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Other Game Music

Tony Grayson's Antonblast soundtrack has finally seen OST release, and I have subsequently made time to experience it. As anticipated, the tracks therein are of fair quality, favoring beat without skimping on melody and occasionally exhibiting some especially exciting compositions. I appreciated the range of sound and the high standard of production; I could tell a lot of effort went into these arrangements, and it's paid off well.

For better or worse, I couldn't help but compare to Pizza Tower. I feel a bit guilty for making this comparison, but the relation is undeniable. Similar style is applied in both, but where Antonblast comes across as [ironically] more professional in sound, I'm inclined to think it's thematic predecessor did it better, leaning into the chaos rather than attempting to organize it. Nonetheless, I hold that the latter's turnout is still worth the listen on its own merits, and some may even enjoy it more.




 
Octopath Traveler 0 was just announced, and being I'm never too far from my favorite soundtracks it seemed fitting for me to do a quick homage to the existent entries thus far. I could easily do another feature for any one of the three previously released games, but to better suit the occasion I've kept it more comparable to a Fracture Feature. I've held off a bit returning to my favorites too often in favor of unexplored OSTs, but y'all may be sure my favor remains consistent. Yasunori Nishiki's skill has retained my appreciation in each new exercise thereof, and I continue to have high hopes (even if part of me still fears over-extension and eventual stagnation, as with other long-lived franchises).


 
I'm back, and appreciating the reinstatement of default green theming on the site (for however long it lasts).

Occasionally, I've intentionally avoided engaging with specific soundtracks which are part of a larger franchise in cases when I am lacking familiarity with the history. My thought process is that I can't necessarily tell if such a soundtrack is particularly innovative or otherwise unique without awareness of relevant history; for all I know, a given franchise has always maintained such a style/level of quality in its music. This is partially why I've focused so many of my series features on long established franchises, in hopes of familiarizing myself with more of them and thereby being more able to appreciate future installments. For example, I've been able to establish to myself an awareness of consistency in series such as Monster Hunter and Pokemon, and better appreciate the progression of their musical innovations overtime with that contextualized perspective. On the other hand, I've come to respect the continual distinctiveness between entries of the Super Mario franchise; while certain stylistic trends are inevitable (especially within spin-off sub-franchises), I perceive an intentional effort is being made on a regular basis to distinguish the sound of a given project from its predecessors.

Case in point, Super Mario Odyssey. With the thematic premise of diversity in biomes, a pretense was set for a wide variety of styles to exist within this soundtrack, which pretense was fully delivered on. Each main area theme features distinct instrumentation reminiscent of its associated aesthetic, relying on progression style to retain cohesiveness throughout. The motifs are strong, and the composition team makes full use thereof with plenty of variant tracks and leitmotif integration. Said team is a bit too large to credit in full, but stand-outs include Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fujii, and the legendary Koji Kondo, continuing here to reaffirm his legacy in VGM. I'm inclined to favor this soundtrack as among the franchise's best, based upon its overall arrangement quality, even if I might still prefer the early productions for their efficiency.






 
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Seemed fitting to finally cover Sonic Unleashed, also known as Sonic World Adventure, as a followup to Mario Odyssey; while the two were not in any way associated with each other at their respective releases, there is nonetheless a thematic parallel of globetrotting, which is somewhat reflected in their soundtracks. In both, each area is meant to feel like a unique part of the world; to enhance this, the music is often composed in styles reminiscent of cultural genres, if not fully adherent to their inspirations. This approach results in an unusually wide range of instrumentation, while a stylistic consistency supposedly keeps the collection grounded. However, this holds less true for this week's soundtrack, likely in consequence of the larger composition team; more than six names are credited, and I cannot discern which provided overhead direction for the project. Tomoya Ohtani seems the most likely, but significant contributions were also made by Takahito Eguchi, Fumie Kumatani, Hideaki Kobayashi, & Kenichi Tokoi.

I found selecting tracks rather difficult. For once, "day" and "night" variations for associated areas were consistently distinct from each other, leading me to consider them unique pieces rather than a specialized gimmick to showcase; I ended up balancing between the two categories. A less obvious qualifier is what I'm guessing to be the difference between free-roam areas and levels; certain tracks have a definite intensity to them that others don't, irrespective of other attributes. Cutscene tracks ranged from cinematically composed to extremely specific, but there's enough of the former for me to consider it worth fitting in. As usual, I can only hope the overall worth of the soundtrack is fairly exhibited hereby.








 
Starting this month out by making good on the Hiveswap: Act 2 feature I promised a couple years back. But first, I'd like to elaborate on my encounter with this soundtrack, mostly for my own sake.

2017 was when I initially developed my investment with VGM, specifically motivated by my discovery of the Undertale OST. As I started seeking out similar musical experiences, Hiveswap: Act 1 came out with Toby Fox in its composition team, attracting my attention thereto. Had I had any prior awareness of Homestuck, I probably wouldn't have risked it; blissfully unaware as I was at the time, though, I thoroughly enjoyed what I found. James Roach seemed to be more primarily responsible for the music direction, but it was also a truer form of soundtrack collaboration where both musicians worked together on specific tracks. Given the additional concept arrangements included in the album, and with how large the soundtrack was in proportion to the game's length, I inferred a sense of passion in the project which served to elevate it in my mind. Even with increased experience in VGM, I still consider it a soundtrack worthy of special recognition. With that in mind, I looked forward to Act 2; in the interim, I learned more about the project and its origins, and as such wasn't surprised at the extended development period (nor particularly interested in checking out the spin-off title).

Whatever the level of Roach's responsibility in the first entry, I'm certain he was the driving force here, and his style is what characterizing the soundtrack as a whole. Fox's involvement is primarily that of complimentary composition and rearrangement, with Clark Powell providing additional tracks. The same range and unique instrumentation that intrigued me in the first game's music is present, though to a lesser extent than before. One motif in particular serves as the foundation for several variants, which were reportedly traded off between the composers. I chose its first and second forms in hopes of showcasing the distinction between artists, while the two remaining tracks should demonstrate the soundtrack's range.




Roach has recently left the developement team, so it remains to be seen if future installments will be of interest to me; only time will tell.
 
I've tried to back off on doing refeatures too often, both because I perceive it as a crutch and because their decreased frequency makes them more viable options for periods of restricted availability (e.g. the holiday season). But I believe there's still a time and place for them, especially in the case of noteworthy milestones, as is the case today. This upcoming Monday, the 15th of September, is the tenth anniversary of Toby Fox's Undertale, arguably one of the most impactful projects in the industry; and beyond that, one of the most important soundtracks in my experience.

I was a year or two late to Undertale, and initially encountered it through "let's plays" and memes. It served as my technical introduction to internet culture, and more importantly invigorated my interest in VGM as its own metagenre of music. While I'd had experience with video game BGM previously, nothing I'd heard exhibited such scale of quality. My understanding of what music could be was challenged, and this expansion of expectation began what has become my favorite hobby. I may have eventually discovered this passion by some other avenue, but I'm somewhat thankful it was through Undertale; even after all this time, I've yet to encounter a soundtrack quite like it in its many eccentricities and accomplishments (at least as such a cohesive collective), and these unique attributes served to set the standard for my future explorations.

My previous features for this soundtrack were not focused on showcasing its merits; the first merely "ticked the box" as it were, while the second was a more experimental explortion that I look back on with a bit of embarrasment. I can only hope that this celebratory post serves as a more proper homage to what I continue to perceive as one of the greatest soundtracks of all time.







. . . and if not, mayhaps something else will?
 
Today is Undertale's tenth anniversary, and in preparation for it I have endeavored to compile a project comparable to that which has engaged me over on Musical Discoveries for the past few years: A uniquely sourced remix for every individual track of the OST. I anticipated this to be a less than straightforward process, based upon certain eccentricities in the soundtrack's compilation; BGM that would not normally be considered worth inclusion was nonetheless incorporated, either as satire or mere comedic intent on Fox's part. Nonetheless, I had already verified the feasibility of my intent in the face of these potential challenges, and I was sure that the effort would be rewarding regardless of its success.

I picked several tracks early on based upon my experience through the years, and facilitated more efficient sourcing by focusing on the artists I'd like to have included over the tracks I needed. This carried me most of the way, and by the time I was getting to the more difficult options my Youtube recommended was lending me assistance. The hardest tracks to find for were actually "Oh! Dungeon", "Live Report", and "Barrier", the former two because of alternate variants getting priority, and the latter for more obvious reasons. Even after "finalizing" the collection, I continued to adjust it as I came across preferrable alternatives. Each choice has been carefully considered, and I'm ultimately very proud of the end result.

Many of the featured artists are well-known names of the VGM industry, some of whom were just getting started at the time of Undertale's release. Where possible, I made sure to include performances I knew to be especially iconic to the fandom, provided they fit the criteria I had established for the collection. There are a few names I want to specifically draw attention to as less likely to be recognized, but which I was especially impressed by in their extended works. These are, in no particular order: Philiplol, T.O. Bassett, Koopa Keys, and CaixoTrilogy.

EDIT: It's come to my attention that Koopa Keys isn't a viable artist, and I've switched out the relevant track in consequence. The revelation has me a bit paranoid; part of me is now suspicious of CaixoTrilogy as well (especially since they were already utilizing adjecent technology), but I want to presume the best, so for now their track will stay.


Direct link to the playlist, for ease of access: Undertale 10th Anniversary Remix Compendium
 
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About time to cover Deltarune Chapter 3: Late Night. Had to take my time with it, 'cause the OST was bundled up with Prophesy, and I wanted to address them separately (don't expect that feature for a while yet). I don't usually have to worry about spoilers in these features, being unaware myself as to what constitutes such in most scenarios, but in this case a bit more care seemed warranted. That being said . . .

Arrangements for this chapter can be classified in two categories: The standard tracks, and the "BOARD" tracks, the latter of which favors an NES style sound. Many compositions rely on short but memorable loops, and leitmotifs are abundant. Yet for all that, it's really business as usual; Fox knows how to balance out his soundtracks, saving the more moving pieces for more moving moments with exemplary foreshadowing, while occasionally throwing out something unexpected just for the fun of it. Early on I was worried at the absence of a standout "first area" theme (think "Field of Hopes and Dreams" and "A CYBER'S WORLD?"), but I believe the equivalent is present in what would normally be the pentultimate track. Ultimately I am reassured that Fox continues to deliver on his reputation, and am still looking forward to the rest of the currently released music.





 
LATE!
Full day yester', but I had my stuff prepared so it's honestly still my bad. No matter, though; Imma get it out one way or another.

Fox had an Undertale stream for the anniversary that involved some bonus music, and I figured I might as well commit to the month's theme and get some of them featured. Arrangements from Carlos "insaneintherainmusic" Eiene and Camellia were mixed in with new compositions, collectively preserving the same charm and eccentricity of the original soundtrack's contents.




I almost made this a Fracture Feature, given its questionable status as a soundtrack selection, but it seemed thematically acceptable. To augment the post, though, I'm also going to share some bonus arrangements related to the compendium project I shared on the anniversary.
FAYNALY - Live Report
This was my alternative option for "Live Report." My options were limited, and nothing really stood out; this became backup by virtue of being part of a full album, which effort I appreciated for my purposes. However, I'm ultimately happy with my final choice, which was completely intentional (in case anyone had doubts ;).

Sumask - Ohhhhohohoho!
Just to demonstrate the viability of continuing the idea in future; I've yet to encounter a case of seeking out an arrangement for this franchise's pieces and not finding something.

Camellia - BIG SHOT
There were certain artists I was prioritizing for the compendium based upon their impact/involvment with the franschise through its lifetime, and for the most part I was successful in including them. Camellia was the major exception; he's worked closely with Fox in the past, but his Undertale arrangements are in short supply, and I ultimately felt it necessary to pass him over. So instead, here's a Deltarune remix that perfectly suits his style.

Studi01 - RAISE UP YOUR BAT
Finally, I feel obliged to feature some or other vocal cover of "RAISE UP YOUR BAT," and this is by far my favorite that I've encountered thus far. As a side note, it's funny how easy it usually is to intuit what the characters should sound like based on the sound effects Fox uses to represent them.


Okay, that's enough Toby Fox for a while; I've put off Silksong long enough.
 
Hollow Knight has long been my favorite game of all time, an experience I've not yet forgotten. Its world is just the right balance between having a clear goal and having no real idea of direction, resulting in the most authentic exploration experience I've ever encountered. Like many others, I eagerly awaited its sequel for many years, and was haunting the store page on the day of its release. As it so happened, however, a final delay took place whereby the publication platform was unable to handle the influx of traffic; so in the meantime, I pivoted over to Bandcamp and haunted that until I was able to acquire the OST. Thus it was that I experienced Silksong's music before I even purchased the game, and only three tracks in I was satisfied the wait had been worth it.

Christopher Larkin is a masterful orchestral composer, clearly well versed in a variety of instrumentation. I suspect he has a special affinity for the harp, which features prominently in his collective works, and somewhat characterizes his style. Bells are thematically prevalent in many tracks, and the choirs of Team Cherry's previous DLCs seem distributed more evenly throughout. The obvious temptation is to compare between the two games; the melancholy sounds of the first are largely exchanged for an expansive feeling, reflecting the contrasting settings. But for the most part, Silksong is a true continuation of its predecessor, retaining most of the same elements, especially in its overarching awe. I perceive Larkin's abilities to be more fully realized in this, not that he has somehow improved from his previous efforts but rather that he is more free to exercise his wider range of skill. Even saying this, though, I was far more impressed by the result than I had anticipated myself to be.

I've selected the tracks for this feature carefully, with a mind to which tracks best capture the soundtrack's range. I've avoided some pieces that those familiar with the OST already might understandably expect, and I acknowledge this to largely be due to my bias in actually playing the game; having experienced certain moments, I am inclined to preserve them for others. A notable exception is the two tracks included together at the end of this feature; their presentation in the OST is unique to that in-game, and the former is arguably the intended way to experience them.



 
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I've become increasingly reluctant to touch anything new from Nintendo as their business practices become more and more concerning on multiple levels; at a certain point, quality of product does not outweigh hassle and ethical dubiousness of accessibility. Nonetheless, I am making a slight exception for Star-Crossed World soundtrack, being an expansion for one of my top soundtracks for 2022 which I still consider to be an exceptional production. Nor did the listening experience disappoint; the majority of included tracks seem to be arrangements of preexisting compositions from the base game, but with additional motifs unique to the DLC incorporated and with wide range of style across the collection. In spite of my ire and high-bar expectation, I was most pleased with this addition.

That being said, I can't be bothered to dig up proper credits for now; Nintendo's obtuse music release practices have been a constant source of grief for me in the past, and I'm just not interested in going through it again this time around. Mayhaps I'll come back to this post at a later date and add them in.



I couldn't very well leave this one off; Kirby now joins Silent Hill and Tales of as sources of unintentional association to me for something completely unrelated to them (yes, that is my final takeaway from this song :P).
 
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Wanderstop got on my radar via its trailer music, and I made note of its release for the purpose of retrieving its soundtrack. It wasn't till I'd started listening through it that I noticed the composer to be Daniel Rosenfeld, a.k.a. C418; this didn't mean as much to me as it might to some, but I did recognize the name, and was able to note the stylistic familiarities. That being said, I approached this as its own work, and I recommend it based upon that; the low-energy presentation belies extensive harmony work, with a multitude of cozy melodies and even leitmotifs throughout. Many of the tracks are grouped as "parts," which usually indicates reiterations of a given motif; many of these have been named after various forms of tea, which association is probably gameplay related, but to me is a charming gimmick that I appreciate very much. I don't really know anything about the game itself (literally the only thing I remember about the trailer I saw is the music), but I've always held that good music can often be enjoyed without awareness of its context (even as I've also admitted exceptions), and this is certainly such a case.




 
Stijn van Wakeren is a composer I've kept tabs on for some time. Initially I found the name attached to Heartbound, and was sufficiently impressed by the music therein that I took time to seek out a discography. I determined Wakeren tended to work on colorful indie projects, providing lighthearted but appreciatively intricate arrangements that, while not necessarily the most ground-breaking, nonetheless stood out with a surprising degree of range. I'd planned to eventually feature Heartbound's soundtrack when the game finally released, but I've lately come to terms with the unlikeliness of that outcome; as such, I'm inclined to recommend Underhero as a better representation of the composer's work overall.

. . . So why am I featuring Webbed?

Well, I initially discovered Webbed through Wakeren's involvement, and what I saw of it attracted my interest in actually playing it. The game itself is a physics based puzzle platformer built around grapple mechanics, which are so well implemented that I'd recommend it on that basis alone; nonetheless, its animations also deserve mention for their excellent blend of realism and cartoony visuals. Ironically, the music was not my major takeaway from the experience, aside from appreciating how well it fit the game's presentation. Between all of Wakeren's projects, however, this is certainly the one I'm most familiar with, and consequently have the more personal connection to, and I think perhaps that is the more important aspect of sharing.


 
I probably shouldn't be featuring Blade Chimera without having showcased Drainus, but the notion had struck me and I'm sticking with it. Team Ladybug's music has been consistently handled by Peposoft, and past projects have borne shared elements I've come to attribute thereto. Yet I detect less of these elements in this release; where previous compositions were of a consistently high energy, the arrangements here seem more carefully paced, and the instrumentation is somewhat diversified. I perceive the composer to be advancing in skill, relying less on stylistic tactics and branching into more varied forms of arrangement. I respect this, even as I feel the result is somewhat less engaging than previous work (mayhaps Luna Nights have simply set my expectations too high).


 
In my ongoing endeavors to familiarize myself with the music of various popular franchises, I sought to tackle the original Animal Crossing this week. Or leastways I hope it was equivalent to the original; in seeking out composer credits, I began to wonder how distinct the initial Japanese releases were compared to the wider distribution, but it's too late to worry about that now. From what I found, the work seems to have been systematically distributed between various persons, including Kenta Nagata, Shinobu Tanaka, and Toru Minegishi, all under the direction of Kazumi Totaka (an apparently significant name in the industry).

I perceived the music to be very much that of a GameCube game with its signature sounds, generally arranged simply and concisely. Based purely upon reputation, I anticipated a "cozy" tone to be prevalent, and such seemed to be the case. As a mood setter, I can respect what was done here, and there are a few pieces that stand out for their technical creativity; additionally, I appreciate the hourly theme gimmick in all its eccentric execution. Overall, however, I wasn't particularly impressed with the melodies I encountered, and while that is in no way a mark against the soundtrack, it does deter me from favoring it for general listening. I wonder if this perception will endure through the other entries I look at?








Awful lot of tracks for something I claimed not to get really in to. But such is the way sometimes; feeling I haven't properly grasped a soundtrack, I overcompensate to ensure those who can, will.
 
Good lord you like this thread a lot.

I didn't look through every page of your post on this thread so I don't know if these games have already been covered, but I'd like to draw attention to the Project Moon series, with the composers Dr. ReB for its first game; Lobotomy Corporation and its sequels Library of Ruina and Limbus Company being primarily composed by Studio EIM, with some of the more important moments in the game being backed with music by Mili (for Limbus Company, Mili have composed the ending theme for each chapter of the game.) The way they blend genres and arrangement to make such incredibly iconic battle themes that I'm sure you've heard before without realising it, be it Keter Battle 3, Gone Angels, Through Patches of Violet or Red Mist. The music often acts as a direct narrative enhancer, often having themes that well reflect the situation, lore and characters involved by blending genres together with meaningful instruments such as Roland being represented by a piano or Angela being represented by a violin. Nest K is futuristic and sleek so it has a more techno beat to it, while Nest T and District 20 is Victorian, dreary and many of its music is pianos, string instruments, organs and choirs, almost feeling bloodborne or dark souls-like in arrangement and instrumentation, then when a character in that same bloodborne-y chapter loses his mind and goes on a rampage, we suddenly get a more metal-focused theme with some orchestral elements still present.

I won't cover much else of the OST because to be honest these games need to be experienced. The Touhou Community and the Limbus Community seem to have a lot of overlap (just reading the comments of a boss theme I saw someone with a Koishi pfp and there were about 12 comments all just saying "koishi"), I definitely reccomend this series if you haven't tried it out already!







 
Widget said:
Good lord you like this thread a lot.
Click to expand...
Twice on the first page, the thread was inactive for a period and opened back up with "please revive this." I had the thought that some regular postings would keep the thread active enough to inspire more consistent contributions from others; from there it became a hobby (and to be fair, it has occasionally encouraged engagement such as yours that likely wouldn't have happened otherwise).

After some links went dead, I started keeping a record of everything shared, each chapter of which is posted to the thread at the turn of the year. You can find the first one at the bottom of page 5 (website changes have messed with the formatting a bit). On which note, Library of Ruina was fairly straightforward to record (although I almost confused "The Red Mist" for "Gebura Battle Theme" with their similar intros), but I wanted to request clarification on Limbus Company's track titles: do the featured videos use the official names, or are there alternative ones preferable for future resourcing?
 
My next target was Animal Crossing: Wild World, another game with no official soundtrack release and a subsequently massive gamerip to get through. As such, I was unable to finish by my usual deadline; but I was sufficiently impressed to be as thorough as possible. Kazumi Totaka is once again given prominent credit, with further contributions from Asuka Hayazaki. Whether it be the altered sound team, new hardware of the DS release, or some other factor beyond my estimation, I found the BGM of this entry to be far more satisfactory compared to its predecessor. Even aside from the technical improvements, I perceive an overarching cohesion that was lacking previously. This is especially true of the hourly themes, many of which are built around a shared leitmotif to reinforce their common purpose, while still retaining sufficient peculiarities to be distinct from each other. I was also much surprised to be familiar with several tracks, having encountered them in various other places; considering this was not the case for the first title, I'm guessing this installment was much more musically relevant to the series (and deservedly so IMO).

The division of the soundtrack is such that I struggled to prioritize, and being late as I am I've decided to forgo fighting it down any further and instead divide the feature into three groupings (despite the consequential defiance of precedent). The first is the unique tracks that I suppose to be for specific locations and events, distinct from the default 'ambience' of the main areas. These would, I presume, favor the hourly themes, for which the second group is set apart. Finally, I felt obligated to draw attention to the franchise's custom musical addendum, the K.K. performances; from what I gather, this is a character that sings, albeit in the tones of a dedicated soundfont, with surprisingly impressive results. There's a shocking quantity of these tracks, but despite their limited variance I still consistently found them creatively endearing.














 
Serious Sam? Damjan Muravnak makes some excellent music, probably one of the best VG musicians of our time (There's a reason that he was deemed "The guitar of god" in Siberian Mayhem.)
 
Jumping forward to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, where Totaka is this time joined by Manaka Kataoka and Atsuku Asahi. Compared to Wild World, the arrangements seem much cleaner to me, and composition direction seems more dynamic overall. Hourly themes feel somehow more properly related to the time (an admittedly subjective perception, but one I found significant), and the returning "rain" and "snow" variations are more uniquely formatted than before. The rest of the soundtrack features pleasantly unique instrumentation that remains in keeping with the series' established tone.

I'd sum up this soundtrack by calling it "professionally superior" to previous entries. For all that though, I think I appreciated Wild World more; there was an element of pioneering to its construction that I didn't feel with New Leaf, simulating a sort of unique nostalgic tone. Quite a few themes have been remastered and sound objectively better in the later entry, and yet their charm seems stronger to me in their original forms.








 
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