As a few of you may remember, we launched a companion column to our infamous Tuesday Music Dump earlier this year to specifically cover interesting scores and original soundtracks for the great, wide open world of video games.
In retrospect, it was kind of a funny time to do it – as reported by Chris Dring of The Game Business Show just a couple of weeks ago, this year has actually seen a sharp decline in gaming coverage in general. More specifically, there were roughly 100,000 less reported articles on the video game space during the first quarter of 2025.
Of course, there are numerous reasons for this – there’s the mass consolidations in the publishing, development, and marketing sectors for starters, not to mention mass layoffs and rampant underemployment. But some reasons for the decline aren’t necessarily taken into account by any related surveys or censuses – the world is going to shit at a record pace, and journalists, or whatever you might call them these days, traditionally come from a working class background. We’re not talking anchors or public pundits, mind you, we’re talking about the people on the ground behind blogs, independent reporters, magazines, etc.
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For the most part, they’re your regular, everyday people, and that means experiencing the various crises in real time. Daily occurrences of genocide, apartheid, trade wars, political charades, and the general exposure to chaos can be, in a word, jarring. Nine times out of ten, these issues not only makes it difficult to concentrate for the average creative, but makes them question their own motives as well. It’s the same with any hobby – you can’t help but ask if you should actually be doing something else. If there’s something else you could be doing that would make a difference. That might be productive. But nine times out of ten, that’s exactly what they want you to think. They want you to think joy itself is not worth having.
So in conclusion, this isn’t just about getting the word out. This is about maybe, just maybe, giving a positive push to the composers and developers that put the time into something special, despite odds being stacked against them. And if it helps, here’s a little solidarity – on the coverage side, the odds are stacked against us for this article in particular, as we’re picking up from February when the big 2.0 first appeared. Before trying to whittle the workload down with some parameters via Bandcamp and Youtube, we were on page 230 of Metacritic’s list of newly released games when we started… which is just over 7,000 games.
We’re not going to have that many, try as we might, especially since we were shocked to see how overtaken the genre tags actually were by furry dating apps, AI, and, somehow, real soundtracks for fake games. Some of them are amazing, don’t get us wrong – but are they real OST’s? Are we just old now? Anyway, it’s very meta, and definitely worth looking into for another article at some point.
But for now let’s get this speedrun started.
Doom: The Dark Ages – Finishing Move, Inc
We can’t imagine being the ones to step into Mick Gordon’s all powerful shoes, who changed the trajectory of modern shooter OST’s starting with Doom (2016)‘s massively heavy guitar tracks and experimental percussion including but not limited to human bones. That being said, Finishing Move have done a pretty impressive job honoring his legacy, almost reaching Vildjharta levels of crunch.
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Deliver At All Costs – Solid Sounds
This retro sci-fi delivery destruction game has us highly intrigued, but the tracks we’ve heard in the trailers and developer diaries so far are already rewarding with surfy, freewheeling 1950’s tunes.
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Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade – IMBA Interactive
This Edo-period fantasy ARPG looks intensely entertaining, but the music is exquisite, incorporating many traditional Japanese elements while bringing in larger-than-life fantasy flavors with modern production.
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Revenge of the Savage Planet – Samuel Laflemme
Did you know that back when Alejandro Jodorowsky was going to direct Dune, one of his ideas was that bands would be split between planets to compose dedicated themes and atmospheres? Well, that’s almost how it worked out with the even more irreverent (less reverent?) sequel to cult-classic exploration based adventure game Journey to the Savage Planet – same idea, but all accomplished through composer Samuel Laflemme and audio director Cameron Jarvis.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Lorien Testard
Everyone knows that this breakout RPG has great narrative, visuals, and mechanics, but what’s taking a moment to sink in with people is that Lorien Testard’s soundtrack for the game is a similarly immaculate experience. It’s just that it’s so long – the link below is for the full OST, which literally clocks in at over eight hours, presented in three distinct acts.
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Hannah – Adrián Terrazas González
A very familiar name to our normal readers, Adrián Terrazas of acts like T.R.A.M. and The Mars Volta has always been a man of many strengths, but video game soundtracks are relatively new territory for him as a composer. Hanna’s dark, prog-y, Elfman-esque OST proves it’s an exceptional match, and potentially the beginning of yet another exciting chapter in the legend’s career.
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Atomfall – Rebellion
While currently there’s little to nothing to go off of in terms of the game’s official soundtrack, people have been raving about the game’s credit sequence music linked below. It’s a dreary yet warm little waltz of a folk jaunt, and while we haven’t played it just yet, the song continues to pique our interest.
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Split Fiction – Gustaf Grefberg, Jonatan Järpehag
For all of the variety and ingenuity on display in multiplayer masterpiece Split Fiction, it can almost be overwhelming, which is a key element in Gustaf Grefberg and Jonatan Järpehag’s pulsing, IDM-laced soundtrack. The game’s OST gives all the action a consistent heartbeat while illustrating the massive scope of things at the same time, and give the game we’re talking about here, that’s no easy feat.
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South of Midnight – Olivier Deriviere // (Check it out here.)
South of Midnight’s eye-popping fantasy visuals are beyond remarkable, but the bombast of it’s flavorful bayou jazz sections and big band ensemble moments keep it grounded in a history that’s haunting, beautiful, and above all, very, very real.
Deedlee Doo! Carkour! – Erik Ebsen // (Check it out here.)
Who knew that Nate Purkeypile would be following up Axis: Unseen so soon, let alone with something far and away at the other end of the spectrum. Fully made with mouth sounds, real life clay, and a whole lot of heart, we can’t wait to experience this one.
Everhood 2 – Cazok, KM_EXP, Stewart Keller, Lewmoth, Chris Nordgren, CatGod, Beat Tape, Dancefloor Is Lava, INFX // (Check it out here.)
The sequel to 2021’s psychedelic thrill ride catapults players through various arcade-style rhythm mechanics that have to be experienced to be believed, and the same can be said for its soundtrack.
Haste – Karl Flodin, Edrik Lyding // (Check it out here.)
This surreal, soaring take on the concept of speed actually looks like a ton of fun – we haven’t played it yet, but we’ve made it through most of the game’s thumpin’ OST, and we are flying through walls already.
Gorn 2 – Patrick Andrén (Check it out here.)
The visceral VR caged combat game hardly needs any setup, but to seal the deal, Patrick Andrén gave it one hell of a snazzy soundtrack that’s far deeper and groovier than it has any right to be.
Petscop – Rainer // (Check it out here.)
Although the game has been out for years, the friendly-yet-unsettling OST (think Kirby having homicidal thoughts for the first time) is finally available on Bandcamp, although you have to play through it’s A and B sides like a vinyl.
Slice of Sea – The Thumpmonks // (Check it out “>here.)
Another game that’s four years old yet we’re just now seeing it become available on Bandcamp (now as a deluxe edition), if you’re looking for transportive ambience, we can’t recommend this one enough. The production on display takes things to the level of big-budget films and gives the music a life of its own.
Crashlands 2 – Fat Bard // (Check it out here.)
This beautifully rendered isometric action adventure title has a soundtrack that sounds like if Muse dropped the vocals, but upped the ante on incorporating things like film music, prog rock, and IDM – in other words, the game might be a must play, but we promise you, so is the soundtrack.
Virballs – Madsen Studios LLC // (Check it out here.)
Virballs might best be described as Kirby meets Ratchet and Clank, but the gameplay isn’t the only thing that’s a dead ringer for old classics – the expansive soundtrack reminds us of adventure platformers from Jak and Dexter to Banjo Kazooie, where they weren’t afraid to get downright silly with it.
Call of Boba – Tomás Palazzi // (Check it out here.)
This cozy pixel boba adventure is as inviting as it gets, and a big part of the game nailing this atmosphere is Palazzi’s hyper-friendly yet perfectly poignant soundtrack, much of sure to resonate with math rock fans.
Finding Color Pt. One – Pigpud // (Check it out here.)
Pigpud, a codeveloped on the story based exploration platformer Finding Color Pt. One, is also the game’s composer, and it’s a sweetly subdued space jazz feel we can’t get enough of.
Ambidextro – Alejandro Maciá // (Check it out here.)
The soundtrack for this old-school wizard dueling situation is on another level, creating an alchemy of orchestral prog that consistently surprised us.
Rain World: The Watcher – James Primate, Lydia Esrig, Serpanoy, Pinpoint, Snoodle, Intikus, Kaeporo // Check it out here.)
The expansion for Rain World and its OST are finally out in the wild, and the variety on display with the soundtrack is pretty stunning, from cyberpunk and DnB to ambient and noise tracks.
Promise Mascot Agency – Ryo Koike, Alpha Chrome Yayo // (Check it out here.)
An open world mascot management crime drama of truly epic proportions, the game has a beautifully contrasting OST to go with it, featuring two sides from two different composers that flip between classical jazz and pop to stylish film noir.
CrazyCattle3D – Anna Mayberry // (Check it out here.)
Although it’s difficult to believe it came out this year as opposed to something like 1997, you can say the same thing about the OST, and we mean both as a compliment – this one kind of rips like Aphex Twin.
Flocking Hell – Simon Daoud // (Check it out here.)
When it comes to deck building for flocks of lambs and goats… we know next to nothing. That being said, we know that Simon Daoud’s polyrhythmic compositional prowess will certainly not go unnoticed, with a higher higher execution and level of quality than one might expect for a game called Flocking Hell.
Re:Call – Gabriel Nery // (Check it out here.)
It’s exceedingly rare to hear such maximally produced stoner rock and shoegaze elements in the world of OST’s, mostly because it’s so hard to balance with critical in-game sounds, but two years after the game’s official release, we can finally hear it’s isolated tunes in all their roaring glory.
BubbleBeast DigiDungeon – EchoLane // (Check it out here.)
EchoLane’s OST for BBDD is an exhilarating intersection of early 2000’s soul tools, midtempo hyper-pop, and EDM – it might hit like Mario Party on MDMA for some, but for us, that’s just what the doctor ordered.
Vindefiant – Daniel Teles // (Check it out here.)
While the game let’s you use a demon to find and destroy your boss, it’s also worth noting that the soundtrack has a cool ratio of chiptune, piano, percussion, and all kinds of keyboard patches that help create a distinctly dark identity that holds weight on it’s own.
Deepwoken – Naktigonis // Check it out here.
Although we’re not even quite sure what Roblox even is, we can at least tell this game was inspired by various Elder Scrolls games, but also potentially things like Legos and Minecraft. That being said, the OST is extremely pretty and uses a lot of long-timed delays to great effect if you’re sick of streaming Jeremy Soule’s work all these years later, or at least want another option.
Escape from Precinct 27 – Sophie Mongrain // Check it out here.
This gritty, unflinching, and severely sleep deprived point and click adventure has one of our favorite soundtracks on the list thanks to its persistent yet abrasive minimalism. Most of the time, it’s just grimy bass and muted drums, a familiar route to the heart of math rockers everywhere – except for our new favorite grindcore song, “Forced Eyeball Implantation.”
The Midnight Walk – Joel Billie, Bortre Rymden // Check it out here.
This impressive take on not-so-blobby claymation action horror has a heartbreakingly pretty soundtrack to boot, and we hope it’s as appreciated as it deserves to be now that the game is out.
Gunbot Diplomacy – Hernán Marandino // Check it out here.
The very title of Gunbot Diplomacy gives away a couple core plot points of the game, but don’t let it fool you – not only does it have tricky mechanics like deck building and rogue-like loot systems, it also has an insanely metal soundtrack.
(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!)