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Yoko Shimomura
| Overview | Biography | Discography | Game Projects | Interviews |
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Date of Birth: | October 19, 1967 (Hyogo) |
| Education: | Graduated from the University of Music of Osaka | |
| General Interests: | Socialising | |
| Instruments: | Piano | |
| Game Works: | Street Fighter II, Parasite Eve, Kingdom Hearts |
Employment History
| Company | Tenure | Role |
| Capcom | 1988 - 1993 | Composer |
| Square | 1993 - 2002 | Composer |
| Freelance | 2002 - | Composer |
Brief Profile
After specialising in piano performance at university, Shimomura made a surprise decision to become a Capcom composer in 1988. She contributed to major projects such as Street Fighter II, Final Fight, The King of Dragons, and Breath of Fire during her time at the company. Her stage themes for Street Fighter II have been arranged numerous times for official and fan projects alike and also formed the basis for Alph Lyla's performances at Japan's Game Music Festivals.
In 1994, Shimomura joined Square and produced popular scores to Live A Live, Front Mission, and Super Mario RPG. For the PlayStation, she produced one of the most experimental and atmospheric scores for a video game with Parasite Eve and a fantastical accompaniment to Legend of Mana. To popular recognition, Shimomura provided a warm accompaniment to the action RPG Kingdom Hearts in 2002, blending stage and battle themes for each world with Disney arrangements, exuberant orchestrations, and vocal themes.
Since becoming a freelancer in 2003, Shimomura has revisited her past franchises with the Mario & Luigi titles, Heroes of Mana, and further titles in the Kingdom Hearts series. She has also worked on collaborative projects, two animes, the vocal album murmur, and Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-. Her upcoming works include Little King's Story, Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and the eagerly anticipated Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
