Many games feature amazing music, but certain games take it beyond even that.
Games like DOOM are known for the "procedural" composition they use to marry gameplay and sound, and not only that, the way the music is a perfect tonal match to what is happening.
What games have you played that feature music that doesn't just make you notice it, but also pulls you further in?
Nier Automata
The soundtrack is integral to the experience.
The credits sequence, IMO, is the current high for games as a medium.
When the chorus kicks in on end of yorha, after you ask for help, still gives me goosebumps.
Not normally that kind of person, but the way all aspects of design, music, story, and user input collide make it the most impactful experience I've ever had in a game.
It's a magnum opus, to be sure. I'll be blown away if Yoko Taro finds a way to top it.
Literally every game by Supergiant. Most recent would be Hades 2, when I finally beat the 3rd boss and start slashing into the fourth area, the music was so hype I was smiling all the way through.
A better pick may be Transistor though. It's kind of a half action half strategy game, where you kind of pause to plan out and execute your next moves. During that pause phase, the music would turn into a muted version, and main character would hum to it in sync.
Also, Journey and Abzu. They simply are experiences that should not be had without good headphones.
So uh..... Fun thing about Transistor.
As the credits roll, Red sings for the first time in the game. The death of her lover at the beginning of the story turns her mute, which is why she only ever hums to the music in the game. During your first play-through. At the end of the game, the credits roll to the tune of "Paper Boats" which is the first song in the game to have lyrics, sung by Red.
It's an emotional high point that hits hard. She can sing again!
But there's more.
In new game+ Red no longer hums during all pause screens. She now sings the previously unheard lyrics of several songs in the game!
I NEVER PLAYED NG+ SO I DID NOT KNOW THAT. WTF LOL😂
Bastion's soundtrack still sticks in my head to this day, Darren Korb does amazing work.
Chants of Sennar has an amazing soundtrack, as does Tunic.
FTL and Celeste have basically the perfect soft background music; once you’re played them it is remarkable how many YouTube videos reuse one or the other for their turned-way-down background music
That, and then Grand Poo World 2 has basically the best retro action game soundtrack I have ever heard. I for-real believe that the quality of the soundtrack is like 75% of why it comes across as more polished than any other romhack.
The artist behind Celeste's soundtrack Lena Raine is really good at that kind of music, her Bandcamp is good for listening
I can't believe nobody's mentioned Furi!
The game is a boss rush fighting game that's incredibly fun to play, and the developers worked with multiple different artists to make the soundtrack. Literally gave them spec sheets for the boss fight they were making music for and info on how the stages progressed etc. So the soundtrack is a living part of the fights themselves. 10/10 highly recommended
Mass Effect, the first one. The soundtrack, being event driven, made the whole thing feel like a space opera you'd watch as a tv series, not just be an RPG.
Also the synthy goodness with those distorted like bass rips or something idk but 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻😫
I know it's cheating since the game is basically a playable soundtrack but "Hi-fi-Rush" brought me immense joy. On of the only games where I was actually vibing at my desk and rocking my head around to the beat.
You have no idea how hyped I got as the beginning notes of "Invaders Must Die" played.
RIP Tango Gameworks.
Hollow Knight and Celeste are the two that come to mind for me.
Pretty old now, but Jet Set Radio/Jet Set Radio Future
Cell-shaded skating/graffiti game from my childhood will always have a place in my heart, and my playlists
Check out Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, it's a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio released in 2023. They consulted with Hideki Naganuma on the soundtrack.
As spoiled by the picture I chose for the post, my pick is Katana Zero.
Each stage has its own track, and it is not just background noise. Zero carries with him a walkman, and each level begins with him pulling it out at putting his earphones in, then starting the track as the name of the song appears on screen.
Whenever Zero isn't himself listening to something, any music heard is environmental, like the soft background music of a hotel lobby, or the annoying low tones passing through the walls from a party at the neighbors.
If you're a fan, and didn't know, there is an expansion coming to Katana Zero. It's been teased with a few gameplay clips, and a new OST track.
Yeah Katana Zero is crazy good, I've had Meat Grinder (Ludowic) on repeat for so long, that song is just perfect in terms of beats to focus to
Diablo 2. The music fit that game perfectly.
The SFX are pristine, too.
Also username checks out.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided.
Rain World.
Super Metroid.
I'll second Nier Automata. There aren't even any words in the lyrics, it's amazing.
Nier Automata. There aren't even any words in the lyrics, it's amazing.
Except for the "final" track, "Weight of the World", which is just amazing and chilling, especially in the context of the game and lore if you make it to the end of true ending e. Apparently the Japanese version uses a take where the vocalist started crying during it, and in the English version you can hear the vocalist struggling towards the end.
And there's the one track that's name escapes me with the robots chanting "become as gods".
A lot of the other tracks have chanting, but it's intentionally not in any language, despite every track having a pretty heavy emotional feel to it.
I don't see Transistor mentioned. Great moody soundtrack that fits the cyber noir aesthetic wonderfully. We All Become is such a beautiful song.
Every supergiant game has a wonderful soundtrack. Darren Korb is the composer.
World of Warcraft vanilla had an amazing score. Still brings chills to my spine. But that might be nostalgia.
So not quite what you’re asking for, but right when deeprock galactic came out I found this artist on bandcamp called dreamsaboutdogs. They make electronic music, and their album Cursed quickly became my unofficial deeprock soundtrack. It just meshes super well with the gameplay, I dunno.
I told my deeprock homie about it and now he does the same thing, so it’s not just me lmao
Diablo 1. I have a hard time playing the game anymore, it's super clunky, but the guitar music from the overworld fucking slaps
Agreed. The Tristram theme has no business sounding as good as it does. I
Doom 2016
Oh. Just actually read the body of your post!
I mean it's a damn good pick.
ULTRAKILL definitely has a perfectly fitting soundtrack
To quote, "This shit sounds like how coke smells"
Alan Wake (the og one). It's music was so in tune with the atmosphere, and it is one of the very few soundtracks I listen to.
Tunic has unique soundtracks for the different areas that totally hit the right emotional chords in each area. And like how getting back to the main hub feels like a relief in every way (sound, colour, brightness, difficulty).
From the top of my Head:
All of those have certified banger OSTs that blend perfectly into the game
Wasteland 3's soundtrack is full of bangers. The ambient music and generic combat music is good, but the game has a lot of special tracks that play over specific combat moments. They are religious or nostalgic songs being covered by modern bands, giving the soundtrack a kind of distorted feel. It's very good.
For me it will always be the first Dead Space. The sountrack (and sound effects) were beyond chilling.
Is it cheating to say Crypt of the Necrodancer?
Must move to the music's beat, and the music itself is by Danny Baranowsky (other works include the original PCl soundtracks for Super Meat Boy and Binding of Isaac)
RimWorld - see the YouTube comments for people telling stories of what each song reminds them of.
Shoutout to 'simple' music that works well in a game - Project Highrise [procedural], Shapez, or Outbound for example.
The original Doom comes to mind for me.
Man, just fucking everything by Nobuo Uematsu. Such a GOAT
Video games are not mere time killers. They are albums of sound, aesthetics, animation and narrative.
This community is in appreciation of that. Screenshots, fanart, animations, gameplay clips. It is all welcome here.
The one common thread should be an eye for the aesthetic. This is not a place to discuss mechanics or stats, but to show off simply the artistic, expressed through the video game medium.
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