(Editor’s Note: It’s finally out! Below you can check out Part Two of our math rock friendly OST segment – don’t forget to check out Part One here! We’ve included the same introduction here just in case, because it’s not really the important part. We’re cheap like that! Speaking of, if you use Spotify, scroll down to the end of the article for playlists – enjoy!)
You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it more and more – when describing their various sounds and influences, musicians these days bring up things like Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis as much as they bring up other bands or artists. Ultimately, it makes sense when you consider how influential the medium of video games has become over the past couple of decades, and a large part of what solidifies this connection to their audiences is the soundtrack. The extra-dimensional storytelling properties that music and sound design add to the gaming experience is so recognizable that today, thousands of video game soundtracks (or OST’s, standing for Original Sound Track) are available for your collection. In fact, the following list was originally closer to 100, but we’re going to try to pace ourselves, so if you don’t see something expected here, keep your eyes out in the future.
To bridge the gap, we’ve spent the past couple of weeks refining a list of 32 games that we think math rockers of all generations can appreciate. We avoided some of the more obvious series (we nailed down a Legend of Zelda pick in no time but choosing an iteration of the Kingdom Hearts felt impossible), and since there’s already been some excellent research done into the idea of odd-meter music in video games, we’ve combed through Reddit posts, Youtube videos, and countless forums to boil it down to the ones we think you’ll really resonate with.
Remember, nowadays math rock isn’t just about tapping your telecaster and coming up with the ultimate time-signature. It’s got a particular vibe, you know? Call it an overall aesthetic – for instance, is Stardew Valley an orgy of odd-timed, high-frequency boss music? Not in the least. But is it one of the most math rock things we’ve ever witnessed? Through the modern lens, kind of a little bit, but it’s all fun and games either way!
32. Streets of Rage III – Yuzo Koshiro, Motohiro Kawashima
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For every iteration of Streets of Rage, the reception of their OST’s are generally met with rave reviews, and for good reason. They all have their own way of delivering critical hits to player’s adrenal glands, elevating the arcade-style combat to frenetic heights – in fact, picking just one game from a series that’s done so much for the energy of OST’s just seems odd. That being said, while second title in the series is arguably the most popular, the third took the biggest, boldest, and most rewarding risks.
31. Katamari Damacy – Yuu Miyake, Asuka Sakai, Akitaka Tohyama, Yoshihito Yano, Yuri Misumi, Hideki Tobeta
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First time players of the Katamari series often come away entranced, confused, and absolutely infested with benign but persistent ear worms. The series’ main vocal theme is almost microtonal, as melody and rhythm seem to clash in a simple yet eternally modulating loop. It’s a good time, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.
30. Dishonored – Daniel Licht
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The world building and stealth mechanics of the Dishonored series are highly renowned in the gaming community, but a large portion of the series’ identity comes down to Daniel Licht’s shadowy score. When it needs to, it can pick up the pace for action sequences, but where it stands out the most are the curious moments that Dishonored’s score seemed to skitter off the rails into deeply atmospheric worlds of their own, giving a totally separate dimension to the game’s delivery.
29. Persona 5: Royal – Shoji Meguro, Toshiki Konishi, Kenichi Tsuchiya, Atsushi Kitajoh, Ryota Kozuka
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The legacy of Persona as a series and what Atlus has managed to accomplish within it is nothing short of magnificent, and if we’re honest, we wanted to put Metaphor: ReFantazio in this spot to support the next chapter. But given how well that game has been received, we figured that maybe it’s more important to make sure new fans don’t forget where the magic came from with Persona 5’s stylish OST.
28. Hylics – Mason Lindroth
Now, this one likely flew under the radar for a number of readers, but this bizarre PC game has a soundtrack that’s potentially even more popular than the game itself. It’s progressive, effusive, effects-heavy… it’s kind of like if Nick Reinhart tried to make a Brian Eno record, which we think is something most of our normal audience would be into.
27. Neverhood – Terry Scott Taylor
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It feels weird typing this, but when thinking back on our time with this game, we always thought we were weird. There was no way it was as abstract as we remembered it, right? We had to have been viewing it through some warped childhood perceptions. Turns out, it absolutely was as weird as we thought, and the soundtrack is an abrasive masterpiece that may or may not have influenced fellow brain-touched weirdos like Earthworm Jim or Banjo Kazooie.
26. Bloody Roar 3 – Takayuki Negishi
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Bloody Roar 3 contains an almost criminal amount of shred for a video game soundtrack. Imagine if someone like Takayoshi Ohmura or Yo Onityan led Luo or Three Trapped Tigers – you’ve got genuinely insane shred and prog abounding, but also slick, mechanical backdrops for maximum context.
25. Max Payne – Kärtsy Hatakka, Kimmo Kajasto
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The original Max Payne’s heavy handed combination of style and substance made it an incredible experience, but we remember leaving the game on the main menu just to hear the haunting main theme over and over again. The soundtrack is surprisingly well rounded for a mobster noir action romp, and constantly keeps listeners guessing with compound meter and multiple layers of composition.
24. Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Gareth Coker
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Ori and the Will of the Wisp’s OST rivals the beauty of the game itself, and that’s saying something when this was probably one of the most visually satisfying games of 2020. Gareth Coker was brought back for the sequel after the success of Ori and the Blind Forest, and we’re so glad he was, because the way he treats melodies and structure is second-to-none.
23. Xenogears – Yasunori Mitsuda
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The Xeno series is somewhat overlooked in the United States, especially when compared to Mitsuda’s celebrated work on titles like Chrono Trigger andSea of Stars, which we’ll touch on momentarily. But Xenogears still gets a spot on this list, thanks to a number of detectable math rock factors gleaned from things like occasional Irish folk flourishes and transportive, non-linear interludes.
22. Silent Hill 2 – Akira Yamaoka
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Perhaps one of the most unique OST’s of it’s time, Silent Hill 2’s nearly-accessible soundtrack struck a chord with listeners in the same way the game did with players – reference trauma without making it obvious. Which of course, is pop music’s business if you’re to believe the wisdom of High Fidelity, but no matter what you feel like a soundtrack should do, you owe it to yourself to listen to this one, at least once, without thinking about the game, as it serves to enhance the experience when you finally go back.
21. Jet Set Radio – Various Artists
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You’d be forgiven for getting Jet Set Radio confused with its Dreamcast counterpart Jet GRIND Radio or Xbox-exclusive sequel Jet Set Radio Future – apparently the name was changed in the US for the Dreamcast release with the addition of a New York stage and new characters. That being said, the charmingly chopped up beats of JSR/JGR pop off to this day.
20. Crazybus – Tom Maneiro
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In general, Crazybus is one of those moments that could only have happened in the overfunded, unsupervised chaos that was the early 2000’s. We give you a solid minute of sitting through the maddening, minor-second harmonies of the theme alone before you consider leaving the house and never playing games again.
19. Botanicula – Dva
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Even if it was always an indie title, Botanicula managed to cement quite a legacy for itself with one of the most adorable OST’s of its time. Sprinkled amidst the pitch-y banjo lines and haunting vocal refrains are stabs of gang vocals provided by the game’s main cast, making for lovingly disjointed moments that border on the uncomfortable, but by way of experts like Bent Knee and Spirit of the Beehive, so you know they always bring it home.
18. Chained Echoes – Eddie Marianukroh
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The emotionally charged, deceptively complex arrangements of Eddie Marianukroh give one’s ears a lot to chew on, so to speak. Like Koichi Sugiyama of the Dragon Quest series, Marianukroh balances a number of classical influences while also managing to give each scene a sense of distinct importance and memorability. Shout out to Gabs in the comments section of Part One for showing us this one!
17. Earthbound – Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka
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Earthbound’s legendary score almost thrives on disfunction, as burps, squelches, cutoffs, and all manner of glitching noises can be found intentionally spliced throughout. It’s an incredible look at the times when you think about it, as well – not only did the game introduced Nes, one of Super Smash Brothers‘ most trusted contestants, it also helped establish RPG trends like party mechanics and turn based encounters while pushing 16-bit graphics to their limit.
16. LSD Dream Emulator – Osamu Sato
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Allegedly, the entire soundtrack of LSD Dream Emulator is based around mixes of a single track. We wouldn’t have guessed, although there is a psychedelic refrigerator / dishwasher hum that ties the trip together a la Aphex Twin. Either way, there’s almost no actual downbeat at anytime unless it’s a constant pulse, keeping captive listeners on their toes to the point of levitation. Oh wait, that’s the acid.
15. Sea of Stars – Eric W. Brown, Yasunori Mitsuda, Vincent Jones
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Seeing that Sea of Stars is a spiritual successor to RPG classics like the Xeno and Chrono series, it makes sense that this game’s soundtrack was at least partway scored by Yasunori Mitsuda. Beyond the inherent nostalgia of playing / listening to an experience of this style, Mitsuda’s talent for giving each context a sense of spiritual depth is as impressive now as it ever was, and if you listen closely you can hear how Sea of Stars plays with some new palettes.
14. Mirror’s Edge – Solar Fields
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Without Solar Fields’ atmospheric OST for Mirror’s Edge, the game could have been received as an entirely different experience. Luckily, the soundtrack is positively dripping with texture and nuance, layering
percussive loops and swirling lead lines to create an ever-evolving, ever-tastier sandwich.
13. Mass Effect 2 – Jack Wall
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When looking at the Mass Effect series from the outside, you might not read or hear much about their OST’s, but we couldn’t tell you why exactly that is, because Jack Wall’s spacey, highly-textured beds of sounds are the perfect accompaniment for exploring / romancing extraterrestrial life. If you have to start somewhere, and you’re just here for the music, start with Mass Effect 2.
12. Resident Evil – Makoto Tomozawa, Akari Kaida, Masami Ueda
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Resident Evil’s original soundtrack is a far more sparse and disparate journey than the game itself. Not just because things like explosions, heartbeats, and other sound effects have been left, but because there’s an almost shocking amount of diversity on display as well. There’s uplifting J-rock, relaxing jazz, emotive harp interludes, and cloistered sections of drum and bass.
11. Castelevania II: Simon’s Quest – Kenichi Matsubara
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Kenichi Matsubara’s timeless classic “Bloody Tears” from the second official Castlevania may have come out in 1987, but to this day it plays with the vitality of an 8-bit cover of Coheed and Cambria with dueling MIDI-guitar melodies and defiant, propulsive beat.
10. Quake – Trent Reznor
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We spent a few hundred too many hours on series like Quake and Unreal in our youth, but we don’t regret a single one. Other than the fact that, before becoming aware of cooler things like math rock, metal, and punk, the eery Quake OST had us dangerously hooked on darker strains of industrial music before we knew who Trent Reznor even was. If you’re a Nine Inch Nails fan though and still haven’t sat down with this, you might be surprised at how atmospheric and experimental it is for the guy who’d already composed highly popular albums like Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral.
9. Timesplitters 2 – Graeme Norgate
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Believe it or not, there was a brief window of time where you could play multiplayer with yourself and AI, and one of the best to ever do it was Timesplitter 2. While the first one was incredible in its own right, the sequel had better graphics, better weapons, and an even funkier soundtrack that wasn’t afraid to get weird when the levels or character design really called for it.
8. Gris – Berlinist
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Gris is a deceptively simple game, but it needs no trickery to captivate players – the use of color and effective sound design (including the music) arrest players in stabs so vibrant, there’s little left for words to describe. Although the soundtrack sticks to a surprisingly limited palette, the way Berlinist use the available dynamics to compliment the game’s visual storytelling gives listeners a masterclass on space and how to use it.
7. Risk of Rain 2 – Chris Christodoulou
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Simply put, Risk of Rain 2 is not a super complex game. Run, shoot, pick stuff up, repeat. It’s a fun diversion though, and kids make a damn living streaming the thing, but for us it’s just kind of there. However, the game’s OST is shockingly good, and full of compositional surprises we’ll be listening to indefinitely – for reference, check out the 5/8 banger above.
6. Forgive Me Father – Tim Fialka
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When it comes to the fast-paced boomer shooters of yesteryear, it seems like a lot of revivalism is happening there, and honestly we don’t mind. They’re almost always a good time, but even more than that, they almost always provide a soundtrack that fits more metal into it than a naval scrapyard, and FMF is one of the best in the last few years to do it. If you liked Parish, Prodeus, or of course Mick Gordon’s Doom, you’ll love this for the same reasons.
5. Mortal Kombat – Dan Forden
Perhaps the most successful fighting game franchise of all time, Mortal Kombat’s killer soundtracks actually started way before the movie introduced the theme you’re probably thinking of. Even when the percussion in the background keeps a steady pulse, Dan Forden drips and drops sonic layers like a compositional Tetris sequence, and kills it while doing so.
4. Animal Well – Billy Basso
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It’s hard to describe the dank, dungeon-friendly aesthetic of Animal Well if you’re not already drawn in. Maybe it would help to think of it as an even grittier take on Rain World? It hardly matters – as renowned harp lady Emily Hopkins just pointed out in a feature, Basso used a mountain of effects and plug-ins throughout his composition in order to warp, stretch, and undulate even the simplest tracks to maximum effect. However, the same amount of scrutiny was applied to the game’s melodic moments, making for a highly original set of tunes that rarely, if ever, repeats itself.
3. Hollow Knight – Christopher Larkin
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Hollow Knight took 2D-platforming by complete surprise, with developers Team Cherry going from indie hopefuls to indie icons overnight. As fresh as the Hollow Knight’s gameplay was, however, its soundtrack was instrumental in sealing the deal for players only casually into Metroidvanias or platformers.
2. Super Smash Bros. – Hirokazu Ando, Koji Kondo, Kazumi Totaka, Hirokazu Tanaka, Taro Bando, Junichi Masuda, Jun Ishikawa, David Wise, Shinji Yoshimura
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It almost feels remiss that we’ve saved Super Smash Bros for second to last, but let’s face it, it’s almost cheating to include a game with so many themes so stylishly represented. But as anyone who’s ever ledge-guarded could tell you, there are no real rules when it comes to bringing a group of friends and their respective worlds together for a bit of harmless ass kicking.
1. Impaled Mario – ???
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This is a real game, and we figured this would be the best way to end it all… er, the list, sorry. It’s disturbing, antagonistic, and somewhat hilarious if you’ve got a dark sense of humor. Especially if you read the captions that fly by as you assassinate the creators of Mario, Metal Gear Solid, E3, and more. We’re not saying you should play it, or even that the OST is worth mentioning, but we will say you should at least watch thirty seconds of the video above.
Art is crazy, y’all. Here are those playlists:
(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!)