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Your selection of the very best of video game music from April 2023
Some people take days off work in anticipation of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Me? I decided to quit my job altogether. It's a style, but it had become a necessity in a context where the cloak of uncertainty weighing on journalists had finally taken its toll on my interest in the profession.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it's good news. Yes, I've decided to devote more time to this newsletter. A beloved project for a year now, I want to see how far it can take me. Or rather, how far I can take it.
I hinted at this possibility in a Twitter thread last month, and it's going to become effective in the coming days: I'm going to end the program that allows for subscribing at half price. If you want to support me and enjoy my playlists for free, now is the opportune moment to take the plunge! Especially since the next edition of the B-Sides (coming out in a few days) contains a little surprise 👀
Another big news of the month: I am now a resident at 8 Beats Radio! Some of you may have already listened to my first mixtape, but it is now available for replay. I'm having a lot of fun with this. It allows me to rediscover the best of 2022 in terms of VGM. Let me know what you think ✌️
The best soundtracks of April 2023
NEW : From now on, each new issue will begin with an audio medley of the different tracks featured in the selection. This way you can quickly know if you’ll find something to your taste!
OTXO - Lateralis
Available on PC
OTXO, developed in the USA by Lateralis
Forgive me if you were looking for some calm. We'll start with a track, and even a particularly gritty soundtrack composed by the developer himself. OTXO is designed as a Hotline Miami-like game... and let's just say that its original soundtrack doesn't hold back.
We could obviously debate the project's originality, but it's impossible not to imagine headbanging to the fullest while unloading an Uzi in the fiercely polished halls of the mansion that sets the game's scene.
If you regularly listen to the OST of Midnight Fight Express (of which I have actually included a track in my mixtape), there's a strong chance you'll feel right at home.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
God of Rock - Marina Ryan, DeBisco, Whitetail, Tyson Wernli, Fotts
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch
God of Rock, developed in Canada by Modus Games
In the growing family of rhythm games, meet God of Rock. Instead of going for a shooter like so many others, Modus Games chose... a fighting game. More specifically, a versus fighting game. Yes, here it's not just about hitting the beat, but about pressing the right buttons before your opponent to knock them down.
The game features 48 tracks and as many stages to battle on, showcasing young artists like Marina Ryan or deBisco, whose track "La Luna" presented just above immediately won me over with its typical 90s charm and Eurodance mood.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Coffee Talk Ep.2 : Hibiscus & Butterfly - Andrew Jeremy
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch
Coffee Talk Ep.2, developed in Indonesia by Toge Productions
Are the Lo-Fi Girl and the Synthwave Boy (yes, it's a thing) keeping you company during your daily grind? Stop everything and go play Coffee Talk, whose deliciously titled sequel, Hibiscus & Butterfly, has just arrived.
It's still a hyper-kind and well-written visual novel in which you run a café that only opens at night in an alternative Seattle, populated by fantasy creatures, like in Bill Willingham's Fables.
In practical terms, the game consists of listening to people tell you their stories while you prepare lattes and other elaborate matchas, but believe me, it often hits the mark in what it tells. Oh, and unsurprisingly, we find Andrew Jeremy in charge of the soundtrack, which still produces a very pleasant Lo-Fi chillhop sound - even if it's not devilishly original. But that's not really what we ask of it.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Omega Strikers - James Landino, Shihori Nakane, Suherman Suherwan, Nicolas Gitter, et ali.
Available on PC, Switch, iOS and Android
Omega Strikers, developed in Canada by Odyssey Interactive
Omega Strikers, a free-to-play clone of Windjammers, has taken my head and turned it into its ball.
Featuring incredibly talented composers, Odyssey Interactive offers its sweet sport game a very refreshing soundtrack that juggles between musical genres while retaining that summery lightness that I greatly need these days.
The kind of album that gives me a hard time when it comes to choosing just one track to try to convince you… I hope I made the right choice!
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Wildfrost - Paul Zimmermann
Available on PC and Switch
Wildfrost, developed in England by Will Lewis and Gaziter
Maybe a little too comfortable with its difficulty curve, Wildfrost is a deck-building game that can be frustrating for newcomers. It's all the more disappointing because its artistic direction invites curiosity... and let's not even talk about its fantastic soundtrack!
Well, actually, let's do talk about it. Signed by Paul Zimmermann, a promising young German composer, the soundtrack brilliantly blends exotic instruments like the marimba, what sounds like zukra, and numerous percussion instruments that are reminiscent of Theophany's work on the Kena soundtrack.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Teslagrad 2 - Jørn Lavoll, Linn Kathrin Taklo, Marianne Juvik Sæbø
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch
Teslagrad 2, developed in Norway by Rain Games
I'm not familiar with Teslagrad at all, but it's always something to see fans of a franchise smiling from ear to ear at the announcement of the release of the sequel to their favorite game.
Dropped like a bomb during the last Nintendo Direct, Teslagrad 2 comes with a new soundtrack led by Jørn Lavoll and his colleagues Linn Kathrin Taklo and Marianne Juvik Sæbø.
The trio deploys a folkloric music with a Scandinavian flavor, on which a thick cloud seems to weigh. Like a moving nostalgia, which would stick to the heels of the heroes of Rain Games' game, who have definitely chosen their name well.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Star Wars Jedi Survivor - Stephen Barton, Gordy Haab
Available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox
Star Wars Jedi Survivor, developed in the USA by Respawn Entertainment
This is undoubtedly one of the biggest no-brainers of the month: Star Wars Jedi Survivor, the direct sequel to Fallen Order, once again shines with the glow of Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab's hard work on the soundtrack.
Only this duo can rise to the same heights as a Michael Giacchino and hope to do justice to the legendary compositions of John Williams. Never brazen enough to make direct references, the two composers instead deploy all their creative strength to give Cal Kestis' adventure its own breath.
The album is long, dense, and challenging at times as the brass instruments sound strong and the orchestrations fill the space. But my goodness, do we enjoy it
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Genshin Impact : The Unfathomable Sand Dunes - Yu-Peng Chen, Qian Ding, Yijun Jiang et ali.
Available on PC, PlayStation, iOS and Android
Genshin Impact, developed in China by miHoYo
Not to mention the soundtrack of Honkai Star Rail and the latest release of Honkai Impact, the HOYO-MiX team has already produced no less than 137 tracks dedicated to the gacha game Genshin Impact since the beginning of the year.
So here we are with an album as big as a predatory lootbox, featuring 111 dedicated tracks, as you can see in the image, to a desert region in the miHoYo game.
At the controls, as usual, is Yu Peng-Chen but also many other composers who continue to weave a simply stunning musical legacy that is difficult to resist.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Cult of the Lamb: Relics of the Old Faith - River Boy
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch
Cult of the Lamb, developed in Australia and in the United Kingdom by Massive Monster
The tremendous indie hit that sold over a million copies last year, Cult of the Lamb is back with a free content update, bringing along with it five new tracks from the equally fantastic River Boy.
Narayana Johnson, his real name, has taken the opportunity to rearrange some of his soundtrack in different musical styles. The promise matches the offbeat tone of the game, and the result is worthy of the Australian's talent.
I particularly enjoyed this Afrobeat arrangement of the Anchordeep theme. Unexpected and exquisite.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
Minecraft : Trails & Tales - Aaron Cherof
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iOS and Android
Minecraft, developed in the USA by Mojang
We probably don't talk enough about the music in Minecraft, especially the music that isn't composed by C418. Each update of the sandbox game comes with new tracks written by rising stars in the video game music industry.
Lena Raine has been involved, and today we are talking about a composer she often praises. Aaron Cherof, responsible for the OST of Sunshine Heavy Industry (go listen to it, seriously), delivers five enchanting tracks for the latest content drop for Mojang's game.
His signature lo-fi style immediately comes through, perfectly fitting with the musical history of the franchise. It's a great way to raise the bar after the Minecraft Legends soundtrack left me completely cold.
Listen to the entire soundtrack on the platform of your choice.
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L’actualité vinyle d’avril
I hope you all enjoyed Record Store Day! Just For Games and G4F took the opportunity to offer some great discounts on must-haves. As for new releases, our favorite distributors did not disappoint.
Firstly, it's my duty to inform you that Bloodborne has made a comeback with the English label Chipfreq. But something tells me you might want to hold off for a few days and wait for a certain distributor closer to us to restock 👀
Next, let's talk about a discreet but nonetheless tempting release for fans of management games: the soundtrack for Victoria 3 and its add-on content is in the works at Paradox. It's expected to be released in January 2024 and will cost €79 without shipping.
Unexpected but warmly welcomed news for me: Chuck Ragan's soundtrack for The Flame in the Flood is coming out for $24 on an American store. You can probably see where this is going: it'll cost an additional $30 to get it shipped to us. But the record, pressed in only 300 copies, should delight fans of Americana and blues!
I have to admit, I'm completely clueless about the music of Dead by Daylight. But fans will surely be happy to learn that volume 3 of the soundtrack is coming out with Return To Analog for $29 Canadian (+$21 shipping).
For collectors only: a new box set compiling memorable tracks from Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 has surfaced in Asia. You can get it for around €98 with shipping. But beware of potential customs fees!
Mango Mage offers a beautiful album of piano and cello arrangements of the music from NieR Gestalt/Replicant and NieR Automata by TPR and Roxane Genot for €40.95. Unfortunately, as usual with the distributor, you have to add the same amount in shipping costs for a total of €86.90.
But as often, the big announcement of the month is to be found with Laced Records, which will press the Devil May Cry soundtrack in a 2 or 4 LP edition. Black Screen Records distributes the beast in Europe for €39 and €85 respectively, plus the usual €11 shipping.
Also at our German friends' catalogue, we now find the OST for Virtua Fighter, the Mega Man Battle Network trilogy, and a reissue of the Time Once Lost album arranging the music from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask by Rozen.
ANNO: Mutationem will also get a vinyl release from Very Ok Vinyl (distributed by Black Screen Records, €42), and the hypnotic Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk will be repressed (also BSR, €33).
Finally, the recently launched Microid Records has announced its first notable game music release with Nicolas Ferran's They Are Billions. A beautiful gold-colored vinyl to get for €39.99. Out on August 7.