Heart of the Forest / Heart of the Forest / Heart of the Forest

"Since its release on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Secret of Mana has been enjoyed by millions.
The soundtrack has also held a special place in many RPG fans' hearts. Composed by Hiroki Kikuta, the score is full of life, wonder, and timeless melodies.
To commemorate the game's re-release on PlayStation 4, The Travelers VGM have arranged several of Kikuta's best compositions.
You will hear different musical forms such as jigs, polkas, and marches that are reminiscent of lands such as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as Spanish, Filipino, Indonesian, and Armenian music.
So come sit with us by the fire while we tell you a tale of hero and a legendary sword!"

Producers: Josh Barron, Masha Lepire, Ian Martyn
Mastering: John Montoya
Artwork: Matteo Marjoram


[M-01]
"Angel's Fear has always been one of my favorite tracks from Secret of Mana because it's such an iconic opening track but it still keeps a warm intimate feeling. I added my own melodic variations to the main theme to promote a spontaneous folk vibe to my arrangement."
- Masha Lepire - Arrangement
- Ian Martyn - Mandolin, Mixing
- Bethany Wanket - Fiddle
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Andrew Filipski - Acoustic Guitar

[M-02]
"I have always felt the melody to this one is so mysterious and alluring. I decided to arrange this so that the melody and feel echoed the original but also accentuate that feeling of curiosity. The ocarina gives this a nice airy tone as I wanted this to sound like the wind blowing the leaves. I found the end result very relaxing."
- Josh Barron - Arranger, Producer
- Ian Martyn - Mixing Engineer, Bass, Bodhrán
- David Ramos - Ocarina
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Andrew Steffen - Violin, Viola
- John Montoya - Mastering Engineer

[M-03]
"I have loved this theme from the original so much that I kept it in the original key. I also tried to give this a more open sound by giving the music more space and bounce. Once the bass kicks in, I wanted this to basically change the tone and color of the piece, giving it more depth and weight. Switching between light and full textures really brought out the vibrancy of Kikuta's composition. I'm hoping Mana fans will enjoy this arrangement."
- Josh Barron - Arranger, Producer
- Ian Martyn - Mixing Engineer, Bass
- David Ramos - Ocarina
- Joanne Moo - Harp
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- String Player Gamer - Guest Violin Solo
- Andrew Steffen - Violin, Viola
- Andrew Stern - Cello
- John Montoya - Mastering Engineer

[M-04]
"This arrangement was quite a challenge and experiment as I wanted to try and turn a song that isn't melodic and make it more melody driven. Although this is a departure from the source material, I feel this shows the original composition's charm."
- Josh Barron - Arranger, Producer
- Ian Martyn - Mixing Engineer, Bass, Mandolin
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- String Player Gamer - Guest Violin Solo
- Andrew Steffen - Violin
- John Montoya - Mastering Engineer

[M-05]
"I'm not sure what it is about Distant Thunder, but it's the one track that immediately pops into my head whenever anyone mentions Secret of Mana. Obviously that means I have to arrange it. So... Voila!"
- Yishan Mai - Arranger, Producer, Flute, Tambourine
- Andrew Steffen - Violin, Viola
- Andrew Stern - Cello
- Ian Martyn - Smallpipes, Irish Whistle
- David Erick Ramos - Djembe
- Joanne Moo - Harp

[M-06]
"I've always been fond of this playful track and thought it would work out well as a jig. I took inspiration from Máire Breatnach's playing from both her solo albums and Final Fantasy IV: Celtic Moon to make this arrangement. I paired it with The Kesh Jig because it's a cheerful, popular tune."
- Bethany Wanket - Fiddle
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Fabian Fabro - Bass
- Ian Martyn - Bodhrán, Arranger

[M-07]
"Mystic Invasion is one of those pieces from the Secret of Mana soundtrack that just makes you want to go out there, beat the bad guys, and win all of the stuff. It seemed to work well with polkas, so I paired it with the three Ballydesmond polkas, three tunes that almost never seem to be recorded together. I've heard Immigrant's Daughter play all three of them together, but they never recorded them together on an album. These are three of my favorite polkas, so pairing them with Mystic Invasion seemed to be appropriate."
- Joe Chen - Viola
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Ian Martyn - Concertina, Arranger
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Fabian Fabro - Bass

[M-08]
"This album I did more experimentation than I have ever done previously. I wanted to truly make this arrangement different by making it sound like a desert theme. I did some research on Armenian music and found some great examples on YouTube. Once I heard the duduk playing this Armenian folk song, I knew this would be how I would arrange Arid Sands."
- Josh Barron - Arranger, Producer
- Ian Martyn - Mixing Engineer
- John Robert Matz - Duduk
- Andrew Stern - Cello
- Andrew Steffen - Bass
- John Montoya - Mastering Engineer

[M-09]
"I wanted to write for a full Filipino Rondalla ensemble, wishing for a wondrous whimsical winter."
- Fabian Fabro - Bandurria, Laud, Octavina, Bass, Arrangement

[M-10]
"This arrangement was very difficult to do as I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with it for three months. I tried Tango, Spanish, and eventually landed with Celtic. When hearing you would think this would sound like Mumford and Sons in spots. I tried to make this arrangement very fun and exciting, but have attitude."
- Josh Barron - Arranger, Producer
- Ian Martyn - Mixing Engineer, Bass, Irish Whistle
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Bethany Wanket - Violin
- Andrew Steffen - Violin
- John Montoya - Mastering Engineer

[M-11]
"In this arrangement I wanted capture the same energetic feeling as the original but in a more folk/acoustic like way. I am really proud of this arrangement and thank you to all of the performers who were on it!"
- Andrew Filipski - Producer, Arranger, Guitar, Bass, Shakers, Claps
- Trey Hodge - Mixing Engineer
- Andrew Stern - Voice, Cello
- Ian Martyn - Voice
- Matheus Souza - Violins, Violin, Voices
- Yishan Mai - Flute

[M-12]
"With a combination of a chamber group of winds and strings, I wanted depict a calmer folk setting of this theme."
- Ian Martyn - Smallpipes
- Mai Yishan - Flute
- Bethany Wanket - Violin
- Joe Chen - Viola
- Andrew Stern - Cello
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Fabian Fabro - Mixing, Arranger

[M-13]
"This is another energetic piece. Although the flight mechanics in the game itself always frustrated me, I did like the idea of flying on a dragon rather than just another in a long line of airships. Not that I have anything against airships, of course."
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Joe Chen - Viola
- Ian Martyn - Irish Whistle, Arranger
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Fabian Fabro - Bass

[M-14]
"The Legend is one of my favorite pieces from the Secret of Mana Soundtrack. I love vocal tracks, so I decided to write some lyrics for it and pair it up with two marches. The first march, An Dùn Mìorbhaileach, is a tune that I wrote while taking a break from the game near the ending. The second is one of my favorite marches that I learned from the playing of guitarist Stephen Wake, who in turn learned it from harper Wendy Stewart. I recently had the chance to perform it live on concertina with piper Alan Wood."
- Julie Sakalys - Vocals
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Ian Martyn - Harp, Irish Whistle, Arranger, Lyrics, Composer
- Donald MacLeod - Original Composer of "PM Donald MacLean of Lewis" (heard at the end of the track)

[M-15]
"This piece brings a sense of urgency close to the end of the game. I love the syncopated rhythm from the original that I ended up writing into the bouzouki part. It makes you want to go, go, go!"
- Bethany Wanket - Fiddle
- Yishan Mai - Flute
- Trey Hodge - Guitar
- Ian Martyn - Bouzouki, Arranger
- Fabian Fabro - Bass

[M-16]
"To actually get to hear this piece with real voices makes it sound captivating, along with a harp accompaniment giving that pure feeling."
- Sirenstar - Soprano
- Joanne Moo - Harp
- Ian Martyn - Alto, Bass, Tenor
- Darby Cupit - Bass
- Fabian Fabro - Mixing, Arranger

[M-17]
"Thanks to the awesome playing of Fabian Fabro, I've been learning more about different Filipino musical traditions. One Filipino instrument, kulintang, bears a strong resemblance to (and probably common ancestry with) the Sundanese and Javanese tradition of Gong Renteng, a music form that flourishes both in Cirebon, West Java and Santa Barbara, California. Having recently played a lot of Gong Renteng music locally in Gamelan Sinar Surya, I thought it would be neat to incorporate Fabian's kulintang playing with some Sundanese instruments that I play, the suling and kecrek. I also included some guitar parts to add a drone effect under the playing and to give a nod to tarling klasik, a guitar tradition in Java. It's my hope that the instruments here will help evoke a similar feeling to that which originally inspired Hiroki Kikuta, Balinese gamelan gong kebyar and kecak."
- Ian Martyn - Guitar, Suling, Kecrek, Arranger
- Fabian Fabro - Kulintang

[M-18]
"It's often hard to do a suitable arrangement of sleepytime music because it's often so short. I mean, really, who wants to sit through a sleeping scene that lasts more than a couple of seconds? Certainly not I! The first part consists of a slow air style improvisation that I wrote."
- Ian Martyn - Low Whistle, Arranger, Composer
-