Trying out a new format today with MIDI Spotlight starting on a PC98 title called Mime, published and developed by Studio Twinkle and composed by Hiroaki Sano. For a while now, VGMRips stalwart ValleyBell has graciously streamed music to our Discord channel featuring somewhat less common MIDI versions of the soundtracks on authentic hardware. We wanted to share his work more broadly with our audience and we hope you enjoy it. Due to timing it's Bryan solo today, but it's a lightweight radio program style show, light on commentary and heavy on music. If you like the format let us know!

Mime was composed by Hiraoki Sano, an MVP of adult-oriented video games and anime. He's composed some great soundtracks to Japanese PC games like Division Guardian: Twinkle Star, Mirage 2, and one of the earliest English translated adult themed games, Knights of Xentar (for you old school DOS afficionados)! He's typically associated with FM soundtracks, but like many composers of the mid-90s wrote a number of MIDI compatible soundtracks like this one.

Dedicated listeners may also remember Studio Twinkle's most famous game Grounseed. The music in it is so good you owe it to yourself to listen. Today's game Mime is a first person dungeon crawler released in September of 1995 for the PC-98. The story is a fairly straightforward tale of restoring the balance of the four elements, once guarded by four kingdoms. It features a handful of adult scenes, typical of Japanese PC games of the era.

More music by Hiroaki Sano, Studio Twinkle and many others is available at VGMRips. Thanks again ValleyBell for providing us with the stream.

Track List:

All music composed by Hiroaki Sano and logged by ValleyBell. Playback is using the SC-55 mkII MIDI Module

0:00:00 My Dream0:07:49 Medley0:09:54 Be Asleep0:11:06 Pendulum Clock0:12:42 Noah's Saloon0:14:43 Labyrinth of Calnaval (Carnival)0:18:13 Labyrinth of Fun0:20:00 Labyrinth of Tears0:23:24 Labyrinth of Nothing colors0:26:30 Labyrinth of Lost sheep0:31:03 Labyrinth of Phantom0:34:54 EAGLE WINDEED0:38:42 TEAR MARE0:41:55 HENZOE LANCASTER0:47:55 ELDELYCA CUTREY0:50:39 Shadow inhabitant0:52:38 Night Safe0:54:27 Black Rose0:57:04 dance to a tune0:59:51 Night Mare1:00:50 Tear Curse1:03:23 Doubtful eyes1:06:04 Kind Time1:08:34 Chirp a Hello!1:09:49 A friend you are!1:11:06 Crystals Whisper1:13:55 Time Fish1:17:28 a Fairy Tale1:19:26 Biased mind1:21:14 Holy Space1:26:47 Mother…1:30:08 Be Ruined The Wind1:31:47 Wish1:35:50 in the Darkness1:37:53 Nonentity1:39:49 Chain of fortune1:45:08 See You