Kingdom HeartsandStreet Fighter 2composer Yoko Shimomura will receive a Lifetime Achievement trophy during the D.I.C.E Awards this year. It will occur on February 15 at the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
“I myself am very surprised,” said Shimomura onTwitter(through a translation provided by the platform). “I’m very honored.” She also mentioned this is “possible thanks to [our] support.”
Who is Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura?
Yoko Shimomura is a game composer known for her decades of work in the industry. She’s behind the scores ofStreet Fighter 2,theKingdom Heartsseries,Super Mario RPG(with a re-orchestrated soundtrackfor the remake),Final Fantasy XV,and theParasite Evefranchise. Her vivid and illustrious music has now been recognized by her peers in the industry.
“Dearly Beloved,” the main menu theme fromKingdom Hearts,is arguably her most notable song. What impresses many is that each game has its own take on the original piano-led track. For example, there’s a swing version of the track in the rhythm gameMelody of Memory.
“I was playing the beginning of the game, set in the Destiny Islands, and I was struck by a lot of imagery about the sea,” said Yoko Shimomura toSquare Enix. “Dearly Beloved just came to my mind one day, while I was thinking about that – picturing the sea and the waves.”
Streamed through IGN, the D.I.C.E. Awards will be hosted by Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller and IGN’s Stella Chung. The finalists for Game of the Year includeAlan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cocoon, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,andThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
