Here’s our selection of video game soundtracks released in April 2021.
This is a non-exhaustive list without any classification hierarchy. We invite you to discover new soundtracks that will brighten up your day! 🙂
Let the fun begin!
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, The Power of Choirs
Composer: Keiichi Okabe
The Nier series is getting a makeover 10 years after the release of Nier Replicant (Gestalt in the West) first of its name (yes…. 10 years already) here comes the remake NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
The person at the controls of the game’s soundtrack hasn’t changed, and it’s with our greatest pleasure that we have, once again, the master Keiichi Okabe. This genius artist returns to amaze us with the power of choirs in his compositions. We can also appreciate the bewitching voice of Emi Evans which is found on a lot of the album’s tracks.
On the occasion of this new improved version, published by Square Enix and developed by Toylogic, the music has been rearranged. We therefore strongly invite you to compare the new songs with the originals, to really appreciate the new musical subtleties.
Without further ado, here’s our favorite among all the titles of this fantastic soundtrack: The Dark Colossus Destroy All. Yeah, I think you guessed it, we really like boss music…
To listen to the game’s soundtrack (only available on Apple for the moment):
To listen to the original game’s album:
To buy the soundtrack:
Returnal, Peak Tension
Composer: Bobby Krlic
Returnal is a game that blends horror and science fiction. The player plays Selene, a space traveler who will try to survive on a hostile planet. The script is already intriguing and mysterious enough, but in addition, it’s Bobby Krlic who’s behind the project’s soundtrack.
Who’s Bobby Krlic? Well you can find his composition work in the music of the horror film Midsommar (2019), for example. That’s just to say that this artist knows disturbing and oppressive atmospheres very well.
Bobby Krlic does a great job of bringing peak tension in Returnal. He brilliantly understood the main character’s psychology and the heavy universe of the planet that welcomes her.
His music is composed of layers of drones and pads, for the most part, which accompany the player’s action during his adventures without ever releasing the pressure. Our favorite is the song “Helios” with its melodious and disturbing notes.
To listen to the game’s soundtrack:
Other links for listening/buying the album here
Total War: Rome Remastered, For The Glory Of Rome
Composer: Jeff van Dyck
Ah… when nostalgia captures us…. Do you remember Total War: Rome and its soundtrack, which made you want to go and fight for the glory of Rome? If not, we strongly urge you to listen to it.
Total War: Rome Remastered is, as its name indicates, a remastered version of the famous game developed by Creative Assembly and edited by Sega and Feral Interactive.
The talented Jeff van Dyck composed the original game’s soundtrack but we can also hear Angela van Dyck‘s voice. All the tracks were reuploaded, in the highest quality, to the composer’s YouTube account. So we thought it would be nice to rediscover them!
His music is powerful and brings out the ancient Roman warrior in us. The use of traditional instruments, occasionally combined with speeches from generals, and soldier cries, immerses us in the fields of battle.
The title, “Warrior March“, with its introductory speech immediately sets the ambiance.
“STAB HIM ! KICK HIM ! BITE HIM ! CUT OUT HIS LIVER AND RRAAAAAAARRRRHGG!”
To listen to the game’s soundtrack:
To buy the album:
Sons of Ra, Along the Banks of the Nile
Composers: Tommy Norris and Chalmers Croft AKA Box Monkey Studios
And what if we stayed with the theme of great ancient civilizations? Welcome to the world of Sons of Ra, a game edited and developed by Pharaoh Hound Games. After Rome, we’re heading to Egypt.
So it’s the duo, Box Monkey Studios, created by Tommy Norris and Chalmers Croft, who is behind the game’s soundtrack. The two American artists mix traditional sounds that bring us on a journey along the banks of the Nile.
We particularly enjoyed the song, “Sekhmet, The Warrior“, and we highly recommend it!
To listen to the game’s soundtrack:
To buy the album:
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark, Influenced by John Carpenter
Composer: Thomas O’Boyle
Welcome to Twin Lakes, the 34th most haunted city in the United States. And what is the perfect style of music to accompany a pixel art game on the theme of a dark detective unraveling mysteries? Synthwave, just in case you haven’t already guessed it.
The soundtrack of The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is composed by Thomas O’Boyle. FYI, the composer for the original game was Ben Prunty. The game’s edited by Spooky Doorway and developed by Akupara Games. Here we find an 80’s horror aesthetic influenced by John Carpenter combined with the universe of Twin Peaks, all with a scenario sprinkled with humor. It’s a tasty mix that we have here.
Thomas O’Boyle‘s music fits perfectly with this very retro aesthetic and we can listen to the game’s album on repeat while imagining ourselves crossing Twin Lakes at night, under the lights of the city’s lampposts.
Our favorite is the song, “Please Don’t Not Remember Me” that sounds just like the 80’s and we love that!
To listen to the album:
Other links to buy/listen here
CHARUE Yoann, G4F