of forests, Kurihara likes them. This is also an arrange I wanted to do in Zero 2. It’s turned out into a rather thick feeling (laughs).

23. Infiltration II

"An arranged version of the melody used in the base infiltrations. Umegaki’s arrangement has a decadent feeling to its, it’s wonderful.

That asides… Staggroff, who was the boss of a secret base where the Resistance (members) were imprisoned in reappears in this stage as a frontline base’s boss, but… Going by his written text, he doesn’t feel like he’s smart enough to lead a frontline base… (laughs)... It’s a bad choice of staff? Or maybe Neo Arcadia actually puts a lot of trust on him??"

24. Neo Arcadia III

"Lord X appears in this stage and so only this song can fit (the stage). The theme of Area X-2, the new base of Copy X, who’s been revived by Vile. It’s within an orbital base linked to the top of an orbital elevator stretching from the surface. The skies that can be seen in the background along the way and the outer space seen from the boss room are the highlights of this stage."

25. Cold Smile

"The song I personally like the most. This facility is a Dark Elf mass production factory using a modified energy furnace.

In order to enter the deeper sections of the facility, you must reactivate the reactor cores and proceed on ahead… At the end of the road you find Baby Elves inside of capsules that glow in an odd manner and a hooded man who laughs in a loud manner… It’s the stage of (Cubit) Foxtar, which caused a lot of talk before release (laughs).

The illustrations and voice make you think they’re female but they’re actually set to be a male."

26. Trail on Powdery Snow

"Snowy fields are always stages with vehicles across the Rockman series. This lightness is the main point but it hides other things, too. Such as the slightly sad melody. It depicts how earnestly Rockman is rushing forward. I imagine him having a strong, unshakeable heart.

Nevertheless, those Panteon Base beat the hell outta me so many times… And I go on running across the snow fields (laughs). A light fusion similar to a T-square is the end result, and Kurihara’s cutting guitar gives a good feeling to the song."

27. Submerged Memory

"A library of over 100 years ago has been found in a submerged state. (Zero) heads there to investigate and gather data on Vile and Omega. It’s named a “library” but all of its contents are data media.

This facility, just like Omega’s spaceship, was buried into the darkness due to the fear of data about the Elf Wars leaking out of it. This is the place that Elpis investigated in the past, too. To know more about that, check out the drama tracks."

28. High-Speed Lift

"This place is a vein of Energen Crystals, and this huge elevator serves to carry tons of crystals processed underground to the surface.

This huge amount of crystals is needed because Omega, having absorbed the Dark Elf, requires a huge amount of energy so as to be able to control all Repliroids."

Artwork and Sketches from the music CD booklet.

DISC 2

1. Hell’s Gate Open

"This is the lifeline of Neo Arcadia, named Under Arcadia. What will the truth lying on ahead inflict to Zero? The door to Hell has been opened. There’s a hidden boss in this stage. It’s a character who’s very loved by the development staff and his revival was greatly desired (laughs)."

2. Scrapped Beat

"The 8 bosses of this game are the 8 Vile Judges. They originally worked in Neo Arcadia for the sake of the citizens, but Vile set his eyes on their specialized functions. 

Their setting is that they are 8 units that were modified and powered up for battle while having battle madness.

Kelverian and Mantisk were originally Repliroids involved with trials and executions, but it’d seem that other Repliroids like the manager of a geothermal plant (Flizzard), a disease prevention and water supply unit (Cactank) and others were scouted as well (laughs).

This song was made by old Tomozawa (Makoto) (very grateful for it). I will one day repay him mentally… That won’t do? I better not come close to Osaka until things cool down, then..."

3. Judgment Day

"This song is a rare case in which irregular metre is used. I always thought an irregular metre makes action games hard to play, and I take into mind to not to use it often yet I sometimes use it in boss battles to give them an impression…

Omega has turned huge, to the point it’s popping out of the screen in his 2nd phase. The right half of the body has Zero as motif while the left half has X as motif. That’s how it’s designed like."

4. Return to Zero

"Zero’s story began here. What is “Zero”? What is “Rockman”? Were we able to create “the area of Zero”? This place and song were needed to stage the “end” of the Zero Saga. 

Masaya (Main Graphics: Suzuki Masaya) also said “It would be great if we could put an end to everything that’s happened in these 3 games at the place where all began”. "

5. Apocalypse Now

"What appeared from within Omega was… The greatest climax of the Zero Saga. In the first game we already used the “Zero VS X” theme so this was the ace-in-the-hole, we had no other options left at hand. 

Omega, specialized in battle, is indeed like a Demon God."

6. Cannonball

"Zero 3 kept a dark image across it, but here we wanted to insert a song to cancel the frustration, and that was what I had in mind when making it.  

The remnants of Omega’s 2nd form are spread across the area. The machine where Zero was sealed at is in the center, and you can see “an X-like thing with a Z-Saber-like thing stabbed on it” as well as “a Zero-like thing with an X-Buster-like thing stabbed on it”; these things are a respect to the “X vs Zero” theme."

7. I, 0 Your Fellow

"The ending song. “0” can be read as “love”, too. “I love your allies” and “I am Zero, your fellow”; that’s the double naming of the song. 

I was thinking of adding a song like this to the Zero games. So that there’s not only “brutal” songs but also songs like these. I was told it sounded like it belonged to a “girl game” (laughs). "

8. Everlasting Red

"The “end” of the Zero Saga. That’s the feeling I poured into it. Zero’s story will go on. I can hear the voices waiting for Zero (laughs). We’ll work hard to avoid you getting bored. Rockman Zero Forever! … Or so it feels like (laughs). "

9. Labo - System-A-Ciel

"This game has mini-games as well. One of them is Ciel’s game, and the BGM is a pops arrange of (her) lab’s BGM. You’ll pass if you reach 10,000 points. Apparently, you can reach the top score but you’ll have to fight your own concentration. The trick apparently involves not using fast forward when balls appear, and don’t leave 2 of them onscreen. That kind of world is outside my reach…

By the way, here’s the “setting” of System Ciel.

System C.I.E.L = Convergent Ignition by Energen Linkage

It’s a system in which the very weak energy Cyber Elves emit when they are active is concentrated using Energen Crystals as a catalyst, and by releasing it from its critical state explosively, it can earn this (energy release). Cerveau named it."

Drama Tracks ZERO Chronicles History Compilation “The Return of the Blue Life”

"This CD contains several recordings of voice dramas of stories hard to express in-game or seen from different angles. The scenario used a basic prototype made during (the game production) as base; this was written on by the development staff during breaks in the game development. Some characters were born from the image of the stories."

10. Retrospect 1 - Elf War

"The gap between real world and Cyberspace. Cyber Elf X is losing his self, and what his dim soul dreams of is the promised his comrade made 100 years ago, and now he will tell the truth of that time. "

11. Record 1 - Clockwork Apple

"He didn’t have anything that could be called “a name”. Until he gets to know the existence of a power named “the Dark Elf” in some ruins, that is. What kind of future will the power of the huge history shown from a information terminal in the depths of the ruins grant him?"

12. Record 2 - Irregular Passion

"That wasn’t a future he wished for. It wasn’t a truth that he could accept. The hopes and illusions towards Neo Arcadia are replaced by hatred he can’t erase. "

13. Decision - Eight Gentle Judges

"Neo Arcadia’s 8 Judges. They have doubts about X’s decisions and their own actions but it’s all for the sake of the humans. For the sake of the ideals of Neo Arcadia. But they all felt some kind of anxiety. Something within Neo Arcadia was changing. "

14. Diary - Alouette’s Good Day

"There were Baby Elves that glowed in a mysterious color in our new base. A comedic track, a rare happening in the world of Zero. It’s not only about battles so I wanted to depict a one act of Repliroid and human lifestyle."

15. Will 1 - Vile Numbers

"Neo Arcadia turns busy as a result of Vile’s return. Harpuia couldn’t sit idle and watch how the Neo Arcadia X had entrusted into him and the one he believed it, break down in front of his eyes. "

16. Will 2 - Light and Shadow

" “He’s fighting for the sake of humans… and Repliroids, on’t you lend him your help?” --- “My darkness can only serve the light that thou, my lord, are…”"

17. Will 3 - Stand and Fight

"Fafnir and Leviathan, defeated by Omega, encounter X in Cyberspace. The road that both of them chose after X guides them is… Stand up! And fight! For the sake of the future!"

18. Will 4 - With Our Justice

"“Wind dispels the fog, flames show the road to follow. Water soaks the body, and shadow reflects one’s self… Therefore, the four heavens will become light of guidance for all of the heavens!” The counterattack of the Four Heavenly Kings begins."

19. Retrospect 2 - Dreams Never End 

"Cyberspace again. X falls into slumber. “Zero… I will live on with all of you…!”"

Sketches from the music CD booklet.

REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Telos Translation Project

• Notes on Tracks by Ippo Yamada
• Creator's Chat (Coming Soon)
• Special Interview & Artist's Profile (Coming Soon)