music/exemplars/buy/square_enix.json
{
"schema": "exemplar-purchase-routes/v1",
"cluster": "SQUARE_ENIX",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"researcher_note": "Routes ranked on the OPERATIVE AXIS: does this yield an audio FILE on disk at D:/audio/exemplars/. Streaming is never counted as a purchase. Every URL below was fetched and confirmed unless url_verified is false.",
"coverage": {
"corpus_tracks_matching_the_cluster": 46,
"tracks_routed_here": 44,
"tracks_handed_to_another_cluster": 2,
"handoff_detail": "EX_131 and EX_155 are Super Mario RPG - Square-developed but Nintendo-PUBLISHED, so they belong to the Nintendo cluster. See cross_cluster_handoff.",
"albums": 17,
"tracks_covered_by_a_class_A_route": 44,
"tracks_with_no_file_route": 0,
"count_method": "Verified by script against CORPUS.json: 46 tracks match the cluster franchises, 44 appear in albums[], 2 in cross_cluster_handoff[], zero uncovered, zero duplicated."
},
"route_class_legend": {
"A": "DRM-free digital purchase yielding a file (Steam soundtrack, iTunes purchase, publisher store)",
"B": "Physical CD (incl. Japanese import) - yields files after ripping",
"C": "Streaming only - NOT a purchase",
"D": "Not legitimately obtainable"
},
"TWO_ROUTES_ONLY_READ_THIS_FIRST": {
"route_1_steam": {
"hub": "https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/squareenixmusic/",
"hub_verified": true,
"what_i_saw": "Live SQUARE ENIX MUSIC publisher hub. Page states 148 soundtracks in catalogue. Enumerated 48 titles across New Releases + Best Sellers including every Final Fantasy and NieR album below with live prices.",
"why_it_matters": "Square Enix opened a first-party Steam soundtrack storefront. Steam soundtracks download as loose files into steamapps\\music\\<album>\\ and play outside Steam - they are effectively DRM-free once downloaded. This is the single best route in the cluster and it did not exist a few years ago.",
"format_honesty": "NONE of the Steam store pages state the audio format. FINAL FANTASY VIII OST lists 498 MB for 73 tracks - that is consistent with MP3 ~320 kbps, NOT FLAC. Treat Steam as lossy-but-clean. If the rig needs lossless, use the CD route in substitute_if_unobtainable.",
"live_promo": "A 10% SQUARE ENIX MUSIC promotion was running on 2026-08-05, ending Aug 11. Prices below are the promo prices with list price alongside. Buying before Aug 11 saves roughly 10% across the whole Steam half of this cluster."
},
"route_2_itunes": {
"what_i_saw": "Every Apple album page below was fetched individually and displays the string 'Also available in the iTunes Store', which is Apple's marker that the album is purchasable outright, not merely streamable.",
"format": "iTunes Store purchases are 256 kbps AAC (.m4a) and have been DRM-free since 2009. Lossy but a real file on disk.",
"price_honesty": "Apple Music web pages do NOT render the iTunes purchase price. Prices are marked unverified below. Square Enix catalogue albums typically land $9.99-$19.99. Open the album in the iTunes/Apple Music desktop app to see the actual price before buying.",
"why_it_matters": "This is the ONLY class-A route for Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Secret of Mana, Kingdom Hearts, and the original SNES-era FF IV/V/VI. None of those are on Steam."
}
},
"THE_VERSION_TRAP": {
"summary": "The biggest analytic risk in this cluster is NOT price or availability - it is buying a RE-RECORDING when the corpus row means the original master. A re-recording changes instrumentation, lane count, stereo field, and dynamic range, which are exactly the quantities the measurement rig measures. Buying the wrong version silently corrupts the formula card.",
"cases": [
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY IV / V / VI",
"trap": "Steam sells only the PIXEL REMASTER soundtracks - full modern re-recordings, not the 1991/1992/1994 SNES masters. EX_032 Terra's Theme, EX_075 Dancing Mad, EX_161 Aria di Mezzo Carattere, EX_179 Ending Theme, EX_051 Battle on the Big Bridge and EX_087 Theme of Love are all SNES-grammar rows.",
"resolution": "Routed to iTunes, which carries the genuine 1991/1992/1994 originals (labels read (P) 1991 / 1992 / 1994 SQUARE ENIX MUSIC). Verified."
},
{
"album": "Kingdom Hearts",
"trap": "The only purchasable digital KH albums are the HD 1.5 / HD 2.5 ReMIX soundtracks (2023, Walt Disney Records) - these are the HD-collection RE-RECORDINGS, not the PS2 2002/2005 masters.",
"resolution": "Accepted as the class-A route because no PS2-master digital route exists. If the rig needs the PS2 grammar, buy the out-of-print original CDs (see substitute field). Flagged, not hidden."
},
{
"album": "Secret of Mana",
"trap": "The Apple album carries a (P) 2018 SQUARE ENIX MUSIC label and 53 tracks. The 1993 SNES original has 44. This is very likely the 2018 remake soundtrack package, not the pure SNES chip master.",
"resolution": "HIGHEST version risk in the cluster. Verify the track versions in the iTunes preview before buying, or go straight to the CD route. EX_117 and EX_152 are SNES-grammar rows."
},
{
"album": "Chrono Trigger",
"trap": "The purchasable Apple album is the DS Version (78 tracks, 2009), not the 1995 SNES 3-CD original.",
"resolution": "Low risk - the DS OST carries the original SNES recordings for the main cues plus DS additions. Acceptable for all seven Chrono Trigger corpus rows. Noted rather than treated as clean."
}
]
},
"albums": [
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY VII Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_002",
"EX_003",
"EX_060"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/4270250/FINAL_FANTASY_VII_Original_Soundtrack/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 85 tracks, released 2026-01-30, publisher Square Enix. Confirmed standalone purchase, no base game required. Description names 'Those Who Fight' and 'One-Winged Angel' explicitly.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack; format not stated on store page, disk-space profile implies MP3",
"drm_free": true,
"drm_note": "Files land in steamapps\\music\\ and play outside Steam.",
"price_usd": 22.49,
"price_list_usd": 24.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "The 1997 PSX original, all 85 tracks. Covers all three FF VII corpus rows. Only released on Steam in Jan 2026 - this route is brand new. Promo ends Aug 11.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Not needed. CD: FINAL FANTASY VII Original Soundtrack Revival Disc (Blu-ray audio) via CDJapan for a lossless master."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY VIII Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_050",
"EX_172"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3365700/FINAL_FANTASY_VIII_Original_Soundtrack/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 73 tracks. Storage requirement 498 MB. Carries the standard Steam line 'This is additional content for FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED, but does not include the base game.'",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack; 498 MB / 73 tracks implies MP3 ~320 kbps",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 22.49,
"price_list_usd": 24.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Covers EX_050 The Man with the Machine Gun and EX_172 Liberi Fatali. This is the 498 MB figure the whole Steam format read is based on.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes: FINAL FANTASY VIII Original Soundtrack. CD import via CDJapan."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY IX Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_137",
"EX_165"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3365710/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "App id 3365710 read off Steam's own search results page (title 'FINAL FANTASY IX Original Soundtrack', $21.59). Bare app-id URL form used - Steam resolves it without the slug. Not individually fetched.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 21.59,
"price_list_usd": 23.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "BUY THIS ONE, NOT the cheaper 'FINAL FANTASY IX Original Soundtrack PLUS' ($8.09). PLUS is a bonus/supplement disc. EX_137 Vamo' Alla Flamenco and EX_165 Rose of May are on the MAIN soundtrack. The price gap is a trap.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes: FINAL FANTASY IX (Original Soundtrack)."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY X Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_077",
"EX_106"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3372120/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "App id 3372120 read off Steam's own search results page ('FINAL FANTASY X Original Soundtrack', $21.59) and corroborated on the publisher hub. Bare app-id URL form. Not individually fetched.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 21.59,
"price_list_usd": 23.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Covers EX_077 To Zanarkand and EX_106 Suteki Da Ne. Two different corpus classes (MELANCHOLIC and CREDITS_TRIUMPH) off one album.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes: FINAL FANTASY X Original Soundtrack."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY XV Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_071",
"EX_078"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3372340/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "App id 3372340 read off Steam's own search results page ('FINAL FANTASY XV Original Soundtrack', $26.95) and corroborated on the publisher hub. Bare app-id URL form. Not individually fetched.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 26.95,
"price_list_usd": 29.95,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Yoko Shimomura. Covers EX_071 Apocalypsis Noctis (BOSS) and EX_078 Somnus (MELANCHOLIC). FLAG: if Josh owns FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION on Steam he should check his library first - SE has bundled music content with that SKU historically.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes: FINAL FANTASY XV (Original Soundtrack), album id 1184243617."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY TACTICS Complete Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_149"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3681880/FINAL_FANTASY_TACTICS_Complete_Soundtrack/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 102 tracks (71 from the 2006 OST + 31 previously unreleased), released 2025-09-30. CONFIRMED: track 9 on the listing is 'Trisection', 2:37 - the exact corpus row.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 20.68,
"price_list_usd": 22.98,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Sakimoto/Iwata. Listed as DLC for FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles; the page carries the standard 'does not include the base game' line. Steam standalone soundtracks normally purchase without the base game, but confirm at checkout. A Deluxe Edition + Soundtrack bundle also exists at store.steampowered.com/bundle/58597/ if Josh wants the game too.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes: FINAL FANTASY TACTICS Complete Soundtrack (released to iTunes and Steam simultaneously in 2025)."
},
{
"album": "NieR:Automata Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_034",
"EX_074",
"EX_083"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3514130/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "App id 3514130 read off Steam's own search results page ('NieR:Automata Original Soundtrack', $17.09, released 2025-03-13) and corroborated on the publisher hub at the same price. Bare app-id URL form. Not individually fetched.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 17.09,
"price_list_usd": 18.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Keiichi Okabe / MONACA. Three-disc set. Covers EX_034 City Ruins, EX_074 Grandma (Destruction), EX_083 Weight of the World - three corpus rows, three different classes, one $17 album. Best value in the cluster. EXCLUSION CHECK: 'Amusement Park' is on this album but is a Josh-excluded row - do not card it. A separate CD exists at store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/product/443763/ if a physical copy is wanted.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes / CD via Square Enix Store NA."
},
{
"album": "NieR Gestalt & Replicant Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_080"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Steam (SQUARE ENIX MUSIC)",
"url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/3514190/",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "App id 3514190 read off Steam's own search results page ('NieR Gestalt & Replicant Original Soundtrack', $17.09, released 2025-03-13) and corroborated on the publisher hub. Bare app-id URL form. Not individually fetched.",
"format": "Downloadable Steam soundtrack",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 17.09,
"price_list_usd": 18.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "This is the correct album for EX_080 Ashes of Dreams - it is the 2010 Gestalt/Replicant OST, matching the corpus 'g' field exactly. Do NOT buy 'NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... Original Soundtrack' ($16.19, app 3514150) by mistake - that is the 2021 remake album with different recordings.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "iTunes: NieR Gestalt & Replicant Original Soundtrack."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY IV (Original Soundtrack) - 1991 original",
"publisher": "Square Enix Music",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_087"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/final-fantasy-iv-original/61052896",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'FINAL FANTASY IV (Original Soundtrack)', Nobuo Uematsu, 44 songs, 58 min, released 1991-06-14, label (P) 1991 SQUARE ENIX MUSIC. Page displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Apple Music web does not render the iTunes purchase price. Open in the Apple Music/iTunes desktop app to see it. Expect roughly $9.99.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "THE GENUINE 1991 SNES MASTER - the (P) 1991 label is the proof. This is the correct route for EX_087 Theme of Love, not the Steam FF IV PIXEL REMASTER OST ($17.09) which is a modern re-recording.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: FINAL FANTASY IV Original Sound Version via CDJapan import. Last resort only: Steam FF IV PIXEL REMASTER OST, but card it as a re-recording."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY V (Original Soundtrack) - 1992 original",
"publisher": "Square Enix Music",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_051"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/62441166",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'FINAL FANTASY V (Original Soundtrack)', Nobuo Uematsu, 56 songs, 2 hr 6 min, two discs, released 1992-12-07, label (P) 1992 SQUARE ENIX MUSIC. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "THE GENUINE 1992 SNES MASTER. Correct route for EX_051 Battle on the Big Bridge. Steam only carries the FF V PIXEL REMASTER re-recording ($17.09) - avoid for this row.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD import via CDJapan. Last resort: Steam FF V PIXEL REMASTER OST, carded as a re-recording."
},
{
"album": "FINAL FANTASY VI (Original Soundtrack) - 1994 original",
"publisher": "Square Enix Music",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_032",
"EX_075",
"EX_161",
"EX_179"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/final-fantasy-vi-original-soundtrack/62447175",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'FINAL FANTASY VI (Original Soundtrack)', Nobuo Uematsu, 61 songs, 3 hr 7 min, released 1994, label (P) 1994 SQUARE ENIX MUSIC. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable. Apple's web player did not render the per-disc track list, so the four individual corpus titles were not eyeball-confirmed - but a 61-track complete FF VI OST necessarily contains them.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "THE GENUINE 1994 SNES MASTER, and the highest-yield iTunes buy in the cluster - four corpus rows (EX_032 Terra's Theme, EX_075 Dancing Mad, EX_161 Aria di Mezzo Carattere, EX_179 Ending Theme) across three classes. There is NO standalone original-FF-VI soundtrack on Steam; Steam has only the PIXEL REMASTER. This route is the whole reason the version trap section exists.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: FINAL FANTASY VI Original Sound Version (NTT Publishing 1994 / SE 2004 reissue) via CDJapan or Amazon marketplace - out of print, collector-priced. Last resort: Steam FF VI PIXEL REMASTER OST app 3365640 ($16.17), carded as a re-recording."
},
{
"album": "Chrono Trigger (Original Soundtrack) [DS Version]",
"publisher": "Square Enix Music",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_006",
"EX_007",
"EX_022",
"EX_033",
"EX_102",
"EX_113",
"EX_162"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/chrono-trigger-original-soundtrack-ds-version/324080907",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'Chrono Trigger (Original Soundtrack) [DS Version]', Yasunori Mitsuda, 78 songs, three discs, 2009. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable. Apple's web player did not render individual track titles, so the seven corpus titles were not eyeball-confirmed on-page; a 78-track complete Chrono Trigger OST contains all of them.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "THE SINGLE HIGHEST-YIELD PURCHASE IN THE CLUSTER - seven corpus rows off one album (EX_006 Main Theme, EX_007 Frog's Theme, EX_022 Wind Scene, EX_033 Corridors of Time, EX_102 Magus Castle, EX_113 To Good Friends, EX_162 Schala's Theme) spanning four classes. There is NO Chrono Trigger soundtrack on Steam - the Steam CHRONO TRIGGER listing (app 613830, $7.49) is the GAME, and its audio is packed in game files, not usable by the rig. Version note: DS Version, not the 1995 3-CD original, but it carries the original SNES recordings for the main cues.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version (1995) or the Original Soundtrack Revival Disc (Blu-ray audio, lossless) via CDJapan/Amazon. Also: CHRONO TRIGGER Original Soundtrack Vinyl LP Box at na.store.square-enix-games.com/chrono-trigger-original-soundtrack-vinyl-lp-box - $174.99, 4 LPs, and it INCLUDES MP3 download codes for all 64 tracks, so it does yield files. Expensive for the purpose."
},
{
"album": "Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack",
"publisher": "Square Enix Music",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_114"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/1478581544",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack', Yasunori Mitsuda, 67 songs, three discs, released 2019-09-04 (digital reissue of the 1999 album). Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable. Track titles not rendered by Apple's web player.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "EX_114 Scars of Time is the album's opening cue, catalogued on Japanese releases as 'Time's Scar' / 'Chrono Cross ~ Scars of Time' - same track, expect the alternate title in the file name. Not on Steam; the Steam CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION (app 1133760, $7.99) is the GAME with in-engine audio, not extractable files.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack SQEX-10047~49, 3 CD, via CDJapan import."
},
{
"album": "Xenogears (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_156",
"EX_181"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/xenogears-original-soundtrack/296408171",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'Xenogears (Original Soundtrack)', Yasunori Mitsuda, 44 songs across 2 discs, 2 hr 25 min, released 1998-03-01, label (P) 1998 SQUARE ENIX. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "The genuine 1998 two-CD original. Covers EX_156 Grahf, Conqueror of Darkness (BOSS) and EX_181 Small Two of Pieces ~ Stars of Tears (CREDITS_TRIUMPH, the Joanne Hogg vocal). No Steam route exists for Xenogears.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: Xenogears Original Soundtrack via CDJapan import. Do NOT substitute 'Myth: The Xenogears Orchestral Album' (2011) - that is an arranged re-recording and would corrupt the card."
},
{
"album": "Secret of Mana (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Square Enix Music",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_117",
"EX_152"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/1345280355",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched. Live page. 'Secret of Mana (Original Soundtrack)', Hiroki Kikuta, 53 songs, 3 hr 15 min, label (P) 2018 SQUARE ENIX MUSIC. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable. Search snippet confirms 'Fear of the Heavens' is on the album. 'Meridian Dance' not eyeball-confirmed.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "VERSION WARNING - READ BEFORE BUYING. The (P) 2018 label and 53-track count do not match the 1993 SNES original (44 tracks). This is very likely the 2018 remake package. EX_117 Fear of the Heavens and EX_152 Meridian Dance are SNES-grammar rows - Kikuta's chip writing is the whole point of their presence in the corpus. Audition the iTunes 30-second previews first: if the cues sound orchestral/live rather than SNES-synth, buy the CD instead. This is the one album in the cluster I would not buy blind.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: Secret of Mana Original Soundtrack SQEX-10635~7 (3 CD) via CDJapan, or the 1993 'Seiken Densetsu 2 Original Sound Version' via CDJapan/Amazon marketplace for the true SNES master."
},
{
"album": "KINGDOM HEARTS (HD 1.5 ReMIX) [Original Soundtrack]",
"publisher": "Walt Disney Records / Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_001",
"EX_026",
"EX_070",
"EX_089",
"EX_107",
"EX_068"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/1670071081",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched on the US store. Live page. 'KINGDOM HEARTS (HD 1.5 ReMIX) [Original Soundtrack]', 84 songs, released 2023-02-08, label Walt Disney Records. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Six corpus rows off one album - second-highest yield in the cluster. Covers EX_001 Dearly Beloved, EX_026 Traverse Town, EX_070 Destati, EX_089 Fragments of Sorrow, EX_107 Hikari/Simple and Clean (Utada Hikaru), and EX_068 Vector to the Heavens (the 358/2 Days music is included in this set - the matching CD product description confirms the set spans KINGDOM HEARTS, Re:Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days). Version note: these are the 2023 HD-collection re-recordings, not the PS2 2002 masters. No PS2-master digital route exists. There is NO Kingdom Hearts soundtrack on Steam - searched and confirmed zero results.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD, VERIFIED IN STOCK: KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5 ReMIX- Original Soundtrack, 3-CD, $30.99, official Square Enix Store NA at https://na.store.square-enix-games.com/kingdom-hearts--hd-1_5-remix--original-soundtrack - track list on that page confirms Dearly Beloved (D1 T1), Traverse Town (D1 T16), Destati (D3 T6). For the PS2 masters: Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete (2007 box) via CDJapan/marketplace - out of print, collector-priced."
},
{
"album": "KINGDOM HEARTS - HD 2.5 ReMIX - (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Walt Disney Records / Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_009",
"EX_067",
"EX_108",
"EX_069"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (via Apple Music US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/1669111674",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "Fetched on the US store. Live page. 'KINGDOM HEARTS - HD 2.5 ReMIX - (Original Soundtrack)', 103 songs, 4 hr 22 min, released 2023-02-08, label Walt Disney Records. Displays 'Also available in the iTunes Store' = purchasable. Search corroborated that 'Roxas' (2:26) and 'The Other Promise' (4:36) are on this album.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"price_note": "Not rendered on Apple Music web. Check the desktop app.",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Four corpus rows. EX_009 Roxas's Theme and EX_067 The Other Promise both CONFIRMED present. EX_108 Passion/Sanctuary (Utada Hikaru, the KH II theme) expected on this set. EX_069 Dark Impetus is the Birth by Sleep Final Mix secret-boss theme - HD 2.5 ReMIX bundles KH II Final Mix, Re:coded and Birth by Sleep Final Mix, so it should be here, but I did NOT confirm that specific title on-page. Check the track list at checkout; if Dark Impetus is absent, it is on the Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days OST (CD, ~$30.99, Square Enix Store NA).",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CD: KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 2.5 ReMIX- Original Soundtrack, ~$42.99 at Square Enix Store NA. For Dark Impetus specifically: KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days Original Soundtrack, ~$30.99, same store."
}
],
"cross_cluster_handoff": [
{
"album": "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Original Soundtrack",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_131",
"EX_155"
],
"why_flagged": "Composed by Yoko Shimomura and DEVELOPED by Square, so it reads as a Square title - but it was PUBLISHED by Nintendo, so its purchase route belongs to the Nintendo cluster, not this one. Raising it explicitly so it does not fall through the gap between two researchers' scopes.",
"action": "Nintendo-cluster researcher owns EX_131 Beware the Forest's Mushrooms and EX_155 Fight Against an Armed Boss. Confirm someone has it."
}
],
"gap_sweep": {
"note": "Josh's law - the ask is the floor. Swept the whole cluster rather than only the named franchises.",
"franchises_named_in_brief_with_zero_corpus_tracks": [
"Final Fantasy XIV - the only XIV row (Answers) is on the BINDING excluded list. No purchase needed. Do not re-add.",
"Vagrant Story - no corpus tracks",
"Parasite Eve - no corpus tracks",
"Brave Fencer Musashi - no corpus tracks"
],
"exclusion_law_compliance": "Verified against CORPUS.json excluded[]. Two excluded tracks fall inside albums recommended here: 'Amusement Park' on the NieR:Automata OST, and 'Answers' (FF XIV, not in any album routed here). Buying the NieR album is unavoidable and correct - it carries three retained rows - but the rig must NOT card Amusement Park. Flagged on that album's row.",
"structural_finding": "Square Enix opened a first-party Steam soundtrack storefront (148 albums) and pushed the classic catalogue to iTunes as purchasable. As of 2026-08-05 EVERY track in this cluster has a class-A file-yielding route. Five years ago most of these were Japanese-import CDs only. There is no class-B-only, class-C-only, or class-D album in this cluster.",
"cheapest_complete_path_usd": {
"steam_subtotal": 189.98,
"steam_subtotal_note": "8 albums at the promo prices above (22.49+22.49+21.59+21.59+26.95+20.68+17.09+17.09). Promo ends 2026-08-11 - buying after costs about $21 more.",
"itunes_subtotal": "9 albums, prices not rendered on web; budget $90-$180",
"total_estimate": "roughly $280-$370 for all 47 tracks, all as files on disk"
},
"recommended_buy_order": [
"1. Chrono Trigger DS OST (iTunes) - 7 tracks, one album, no Steam alternative exists",
"2. KH HD 1.5 ReMIX OST (iTunes) - 6 tracks",
"3. FF VI 1994 original (iTunes) - 4 tracks, and it dodges the Pixel Remaster trap",
"4. KH HD 2.5 ReMIX OST (iTunes) - 4 tracks",
"5. NieR:Automata OST (Steam, $17.09) - 3 tracks, cheapest per track",
"6. FF VII OST (Steam, $22.49) - 3 tracks",
"7. Everything else - and do the Steam half before Aug 11 for the 10%"
]
}
}