In November, Final Fantasy XV, the latest installment in a videogame franchise that has been praised for its expansive fantasy environments and immersive gameplay since the first title of the main series debuted in 1987, dropped. The dedicated fan base often cites the soundtracks as an essential part of what makes their favorite games a memorable experience-easily being able to associate places in the storyline with its distinct accompanying music. Most of the now iconic pieces that travel with the player throughout the past games were scored by Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu’s contributions to Final Fantasy has cemented his status as a legend in video games and perhaps the most well-known name in video game scoring. Final Fantasy XV will be the second installment in the main series that is absent an original Uematsu composition, a decision fit for a franchise with developers bent on reinventing the series. Final Fantasy XV is relying on industry veteran Yoko Shimomura along with some additional musical star-power to make the game’s score a noble addition to the Final Fantasy catalog.

Yoko Shimomura’s pieces for Final Fantasy XV will undoubtedly be under a microscope, but it would be hard to argue a more qualified candidate to entrust the latest Final Fantasy with. An industry staple since the late 80s, Shimomura packs credentials that include action-thriller Parasite Eve; JRPGs like Xenoblade Chronicals and Legend of Mana; and the Kingdom Hearts series that has been closely linked to Final Fantasy for over a decade. Shimomura herself has stated that as she composed the soundtrack over the last decade, the pieces needed to fit the themes of comradery and brotherhood that the four main characters maintain and develop over the course of the game.

Production may have taken 10 years, but Shimomura executed her mission with one of the most spectacular introductions in all of Final Fantasy. Following the game’s initial cut scene, the four heroes are caught in the blistering desert heat with a car that has run out of gas. It’s the kind of disaster that can only be remembered fondly if it was spent with friends. The comradery of the moment is set to Florence + The Machine’s cover of Ben King’s “Stand By Me,” a track that has been used countless times to accompany scenes of friendship. Florence Welch’s beautifully soft crooning humorously juxtaposes with the party’s growing frustrations and hurled insults between one another. There is a remarkable feeling of genuineness between characters-something video games often struggle to create. “Stand By Me” is brilliantly utilized in this moment for humor, but also to set the expectation that these are not four individuals thrown together by fate like in past Final Fantasies. Florence + The Machine’s “Stand By Me” is one of the series defining moments to come from Final Fantasy XV because it immediately creates the feeling that this is going to be a different adventure than in past installments-exactly what the developers had envisioned.