Music is one of the most underrated parts of video games. Most do not attach much importance to it, although without a good soundtrack even the best titles would look dull. Action games would lack adrenaline, and horror games would lack suspense. In this article we will talk about some of the most remarkable and truly legendary compositions from video games.
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Retro – Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros. and Tetris
The history of video games dates back to the 1950s, but the history of music for them began much later. In the very first, experimental interactive entertainment, of course, there were no sounds at all. But even the titles of the 1970s could hardly boast of something more complicated than a couple of “beeps” – there was not enough power.
But progress did not stand still, and the 1980s opened up for gamers a whole storehouse of all kinds, albeit quite simple tunes. Some of them will be familiar even to those who know nothing about arcade halls, “planting picture tubes” and games in general.
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Okada Tempei is a virtuoso violinist best known for his viral videos in which he performs live soundtracks from video games
Tetris is one of the best-selling video games in history. According to various sources, only Minecraft and GTA V compete with it. In addition, “Tetris” is also the main reason for the worldwide fame of the song “Korobushka”, which formed the basis of the musical theme of the game. Now this composition is used as a visiting card for Russian characters in popular culture. It is enough to turn it on in the background, and everyone understands where the hero came from.
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Doom was the epitome of bloody madness. Gloomy corridors, hordes of diverse but equally disgusting demons and a fearsome divine grin of the protagonist. The soundtrack she got was the right one – full of metal, dark as caked blood, and fast enough to make her brain boil with the never-ending flow of adrenaline.
In 2016, Doom received a rebirth. It’s amazing how much and at the same time how little it has changed compared to the original game. It is modern, beautiful and full of content, while retaining that reckless spirit of ultraviolence. The new Doom owes much to the latter soundtrack by Mick Gordon. It doesn’t lend itself well to verbal description, just imagine what pure rage sounds like.
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Silent Hill
The late 1990s saw the rise of the PlayStation and a new era in the gaming industry. It is difficult to list all the titles for the console that eventually became cult titles. It is also not easy to remember all those wonderful tunes that appeared in them. I will single out one from the 1999 survival horror Silent Hill.
We can talk endlessly about the merits of the game and its impact on the genre, so let’s restrict ourselves to a simple fact: Silent Hill is very scary. Moreover, it frightens not with some banal screamers, but with the very atmosphere, which, in turn, was achieved largely thanks to music. According to some journalists, it was Silent Hill’s inflated suspense that was the turning point for interactive horror.
Akira Yamaoka was originally supposed to deal only with sound effects, but became the main composer of the franchise. For greater originality and atmosphere of “cold and rusty”, he chose the industrial genre. It turned out quite well. I am writing this passage just for the soundtrack of the game, and I am very sorry that I did not manage to finish it while the sun was shining. The music from Silent Hill evokes very unpleasant feelings: it seems to crawl under the skin, makes you feel uncomfortable and almost drives you crazy. At the same time, individual tracks are very beautiful, which is especially pronounced in contrast.
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Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto has always been famous for its music, which perfectly captured the spirit of each part of the series. The soundtrack instantly immersed the player in the era and setting and without words explained the role assigned to him – whether it was a mafia in sunny Vice City, a gangster from the Los Santos slums or an emigrant in gloomy Liberty City. However, GTA also has one more trump card – radio stations.
Thanks to radio, the games of the series could satisfy the tastes of a wide variety of audiences. After all, for example, in the same Underground, pop or country fans did not live very comfortably, and in GTA V there is Non-Stop-Pop FM and Rebel Radio for them. The stations even helped to reveal the plot a little deeper, commenting on the events of the game, and the main characters, each of whom had a favorite wave.
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Persona
No matter how wide the repertoire of Grand Theft Auto radio stations, it cannot cover everything. Among them, for example, there is nothing with an Asian flavor. Is it sad? Maybe. Is it critical? Of course not, because the Japanese gaming industry is so rich that it is difficult to describe in words. One of the most revealing examples of her music can be called the soundtracks for the Persona series.
The individual parts of the Persona franchise are almost unrelated – they are united only by some general rules of the universe. The key mood, which is also transmitted through music, is also very different. However, despite this, the style of the series remains quite recognizable, and listening to compositions from different “Persons”, one can notice their related features.
The soundtrack for the Persona series, including spin-offs and anime, is the responsibility of composer Shoji Meguro, whose distinctive feature is a wide variety of genres. He works with classical and pop music, electronics, jazz, hip-hop, rock and more. This is very useful for games that take 150 hours to complete. It is extremely important for their soundtracks to maintain a recognizable style and at the same time not get bored even for such a long time. Judging by the constant notices on regular concerts with music from Persona, Meguro-san did his job with a bang.
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Despite the name, not all versions of Ezio’s Family are here.
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
The Witcher has a gorgeous soundtrack – from Wolf Blizzard (the one about gooseberries and lilacs) to Minted Coin (the one that is not related to the game at all). But can it be called legendary? Most likely, the degree of cult will differ from person to person and even from country to country. Perhaps, in the Scandinavian countries, metalworkers will achieve more in this regard, and in the USA, for example, jazzmen.
For Eastern Europe, the music from The Witcher III: Wild Hunt can be considered legendary, because it will be difficult to find a larger and higher quality project in the setting of a Slavic cultural group. And let Pan Sapkovsky – the author of The Witcher Saga – said that his work is primarily a classic fantasy, and not Slavic, gusle from soundtrack you can’t throw it out.
Yes, gusle, not gusli. It is a folk instrument common among the southern Slavs. Other medieval instruments were also used in the recording, and the lyrics are based on folk songs – Croatian, Bulgarian and Belarusian. Well, in what other AAA game can you hear the same verses as at the Pesnyarov concert?
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These were ten (well, or a little more) games, the soundtracks of which received cult status. However, they are far from the only ones. Collecting all the outstanding music from virtual entertainment in one place is a daunting task. But who said we can’t try? Share your best and favorite video game tracks in the comments.
