Greetings, music-likers! I’ve returned once again as the month draws to a close with a harvest of soundtrack samples so you can find the video game music that will help you to press on. While most of the AAA titles are holding out for those coveted autumn release dates, August gave us another bevy of excellent albums from smaller games. Let’s listen to some!
Moss (Original Game Soundtrack) by Jason Graves
Though the game itself launched in the last days of February, it’s only been this month that the soundtrack to Moss has seen wide release. Oh my goodness, has it been worth the wait. Jason Graves, who you may know from his work on the much darker Tomb Raider and Dead Space games, crafts an orchestral score replete with airy woodwinds and emotive strings that brings the world of the tiny, rodent hero Quill to life. I’ve heard Moss spoken of as one of the few titles to really sell the VR experience, so if you’re one of the few who has invested in the tech but hasn’t yet tried it, you might want to check it out! In the meantime, have a listen to the wonderful soundtrack, which requires no greater immersive tech than your headphones.
Listen: Spotify – Bandcamp (also available on vinyl!) Buy: Amazon – iTunes
Russian Subway Dogs OST by Peter Chapman aka Coins.
The beginning of August hit us with the release of Russian Subway Dogs, an old-school arcade experience about being a canine trying to survive in today’s harsh economy by barking at public transit riders and stealing their food. Obviously, it’s a documentary. The soundtrack that accompanies this barking and stealing and hi-score-chasing is composed by Peter Chapman, AKA “Coins,” and it’s pure, crunchy chiptune, with a hint of strings and samples laid overtop to add a dash of spice. It drifts into electro and hip-hop territory, and reader, it is extremely my jam. If you’re looking for a bunch of short, peppy, electronic tracks to rock out to, this album provides in spades.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
EXAPUNKS OST by Matthew S Burns
For a certain kind of person, August saw the release of a highly addictive — perhaps even dangerously compulsive — new game. Exapunks is the latest puzzler from Zachtronics, the indie outfit responsible for Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum, all puzzle games that are less about solving puzzles and more about the ruthless pursuit of maximum efficiency. I have known people to lose entire nights’ sleep to these games, animated by a belief that a more elegant solution is just out of their reach. In any case, all of these games are scored by Matthew S Burns, whose confidently chill electronica is the perfect accompaniment. In fact, if you wanted to stay up all night feverishly working on something that wasn’t Exapunks, this album would still be a pretty good place to start.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
Longshot Homecoming (Original Soundtrack) by John Debney
I was both surprised and intrigued when last year’s Madden added a cinematic, narrative-driven campaign. Now, that campaign has a sequel, Longshot: Homecoming, the story mode of Madden NFL 19. I think more sports games should have story modes! I hope that Madden NFL 20 features a story mode based on the hit 2000 Keanu Reeves vehicle The Replacements. In any case, this year’s offering has a score composed by John Debney, who wrote the music for Disney’s recent, live-action Jungle Book, as well as the score to The Passion of the Christ. I wonder why EA tapped him to score a game about high school football? Honestly, it’s worth it just to listen to a few tracks if, like me, you’re curious about the kind of score a Madden story mode would have!
Listen: Spotify – Bandcamp Buy: Amazon – iTunes
I’ve never delved into the catalog of prolific German dev house Daedalic Entertainment, but its latest, State of Mind, has a cyberpunk-transhumanist vibe going which is very tantalizing. I haven’t heard much buzz about it — perhaps because it’s a niche adventure title from a European developer and perhaps because the game’s reach exceeds its grasp — but I absolutely dig the electronic score by artist GoZebraGo. There’s a little bit of Blade Runner synth, some ambient tracks, and a few lighter pieces that very much make me curious about the scenes they must accompany. Have a listen and see if they make you curious as well!
Listen: Spotify Buy: Amazon – iTunes
Death’s Gambit OST by Kyle Hnedak
I confess that the category of “2D games inspired by Dark Souls” is growing rather crowded of late, but if your appetite for such games knows no bounds then you might want to check out Death’s Gambit, a new offering from two-man team White Rabbit Studios. The game has some lovely art and bosses which evoke the best of the 2D Castlevanias. The score, by composer Kyle Hnedak, is an orchestral album which covers a wide range of mood and intensity, from quiet piano pieces to rousing, epic battle themes.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
In case your social media feeds haven’t already been alight with fervor and consternation, you should know that there’s a new World of Warcraft expansion this month: Battle for Azeroth is here to entice players who’ve been clean of WoW for months or years. From what I’ve been able to glean through the grapevine, this expansion has folks alternately galvanized about their preferred faction and befuddled at some choices made about characters and their motivations. In any case, Blizzard has been providing high-quality epic fantasy music for World of Warcraft since the game was released in the late Devonian Era, and this newest compilation by their veteran composers is no exception. What can I say? The company knows polish! Unfortunately, though they’ve made it available to stream, you’ll have to buy a special edition of the expansion to own the music outright.
Listen: Spotify – Apple Music
Guacamelee! 2 Original Soundtrack by Rom Di Prisco
August also gave us Guacamelee! 2, sequel to 2013’s luchador-flavored Metroidvania from Drinkbox Studios. It has a bit more competition than its predecessor did, owing to how we’re now drowning in a veritable sea of Metroidvanias, but Guacamelee! sold itself on style, charm, and a winning sense of humor, and evidently those are all back in spades for the sequel. I’m particularly enamored with the mariachi-inspired tracks in its score — composer Rom Di Prisco combines electronic beats, chiptune, and a healthy dose of guitar to create a unique sound. And half of the tracks are composed by Peter Chapman, who you may remember from the Russian Subway Dogs blurb several paragraphs ago! Quite a prolific month for that guy. This is a good album to listen to if you thought Pixar’s Coco needed to take some more cues from Streets of Rage.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
Lucah: Born of a Dream by Nicolo Telesca
I knew exactly nothing about LUCAH: Born of a Dream until the game popped up on my radar a week ago, but I was immediately enamored with its striking, lo-fi visual aesthetic — and then our own Jamie Geist gave it a solid recommendation in their review! The game’s soundtrack, by ambient electronica artist Nicolo Telesca, performs a bit of aural sleight-of-hand by starting off tracks simply in a way that mimics the high-contrast visuals before layering in a denser soundscape to give the world depth. Much like the game itself, it’s more subtle and complex than it initially appears.
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
After years of breathless anticipation, Donut County was unleashed upon the world at the end of the month. My constant social media usage has taught me that the only thing people crave more than watching things fall into sinkholes is surly raccoons ruining things, so Donut County is almost certain to find a wide, appreciative audience. The critical consensus (our own capsule review included) seems to be that the experience might be a little sleight and leave you wanting more (like a cheap donut), but that it’s just so dang charming that you’re unlikely to leave unhappy (like a truly excellent donut). The game’s music, by Daniel Koestner, is light, cheery, and chill, and I can’t recommend it enough. This is music that would keep you happy even if you were stuck at the bottom of a 999-foot hole.
Listen: Spotify Buy: Amazon – iTunes
I know sometimes it may seem like ReadySet is a thinly-veiled Yakuza fansite, but that’s only because the series is the pinnacle of the medium of video games and we’re all trying to make penance for sleeping on it for a decade now that the wool has fallen from our eyes. Now, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is out, and as soon as I finish drafting this roundup I’m going to go stick it in my PS4 and get back to the bright lights of Kamurocho. You know the drill: There’s not going to be an official release for the Kiwami 2 OST in the States. (Although I hear rumblings that Sega might localize Yakuza Ishin? I guess all my fan mail paid off!) So go peruse this YouTube playlist and savor the superb electronic rock that Sega’s sound team produced for us this time.
Listen: YouTube
The Messenger (Original Soundtrack) Disc II: The Future by Rainbowdragoneyes
In the very last days of the month, Sabotage Studio released its quirky hybrid game The Messenger, which looks at first glance like a clear Ninja Gaiden homage before revealing its clever conceit: It’s actually a Shinobi homage. Seriously, though, it begins as a pastiche of 8-bit ninja games and then transforms into a pastiche of 16-bit ninja games. If you were a child during the ‘90s, when you couldn’t turn around without bumping into some ninja or other, this game will probably scratch an itch you didn’t realize you had. The soundtrack, by electronica artist Rainbowdragoneyes, is split into 8-bit and 16-bit halves, and they both succeed at evoking the chippy music of the time while also being total bangers. Check out this album if, like me, you secretly think the Sega Genesis sound chip was totally rad.
Listen: Spotify (Part I) – (Part II) Bandcamp (Part I) – (Part II)
Music Box Classics: Chrono Trigger by Video Game Music Box
Now here’s an arrangement album conceit that I can really get behind: This month, Diwa de Leon (the “String Player Gamer”) released not one but seven Video Game Music Box albums, covering some of the true classics of VGM. As someone who has two little kids that need to be put down for naps on a regular basis, I’m elated to have the option to use these soporific melodies instead of something less awesome. (One day, my three-year-old is going to play Chrono Trigger, reach the Queendom of Zeal, and have his mind completely blown.)
Listen/Buy (Bandcamp): Castlevania – Chrono Trigger – Final Fantasy VII – Mario – Pokémon – The Legend of Zelda – Undertale
That’s it for this month! Check back at the end of September, by which time we’ll know more about the soundtracks to Dragon Quest, Spider-Man, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Valkyria Chronicles 4, and what’s sure to be an avalanche of indie titles. Look forward to it!
