⚡️ A musiquality newsletter
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⚡️ A musiquality newsletter
Your selection of the very best video game music of August 2023
It was bound to happen when I decided to be a smartass and not simply label these newsletters by the current month: my titles are becoming shittier by the day. Please forgive me, I will strive to improve. It's probably untrue, but it doesn't hurt to wish for better tomorrows, right?
You might have seen it come by this month: I've introduced a "reviews" section in which I will publish, when I can and based on the opportunities I'm given, game reviews that make sense within the scope of this newsletter. The first one is obviously about Stray Gods, and we'll talk about it a bit further down.
I made a small adjustment this month: my 'favorite track of the month' is moving from the B-sides to the main edition. I found it a bit silly to refrain from telling you about the title that has captivated me the most and to limit its discovery to those who support me financially.
That being said, I highly recommend you to subscribe, for George Strezov (Surviving Mars, Jagged Alliance 3) will be my guest on the next B-Sides!
Lastly, as every month, I've released a new mixtape over at 8beats Radio. Still with a retrospective focus on the VGM from 2022, I’m taking you to the bar. I insist. It's on me.
The best soundtracks of August 2023
SPRAWL - REVEL
PC
SPRAWL, developed in the US by Carlos Lizarraga aka REVEL
"Boomer shooters," as they are called, are an endless source of great music. Often brutal, true. Often heavily inspired by a whole movement established by Mick Gordon, also true. However, this doesn't prevent some representatives from standing out.
Solodev by Carlos Lizarraga, aka REVEL, SPRAWL embraces a cyberpunk aesthetic straight from the 90s, with Ghost in the Shell notably in sight. A DJ and music producer by training, Carlos naturally took care of bringing his vision to life through music. Nonetheless, it was Hannah Crawford who handled the mixing and implementation of it in the game. An important detail among others gathered reading this interview at 80 Levels.
REVEL isn't fooling around. The soundtrack of his game has the energy of a pulled pin grenade. Backed by unholy choirs, the producer unleashes an array of drum and bass, raucous techno, and industrial metal, to which it's absolutely unsurprising to see the name of Brandon McKagan associated. Yes, the same one we found in the music of Trepang² last June.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
30XX - Cityfires
PC, Switch
30XX, developed in the USA by Battery Staple Games
A sequel to the Mega-Man like 20XX, 30XX is - as you may have guessed - a platform and action game with a decidedly retro feel. No need to click on "Play", you already know that you'll be treated to some well-paced 16-bit music. Well, I'm kidding, go ahead and click "Play". That's why you're here after all.
Based in Seattle, the composer Cityfires hasn't held back, producing no less than three albums to accompany the game by Battery Staple, which, by the way, is warmly welcomed on Steam.
Boss and level themes, of course, but also arrangements dedicated to victories and alternative mixes (like the one presented above), which ensure that listening is done without any boredom and, in fact, without any repetition. I do have a slight preference for the first volume, in my opinion, the most inspired of the trio.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice (Volume 1), (Volume 2), (Volume 3)
Hammer Climb! - Dylan Seibert
PC
It’s Hammer Climb!, developed in the UK by MUG806, Art-Fun Games, Gallow, Dylan Seibert and RottenH20
A delightful surprise from itch.io, It's Hammer Climb! is a small game born from a game jam that's obviously inspired by Getting Over It. The idea? Manipulate a hammer to hoist your character to the heights of the various levels provided. The catch is that the game's physics work against you (and especially against your nerves).
Fortunately, Dylan Seibert has crafted a particularly delightful soundtrack for such a confidential project. Seven extremely well-produced downtempo tracks, each more enchanting than the last.
A young composer to follow, who already caught my interest a few months ago with the soundtrack for Hyper Heist. Drop a like on his Soundcloud!
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Tren - Todd Baker, Ed Hargrave, Tom Colvin, Lisa Devon, Oli Grant, Bogdan Vera
PlayStation (via Dreams)
Tren, developed in the UK by Media Molecule
A true pleasant surprise from Media Molecule, especially as Sony officially unplugs the Dreams project. This "game within the game" where the simple task is to build tracks for your adorable wooden train is a breath of fresh air. Aesthetically first, but also musically.
In the music department, Todd Baker (Monument Valley, Alto's Odyssey) is notably present, with significant contributions from the audio team of the London-based studio. The result is a very rich album, with pop sounds that are gently old-fashioned yet consistently charming. I genuinely had to restrain myself from adding all the tracks to the playlist!
However, since choices must be made, I've settled with the fantastic "The Beginning of the End" for its incredible bridge followed by a memorable guitar solo.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Goodbye Volcano High - Dabu, Brigitte Naggar, Lachlan Watson
PC, PlayStation
Goodbye Volcano High, developed in Quebec by KO_OP
There it is: KO_OP has finally taken the plunge! Three years after its announcement, the narrative game Goodbye Volcano High is among the games that conclude a particularly eventful August for quality indies.
Developed by the team behind titles like Lara Croft GO, Goodbye Volcano High has us embody Fang, a somewhat lost teenager who nonetheless rediscovers the taste for life as the planet is on the brink of destruction. Quite clever to have chosen to give their characters the appearance of anthropomorphic dinosaurs!
For the music, I’m pleased to hear Dabu again, whom I absolutely LOVED for the soundtrack of Dwarf Fortress. Singer Brigitte Naggar lends her voice to most of the tracks (which strongly remind me of boygenius), just like Lachlan Watson, who portrays the main character.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical - Austin Wintory, Tripod, Montaigne, Alex Moukala
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stray Gods, dveloped in Australia by Summerfall Studios
Undoubtedly the game I was most anticipating in August, and it fulfilled its promise perfectly. First endeavor of the new team led by David Gaider, formerly the lead writer on the Dragon Age saga, Stray Gods is, as its subtitle suggests, a musical disguised as a narrative game.
An already devilishly original approach, which is further rooted in a universe where the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology manifest in our world and naturally torment our poor souls. If you want to know more about the game, I refer you to my game review below.
The biggest achievement of Stray Gods, aside from its absolutely incredible voice cast (Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Felicia Day, Rahul Kohli, and more), is its adaptive music design. Supervised by Austin Wintory and aided in writing by the trio Tripod and the singer Montaigne, the composer originally from Denver has created dozens of variations as many possible paths to explore during the game's discovery. Depending on the choices made in the adventure, the tone of the songs as well as the lyrics spoken by the characters change, sometimes significantly.
This explains the availability not of one, but of four original soundtracks, each grouping the songs corresponding to a particular "path." The Pantheon Edition, featured above, nevertheless draws from different response possibilities to offer an optimally judged listening experience by Wintory. This album also includes the score, meaning the instrumental tracks occupying the sonic space between two songs. You will notice the presence of a certain Alex Moukala on some tracks, and you might even recognize the voice of a certain Ashley Barrett in the choir.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice: Édition Pantheon Edition, red edition (badass), green edition (charming), blue edition (intelligence).
Baldur’s Gate 3 - Borislav Slavov
PC (coming to PlayStation and Xbox)
Baldur’s Gate 3, developed in Belgium by Larian Studios
I won't beat around the bush: I wasn't particularly eager to dive into Baldur’s Gate 3. I have no attachment to the franchise, CRPGs are far from my preferred genre, and I've never played tabletop RPGs. These were all barriers to my enthusiasm, which a handful of hours with Larian's new game quickly lifted.
Yes, I'm having a rather unique experience with Baldur’s Gate 3, even though my lack of imagination sometimes makes me want to facepalm. But to get to the point that matters here, the music provided by Borislav Slavov, a Bulgarian composer who has already worked on the OST of Divinity: Original Sin II for Larian, is simply woven from the fabric of the Gods.
There's nothing to discard in this - surprisingly - short 43-track album. Short, yes, when compared to the astronomically long lifespan of the role-playing game. From this impeccable collection, I've chosen to highlight the song "Down By The River," which will accompany you, notably during character creation. Enough to make the very first moments of the game truly memorable. What a feat.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Under the Waves - Nicolas Bredin, Hanging Fields
PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Under the Waves, developed in France by Parallel Studios
A new project endorsed by Quantic Dream, Under The Waves is a narrative game set underwater in the 1970s. The Firewatch of the seas! The new game from the creators of White Night and Eqqo once again enlists the services of Nicolas Bredin, who brings along some compositions crafted by his band Hanging Fields.
Overall, it's a beautiful ambient music album. However, the clever idea was to intersperse a few tracks from the post-rock band to add texture to a collection that might otherwise seem too consistent.
Technically speaking, these are more licensed tracks than compositions specifically created for the game (the track Dust presented above was released last year). Nevertheless, the entirety maintains a delightful coherence and further fuels my curiosity for the game.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood - fingerspit
PC, Switch
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, developed in Spain by Deconstructeam
I confess: unfortunately, I haven't had the time to play the new game from Deconstructeam yet. Nevertheless, I've never hidden my fascination with the project, which completely won me over when I tried its demo a few months ago.
As is often the case, I've turned to the soundtrack to wet my neck before diving into the deep end. And let me tell you, the latest fingerspit fix is nothing short of a marvel.
It's quite simple: Paula creates exactly the kind of music I would have loved to compose if I knew how to do anything other than typing on a AZERTY keyboard.
The album is rich, lasting over 3 hours, blending high-quality atmospheric pieces with post-rock tracks that frequently exceed 10 minutes! A true journey conducive to introspection and the stimulation of tear glands. Undoubtedly one of the most talented composers in the industry.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Blasphemous II - Carlos Viola
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Blasphemous II, developed in Spain by The Game Kitchen
Spain is in great shape this month. After fingerspit, which enchanted us earlier, it's now the turn of the discreet but equally talented Carlos Viola, of course returning to the musical direction of Blasphemous II.
Just as the new title from The Game Kitchen seems to establish itself as a continuation without major disruptions, Viola's new musical effort follows the same way (of the cross).
A little marvel of 31 tracks bathed in a gothic folk ambiance that is both chilling and surprisingly moving. The Spanish composer is a confident melodist, and the chosen instruments to envelop the tracks of the game (numerous strings, organ, and some flamenco-inspired sounds) give the whole a unique flavor, one that is scarcely heard outside of a Blasphemous context.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Support my work by subscribing to NOWPLAYING and discover even more video game music! In the paid version:
An interview with a VGM composer
Get additionnal recommendations
Access a big-ass playlist compiling all the video game music I listened during the month
Vinyl news roundup
August is traditionally the time for Black Screen Records to release its summer compilation. Unfortunately, if you've delayed in ordering your copy, it's already out of stock.
However, that shouldn't stop you from shopping with the German distributor, who once again has gone all out with vinyl releases. Take a look: Bomberman 1 & 2, Guacamelee!, Guacamelee! 2, Quake II (also available at Laced), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (also available at Limited Run), and Cursed to Golf in partnership with Lost in Cult.
Moving on: a vinyl for the intriguing Deliver Us The Moon has appeared, directly on Amazon UK for around thirty euros.
Fans of Ben Prunty's work will soon have a new piece to add to their collection. A vinyl of The Darkside Detective's soundtrack and its sequel subtitled A Fumble In The Dark is coming from Materia Collective for $40. Pre-orders can also be secured on Akapura Games' Bandcamp. Deliveries are planned for November.
Staying a moment with Materia, the announcement of a triple LP dedicated to One Step From Eden ($63, releasing at the end of the year) and Greak: Memories of Azur ($29, releasing at the end of the year) has been made.
Laced isn't letting up in August and offers space enthusiasts a new way to escape with the soundtracks of Homeworld and Homeworld 2 for $38 and $55 respectively. Note that the music composed by Paul Ruskay has also made its way to legal streaming platforms.
At Mondo, they're teasing Marvel fans with the vinyl pressing of the music from Marvel’s Midnight Suns. An LP expected in October for $30.
To conclude, Warframe players will be able to treat themselves to a brand new album dedicated to the music of the game as a service. 3 LPs that follow a compilation already released by iam8bit in 2017, and which can already be ordered from the game's official store for $90. Deliveries expected in September.