Here is the October 2022 G4F Records article on video game music releases. Enjoy!
This is a non-exhaustive list without any classification hierarchy. We invite you to discover new video game music releases that will brighten up your day! 🙂
Autumn is here, and brings with it a breath of fresh air and new colors. But that’s not all! The video game news doesn’t stop and this period is also synonymous with new melodious nuggets. Here’s our selection of musical releases for the month of October 2022!
Scorn, A Dive Into Horror
Composers: Aethek & Lustmord
What could be more relevant than a dive into horror for Halloween? Here we enter a nightmarish universe. As if the famous painter H.G Giger, who notably inspired the designs of the xenomorphs in Alien, decided to extend his universe to video games.p>
Scorn is a creation from Ebb Software, a Serbian development studio based in Belgrade. This project is their first creation and what an introduction! Scorn is a horrific FPS where the player is teleported into a nightmarish world. They will have to evolve in an environment that seems “alive” and constantly mutating. A kind of puzzle adventure game in a terrifying universe that fully embraces body horror. The particular aesthetic of this game is largely inspired by the horrific and magnificent universes of the artists H.G Giger mentioned earlier, and also Zdzisław Beksiński.
To accompany the player’s wandering through this macabre environment, the developers have decided to call on Aethek and Lusmord for the game’s soundtrack.
A “dark ambient” aesthetic for the music.
Like its gameplay, Scorn’s soundtrack is mainly contemplative and gives off a certain heavy and stressful aura. Artists Aethek & Lustmord managed to translate the heavy and dreary horror through this album. We feel the SF, but only slightly. The layers of drones and pads that can be heard throughout the tracks plunge us into a sort of trance perfect for wandering through the ruins of this devastated world.
Certain songs are slightly more percussive, for example “Cleansing” by Aethek. There are metallic noises, as if someone was doing metal work in the background. This gives a particular aura to the song. We can also find these sound elements in the track “Q”, by the artist Aethek once again. For the record, we can find Aethek’s work under another alias: Billain. But this time it’s drum and bass.
Scorn’s album has been divided into 2. Aethek composes the first part, which is equivalent to 9 tracks. Lustmord takes care of the other 8 tracks. However, the music of Lustmord occupies almost 3/4 of the album. The artist has composed relatively long pieces, once again accentuating the contemplative side. In general, this artist is known to be one of the pioneers of the “dark ambient” genre. So what could be more logical than to find him behind this project. You can also find the artist’s work on his spectacular lives in specific places that echo his dark and captivating artistic universe.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an official link to listen to the album. But as usual, it’s easily found on YouTube on unofficial channels.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Composer: Olivier Deriviere
A Plague Tale: Requiem is the direct sequel to the first installment, A Plague Tale: Innocence, released in 2019. Developed by the Bordeaux team of Asobo Studio in France and published by Focus Entertainment, the plot of A Plague Tale: Innocence unfolds in France during the Hundred Years War during the time of the Black Death. The franchise has already been met with great critical success from the first opus, and the second is no exception.
The plot of A Plague Tale: Requiem is also set in France and more specifically in Provence this time around. The songs of the cicadas and the fields of lavender are of course present, as well as the magnificent Mediterranean landscapes. We find the iconic brother and sister duo, Hugo and Amica, accompanied by Lucas to begin the adventure and the rats continue to invade the cities and countryside. Like the previous opus, Olivier Deriviere will be in charge of composing the game’s soundtrack.
There is a huge amount to be said for the music in this game. Not only in the incredible compositional work put in, but also in the way the music evolves, varies and changes depending on the gameplay.
Did you know?
— Olivier Deriviere (@oderiviere) November 18, 2022
The vast majority of the music from #APlagueTaleRequiem has been recorded in my home studio with @EricMariaCout on cello and me on percussions. Everything happened here: pic.twitter.com/Bi3FuMYWeB
Olivier Deriviere, who is now known for composing music for major video game franchises, has even released a series of gameplay videos of A Plague Tale: Requiem. He comments on the music live. All of this is available on his YouTube channel, so we invite you to check out his work if you want to learn more about the music of the game.
NBA 2K23, A Legendary Playlist!
Composers: Various Artists
For all US Rap and Hip-Hop fans, there are dates not to be missed. The release of the NBA 2K franchise’s latest playlist is definitely one of them. This 2023 edition shines again with Drake, JID, Lil Tecca, Nas and Jackson Wang. From international MVP to promising rookie to old-school legends.
We’ll remind you, if necessary, that this is licensed music and not an original soundtrack. Visual Concepts and 2K Games select existing music to integrate into the game, like many sports games or some car racing games for example. And many young (and not so young) basketball fans have discovered their new favorites in these playlists!
Therefore the game offers an eclectic selection that brings together different genres, even if we remain mainly in modern US rap. But what a success! Like every other year, it’s a pure pleasure to navigate the menus of the game with headphones on. The playlist is huge with just over 80 tracks in the game so far. We say “to date” because one of the innovations of this edition is that new titles are added to the game every week! Every Friday, the game updates its soundtrack, adding new tracks from different labels.
The soundtrack is officially available on Spotify via a public playlist with all the tracks. We appreciate the effort! On the other hand, it’s not officially listenable elsewhere, makes sense given that we’re talking about existing music outside the game. Finally, if you are a little bit into basketball and/or Rap/Hip-Hop culture, we won’t teach you anything by saying that this playlist is a masterclass not to be missed.
Mario + The Lapins Crétins Sparks of Hope, Crossover To The End
Composers: Yoko Shimomura, Grant Kirkhope, Gareth Coker
Here’s a surprise! One of the craziest crossovers of recent years turned out to be much more than just a bonus wink for licensing fans. Thanks to beautifully made tactical gameplay and an equally attentive packaging, the first episode has made its way into the Switch catalog and is back today with a new episode in tune.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a game developed and published by Ubisoft. Like the first episode, this is a tactical RPG which obviously brings its share of new features. One of them being the composer’s dream team working on the project: Yoko Shimomura (Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts, Live a Live…), Gareth Coker (Ori, A Ruined King: A League of Legends Story…) and Grant Kirkhope, the composer of the first episode (Banjo-Kazooie, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning…).
The 3 composers each worked with different goals in mind and together they bring more variety to the game’s music. Yoko Shimomura took charge of the complete production of the soundtrack. She clearly brings a more fantasy touch to her songs, which also seem to be a leitmotif for the whole soundscape of the game.
A Complementary Trio
Grant Kirkhope, following on from the first game, offers songs that are more geared towards adventure and exploration, positive and catchy (as in “Sunny Side of the Galaxy”). Finally, Gareth Coker, although more discreet on this album with 9 tracks on the clock (about twenty for the other composers), brings his lyrical and twirling touch (as well as a few surprises that we’ll let you discover!). This completes a magnificent album.
As we said earlier, fantasy has taken a more prominent place in the game’s music. So much so that we could sometimes imagine ourselves in a JRPG during a boss fight (“Battle of Beacon Beach” is the perfect illustration). But as Romain Brillaud (Audio Director) and Davide Soliani (Creative Director) explain, the game’s universe is much more varied than in the first, and the music is also varied, in particular thanks to the contribution of the 3 different composers.
And the final surprise is that the soundtrack is officially available everywhere! You can therefore listen to it in optimal conditions on Spotify, YouTube and all platforms are listed HERE.