When our hands are busy, our ears are open. Music in games has this way of sticking with us. As we play around in their world, music sets a backdrop for the lives we lead inside it.
In this thread, you’ll be able to share some of your favorite game soundtracks you heard this year. How did it enhance your experience? How did it set the mood? How did it move you? In 2020, like any other year, we got to hear a huge range of styles, from upbeat jams to melancholy ambiance. But no matter what style of music you heard, this scored your experience elegantly.
Star Fetchers: Pilot, which we played for the game club back in June had some INCREDIBLE music. The whole soundtrack owns (listen to it here) but this song in specific is hard to ignore how hard it whips.
EDIT: I would like to, upon relistening to this OST just now, just emphasize that nearly every song on this soundtrack is incredible. VIBES CENTRAL
Is it fair to say my favourite game music of 2020… is just really great instrumentation and remixes on music from 1997? Final Fantasy VII: Remake has a lot of great music, some new tracks - Hollow Skies, always nice to hear something new from Uematsu - and some old tracks, but my favourite has to be the teasing, layering buildup to a near note-for-note, phenomenal remaster of J-E-N-O-V-A.
Umurangi Generation gets the nod for ‘favourite game music of 2020 that isn’t mostly songs from 1997’, though.
Honorable Mentions: Hades does not have my favourite Supergiant soundtrack, but the first time I heard Eurydice and Orpheus sing Good Riddance together was the most emotional I got playing the game; Chipzel’s cover of Gerudo Desert for the Cadence of Hyrule DLC slaps.
100% agreed on the Hades soundtrack. The bulk of it is the rock stuff that works fantastically well for setting the mood but doesn’t blow my hair back on its own. But the vocal tracks, especially that one? Fucking transcendent.
It’s such an interesting collection of space prog that heightens the experience of the game so damn much!
My faves:
One of the boss fight pieces. Some really good drum parts in this one and just like, love me a 7/4 JAM
This plays in the second to last area during the exploring phase. It sets such a calming vibe to the area, which is maybe a mean trick cause I’ve died here a ton! Organ is real good in this piece.
This is the song that leads up to the final boss, which is a several minute long walk in a very stark environment, and this song does so much to create stakes and a mood.
Pixel Puzzle Makeout League has a really good soundtrack and in particular I want to shout out how the music seamlessly changes between the regular and chiptune versions as the game goes between dialogue and puzzles. It’s a really cool effect applied to really cool music.
(This doesn’t have the transition between versions but that song is just real good imo)
On FFVII, I can’t believe I forgot this. But that game gave us the BEST version of one of the most iconic songs in all of Final Fantasy. BIG SPOILERS, blurred.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus has a collection of some of the best video game music of the last 5 years tucked away throughout various modes. For “new” stuff my standout is a pretty good version of an original Uematsu theme; though it has the Fighting Game problem of… the best part is like two minutes in and the match might already be over. They were also kind enough to throw the Emi Evans version into RPG mode.
Persona 5 Royal had a handful of new music, including a new battle theme that may or may not be as good as Last Surprise.
Genshin Impact might be the best orchestral soundtrack that nobody seems to really talk about that much?
Anyways it feels like it’s cheating but the Final Fantasy 7 Remake soundtrack wins for almost making me cry like seven different times. The quality isn’t just nostalgia driven at this point, it’s just an all-time score.
Loved the soundtrack to Blasphemous, this one in particular https://youtu.be/vE1kt4zmd1w
the hunting guitar theme that comes up again and again sets the mood so well for the game
I’m going to bring up Part Time UFO again, really liked the soundtrack which is basically different takes on the main theme, reminded me of some of my favorite Kirby games https://youtu.be/41dphWCxQ10
Was also going to bring up the incredible space funk in Risk of Rain 2
My two personal favorites of the year have already been mentioned, which is no big surprise because Paradise Killer and FF7 Remake’s soundtracks are just so front and center with how much they contribute to both games.
So I’ll just shout-out two other games with low-key excellent music.
If Found… and Signs of the Sojourner don’t necessarily have incredible stand-out songs that you can just pull one out of order and listen to on its own, but their soundtracks as a whole provide so much texture that elevates both experiences from an aesthetic standpoint. They deserve a mention alongside the other great game soundtracks of the year.
