Before there's only October, Fall and Halloween left, let's take a peek a few weeks back in this column dedicated to the best video game soundtracks released in September.
As necessary to the emotion as the image itself, video game music will have struggled to emerge from its case. If it makes hearts beat, cry hot tears or sometimes knows how to push us to crime, it is not only utilitarian and deserves to be listened to out of play.
We therefore offer you a journey to the heart of the most significant or least known video game music. A journey of enthusiasts concocted with the heart and, of course, with the ears: Now Playing.
Here we are already at the 3rd issue of our Now Playing column dedicated to video game music. A month that has just ended obliges, after a thematic selection around the best pieces to work on, place this Saturday at the selection of the soundtracks released in September that have most caught our ears. Unsurprisingly, you will find games tested in our columns, but not only.
Read also:Now Playing â–¶ The best video game music to work with
Lost in Random - The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra
Rereading my review of Lost in Random, I realize that I may not have praised the music enough. So it's time to catch up. Composed by The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra (or more simply The Synthetic Orchestra, or even Blake Robinson of his real name), this OST is like the game: bewitching.
The composer of The Stanley Parable (play it) offers here something that would fit perfectly in a Tim Burton or any other dark fairy tale of recent years. A nice job that only reinforces the incredible atmosphere of this very nice title. And if you like rap with a jazz background (yes), check out this track. - AR
Life is Strange : True Colors - Novo Armor
The Life is Strange saga has always had a special relationship with music. Its aesthetic, very inspired by American independent films that invite you to snuggle up under the duvet with a steaming tea, goes well with bittersweet folk ballads. And the latest episode, True Colors, is no exception.
If it is not developed by Dontnod, like the previous parts, Life is Strange: True Colors is a love letter to the formula imagined by the Spaniards six years ago now. And Deck Nine, who takes up the torch here, didn't do things halfway on the musical side. For his soundtrack, he simply commissioned Angus & Julia Stone, who dedicate their latest album to the license. Yet it's a Novo Armor title that caught my attention, in that it accompanies the game's main menu and immediately sets the tone. Be careful, if you are a fan of early Bon Iver, you may well fall in love. − CP
Sable - Japanese Breakfast
I haven't had time to touch Sable yet. But given its very strong visual identity and its relaxed exploration orientation, it was obvious that the musical part of the game would not be left to chance. Jackpot, since it's Japanese Breakfast, the popular American-Korean indie rock band led by Michelle Zauner, who signs his first video game soundtrack here.
The song chosen here (and the whole album, in fact), Glider, could have been included in our selection of the best tracks to work on, as it is soft, ethereal and simply magnificent. Have a good trip. - AR
OPUS : Echo of Starsong - Triodust
I haven't (yet) played OPUS: Echo of Starsong, but the praise given to it by Rami Ismail and ExServ made me want to take an interest in it. And after reading its soundtrack composed – like the previous parts of this saga from Taiwan – by Triodust, my curiosity is only stronger.
In this spatial narrative game, music also plays a very special role. Eda, the young woman who accompanies our protagonist, has the ability to interact with the stars thanks to a song: the famous "Starsong" which gives its title to the game.
In Red Chamber which, I imagine, accompanies a scene taking place in a red room (I may be getting a little ahead…), Triodust breaks with the very calm and melancholy tone of the other pieces to wake us up large reinforcement of epic strings. Something to pique your curiosity, I hope. - pc
New World - Ramin Djawadi et Brandon Campbell
Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones, Westworld, Person of Interest…) is one of my favorite composers. So much so that I almost want to play New World just to be able to enjoy its compositions - created for the occasion with Brandon Campbell (a longtime partner of Djawadi and who notably composed the animated series Pacific Rim: The Black) - in game.
The best part is that the whole soundtrack is available on YouTube in a single video, so I don't have to choose which track to play for you to prove the talent of the two men. Whether it's tracks with epic flights, edgy tracks for fights, or tracks more oriented atmosphere or emotions, everything is of a formidable efficiency. - AR
The Artful Escape − Johnny Galvatron, Josh Abrahams
Do you like Bob Dylan? Play The Artful Escape. It's not more complicated than that.
In the first game of Beethoven & Dinosaur (obviously published by Annapurna), we will accompany the young Francis Vendetti, an artist evolving in the shadow of his uncle who is a true legend of folk music. But the young man does not flourish in this musical style. His thing is rather rock opera and exuberance à la Queen or Muse.
Suffice to say that the music is also central in The Artful Escape. And that's not to mention the fact that Johnny Galvatron, who co-signed the game's soundtrack, is himself the leader of the Australian band The Galvatrons. On the menu: some guitar-voice ballads like the present If It Don't Work Out to split your armour, and a wide variety of ambient titles which marvelously dress the indecent visual finds of The Artful Escape. - pc
Lost Judgment - Hidenori Shoji
Because I'm still waiting for PC versions that will probably never arrive (or a PS5, which will never arrive either), I still haven't played Judgement, let alone Lost Judgement. But as a big fan of the Yakuza series and their epic and angry soundtracks, I of course listened to the work of Hidenori Shoji, back for the latest opus with other composers.
Great good took me, since once again it's a big slap in the muzzle. So much so that I was very annoyed when choosing a track (especially since they are only available in spades on YouTube at the moment…), so many of them have raised me. - AR
Deltarune : Chapter 2 - Toby Fox
I never understood the craze around Undertale. So Deltarune… No, but what I do know is that Toby Fox has no equal in bringing his craziest ideas to life, as evidenced by the awesome OST of Deltarune: Chapter 2.
Surprise release this month of September, this sequel to Fox's new game floats its music in very different waters, which let us imagine what Deltarune: Chapter 2 can be made of. Then after we watch images of the game and we disillusioned. But listen to his music, seriously. - pc
TOEM - Jamal Green, Launchable Socks
Photography games are popular. After Alba and New Pokémon Snap, we were able to welcome the lovely TOEM in September, whose line reminds us of A Short Hike with its armholes.
And to marry the lightness of his game, the Something We Made studio has teamed up with Jamal Green, whose versatility never ceases to amaze us after signing Skelattack's OST last year. Less mischievous, but confusingly beautiful (all the tracks are wonderful), TOEM's soundtrack is sometimes accompanied by the contribution of the group Launchable Socks, which brings here and there a few more electronic touches, but always bewitching. - pc
Enter : Bridge of Spitifs - Theophany
It's already obvious: Kena: Bridge of Spirits is competing for the title of best soundtrack of the year. Dense, with only 10 titles on the clock, it is no less perfect for immersing yourself in the magnificent landscapes offered by Ember Lab's adventure game.
Entrusted to Theophany (Jason Gallaty), with whom the Californian studio had already worked for its short film dedicated to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, it is inspired in particular by Balinese music to offer us sounds to which we are very foreign to this side of the globe. The composer surrounded himself with the Gamelan Çudamani orchestra to bring more authenticity to the whole. And the result is titles that are sometimes epic, sometimes light, whose common denominator remains their ability to give us shivers everywhere.
A game perhaps a little classic on the edges, which therefore remains an immense artistic slap − right into our ears. - pc
