Ever since we started games, we knew this was coming but wanted to wait until the new year – welcome to the 2.0’sday Music Dump. It’s just like the normal Tuesday Music Dump from the Regulars section, and if you’re curious, yes, you can pronounce it exactly the same. But this one is for OST’s.
The music of a video game, or really the music of any setting you could think of, really makes or breaks the vibe. For instance, we’ve been enjoying the hell out of Squirrel With A Gun: it’s a decent platformer with a great sense of humor and some really interesting mechanics, but for the first time in our lives, we genuinely had to turn the music all the way down by the time we got to the first boss fight.
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Now, don’t get us wrong, the SWAG OST is interesting, and by most measures even decent – good production, interesting melodies with fun beats, etc. but the way it switches with the gameplay’s various loops can be jarring, and for us it came to a head during a boss fight with our father in a tank while the game absolutely blasts metalcore until you figure things out… which took way longer than we want to admit, and the music made us laugh at first but eventually drove us crazy. We’re still having fun with the game but it’s definitely a good example of how music can affect a player’s experience. We’ll see how it goes with the music at 10%.
Anyway, for these particular dumps, we will do our best to emphasize the more technical or complex OST’s we can find, because, you know, math rock. However, in general we just want to highlight the most interesting soundtracks we can find – it’ll be up to you to determine if it’s actually got the special sauce if you decide to check out the game, so we’re going to try to plug a preview for the games as well. That way you don’t have to open another tab or browser to see what you’re in for.Let’s just see what happens!
Austin Wintory – Eternal Strands OST
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While Avowed might be getting the lion’s share of attention these days in ARPG’s, Eternal Strands is a truly unique, Zelda-meets-Shadow of the Colossus extravaganza with a truly creative soundtrack to boot.
Nora Kelly Band, Milk and Bone, Ruth Radelet – Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Soundtrack, Tape One
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Sure, there’s a hazy, comfy, cozy veneer to this mysterious, band-driven adventure game, but there’s some real depth beneath the surface, and the soundtrack goes way beyond the traditional fair for something like this, in addition to the songs Bloom and Rage perform.
Ratvader – ULTROS OST
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Finally coming to Gamepass this February is the downright eye-popping ULTROS, El Huervo’s futuristic vision is aided by an emotive, one-of-a-kind soundtrack that defies categorization.
MelonadeM – Gar-Type OST
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MelonadeM’s soundtrack for Gar-Type really helps contrast the almost burdensome levels of purple with high-octane EDM blitzes in this goofy but heavy-leaning shoot ’em up. Maybe we can play the game at half speed, along with the soundtrack for kind of a Chopped and Screwed experience?
Plastov – D.A.M. Champion OST +
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You’d be forgiven for expecting a merely serviceable soundtrack for D.A.M. Champion, but that’s not what you get when you pick up this isometric monster tamer – you get a groovy, lo-fi, semi-melodic industrial experience all it’s own.
meltycannon – Spirit Swap: Loft Beats to Match-3 To OST
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Described as a “tapestry woven from the threads of two distinct genres,” meltycannon mixes what feels like familiar fantasy OST tropes with IDM and DnB, so it’s a treat no matter how you’re mingling at the party.
Grayson Barn – 100 Lil Jumps OST
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Somewhere between Frogger and Animal Well you’ll find things like 100 Lil Jumps, deceptively simple little jaunts through physics and light particle based puzzles that you just can’t help but jump into – bit Grayson Barn’s brisk, meditative loops go a long way in keeping you there.
Michi VGC – FlyKnight OST
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Michi VGC’s ingeniously kitschy contributions for FlyKnight’s OST are a perfect pairing, mixing elegance and tradition with occasional stabs of modern melodrama. Be sure to watch the trailer for this one though in order to believe the buzz.
Hannibal Sigfusson – Calcium Chaos OST
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Chaos Calcium is a breezy fun ride through… skeletons invading suburbia and shooting them to bits? Yep – despite the ween-friendly look, the game doesn’t try to be cozy, although it’s main theme, as you can probably hear, almost sounds like a MIDI version of Nnamdï.
Hayden Graves – The Uzujigoku Massacre RE:BIRTH OST
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Hayden Graves’ OST for TUMRE:BIRTH strikes a surprisingly organic sweet spot between the traditions of Resident Evil and Silent Hill while making sure it’s got enough squeaks and squelches to make it into the nightmares of future generations.
Jacob J Ritz, Ian Johnston, Kyle Riley – The Unlife of Gorlak OST
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This hardcore throwback RPG has a soundtrack so spirited it just might surprise you. Despite its outlandish themes and fantasy flavor, the work that went into this OST is undeniable whether they’re trying to capture mischievous clown vibes, high-stakes adventure, or pure SNES nostalgia.
Tore Lehmann – Trimjob OST
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Sorry, what? Oh, right – Trimjob. It’s hard to say what kind of stoner truly fantasizes about trimming their beloved sacrament, but to be honest, the breakdance-friendly, 80’s club OST could easily convince us to take another hit.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)