Does anyone else feel like the music in Luna IV sounds… off?

I’m curious if anyone else has felt this, or if it’s just me being picky after too many years of listening to Genshin’s OST on loop.

With Luna IV being such a huge milestone, I went in expecting the music to be on par with previous “big moment” patches. But something about the new tracks feels oddly *less refined* to me.

A few specific things that stood out:

Dottore’s final battle theme

The first phase is great, but the 2nd phase (after Columbina returns). The very first downbeat of the second phase kind of threw me off. The timpani, woodwinds, and crash cymbal all have this really “MIDI sound module” quality, like they’re straight out of a stock orchestral library with minimal tweaking. The phrasing and dynamics sound like notes were just drawn into a piano roll with a mouse: very rigid, same-ish velocities, not much human variation in timing or expression.
Genshin tracks usually do a great job of disguising that “MIDI backbone” with expression, layering, and mixing, but here I really feel the seams.

Columbina’s trailer (Song to the Mirrored Moon)

Concept-wise, I love it. A full ballet performance with no dialogue, just music and movement, is super bold and stylistically perfect for her. Visually and choreographically, it’s gorgeous.

But listening closely to some of the piano part, I get that same “piano roll” feeling, especially at 2:50 mark: notes with very similar velocity and duration, almost mechanically even. Instead of sounding like a live pianist performing a nuanced piece, it feels like a very clean but somewhat lifeless MIDI sequence.

Past weekly boss themes and archon character demos felt like they had an insane level of attention to detail: richer instrumentation, deeper layering, and sophisticated melodic writing, almost bordering on Rachmaninoff‑tier piano complexity (yeah I'm referring to weekly boss Knave and Chess Game). This time, I find myself thinking, “Yeah, this is good,” instead of “Whoa, I need to replay that track right now.”

So I’m wondering:

* Does anyone else hear this “MIDI-ish” / piano-roll stiffness in those two tracks, or am I over-focusing on it because I’m used to Genshin’s very high bar?
* For those with music production / composition experience: do you notice any changes in orchestration, mixing, or performance/mocking techniques compared to earlier patches?
* Do you think this is a one-off / rushed situation for this patch, or does it feel like a gradual shift in attention? (Yeah the story writing and character building are greater than before)

I’m not trying to hate on the OST team — they’ve delivered some of my favorite game music ever, and overall Genshin’s soundtrack is still incredible. I’m just genuinely curious if others are picking up on the same “slight drop in refinement”.

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Commentaires

Olaf_Kling2026-01-21 14:21

All of the music in genshin sounds like a temu version of better soundtracks. So many of them sound familiar but off. I have been playing video games since the 1980's and every region has music that perks my ears, like I've heard this before. I know it from some other game.

thwurx102026-01-21 15:09

Can you recommend some games with great soundtracks?

Olaf_Kling2026-01-21 16:39

Nier Automata, Dragons Dogma dark arisen, any Zelda game. There are tons. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, the Final Fantasy Remake games. Lol I'd have to sit down and think about it but there are tons.

ZaFurinuSpremni2026-01-21 14:24

You're probably just imagining things. My only real complaint with the NK music is that I couldn't name a single NK OST besides the columbina lullaby

tj22862026-01-21 14:28

We need a way to see what OST is playing.

tyjz73_2026-01-21 14:32

That's more of a you thing... "Gladsome Ramble" (by the goat Yang Lee), "Dzwony na nieszpory", "The Swinging Motion of the Hulls", etc. Nod-Krai has some great pieces.

ejsks2026-01-21 14:35

Idk I really loved the music this patch ngl

frogggster2026-01-21 15:02

I was more confused as to why the music around the Knights of Favonius camp sounds French instead of German

Sea-Organization99562026-01-21 16:25

Are you talking about the drinkong song? That's 100% German

frogggster2026-01-21 16:45

no of course not.
I meant the instrumental song that plays in the camp. It doesn't sound like german accordion tune to me at all, it sounds french to me [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvlADUYq-PI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvlADUYq-PI)

Sea-Organization99562026-01-23 03:05

It's a bit calmer than typical Bavarian Oompah/Polka and I don't hear any horns, but that might be the inspiration.

RedAngel8162026-01-24 07:14

''New tracks'' and you quite literally only mentioned a boss theme and a trailer theme that doesn’t even play in-game (both of which are ultimately just arrangements of Nod-Krai's main theme). How about music from the new map? There’s plenty of new compositions there; loads of gorgeous ones (tell me that this isn’t amazing: https://youtu.be/ThA1VVtTo8g?si=6Jx_IIDMzwEHWkPr). In regard to the Columbina trailer theme, that specific piano soundfont can be heard in many of composer Yang Lee's pieces. It’s some kind of keyboard, so not an authentic piano, but he’s been using it ever since joining the team; nothing out of place at all if you’ve actually paid attention to his work (I assume you don’t know which composers have worked on what pieces). He’s the one playing and recording it live. And regarding the phase 2 AQ boss theme, that arrangement was most definitely at least partially handled by Lunan, the most EDM-esque member of the team. He helped as co-arranger on Arle's phase 2 theme, Absolutio Absoluta Absolutissime, which had that cruddy dubstep inclusion. He’s experimental. Very hit or miss. Not surprising. So, no, nothing is off about this patch's music. It’s in line with work in the past.