In this Spotlight article, I would like to highlight some excellent soundtracks for games I have heard in recent months. They form a wonderful showcase of how far game music has evolved over the years and how it can compete with scores for other media, such as film and TV. It is also the first Spotlight article in which I will be numbering them in order, making this the 14th entry in my Spotlight series.
Hollow Knight: Silksong – Christopher Larkin
Arguably, the most anticipated game to come out this year was Hollow Knight: Silksong, the sequel to Hollow Knight, both of which are games in the style known as Metroidvania. There was some substance to this hype, because, when the game finally came out, the amount of people wanting to buy the game brought down the biggest gaming platform, Steam. Hollow Knight composer Christopher Larkin returned for the sequel, and he wrote an excellent score for Silksong.
In the music for the game, you can hear pieces featuring orchestral music, with some choir, which are amazing to listen to, but the standout tracks for me are the ones done by a string ensemble playing fast-paced, frantic patterns, like you can hear in “Widow” and “Lace”, for example. The whole score is excellent while playing the game, exploring the world and defeating difficult bosses. If there is one thing that could be improved, it is the orchestral cues as they sound very artificial, because, while Larkin asked many musicians to help out on the score, I can hear samples instead of a real orchestra in those cues. It was already known that this game would sell exceptionally well, so for the next game, I would love to hear a real orchestra perform the orchestral cues, because this music deserves it. There should be a budget for that after the success of both Hollow Knight games.
Sword of the Sea – Austin Wintory
Austin Wintory has been writing music for games for over a decade, and he is most known for his first notable score, which he wrote for the game Journey. That game was created by Thatgamecompany, and when its art director, Matt Nava, left to found his own studio, Giant Squid, Wintory followed and wrote the music for the games Abzû, The Pathless and their latest game, Sword of the Sea. The games Nava is involved in all feature unique protagonists who traverse a stunning, fascinating world, and Sword of the Sea fits into that scenario as well, as the protagonist essentially snowboards through a deserted world on his sword, solving puzzles and meeting intriguing beings along the way.
One of Wintory’s gifts is to create gorgeous and fitting soundscapes while these protagonists are traversing through their worlds, and Sword of the Sea is no different. For this score, he opted for a more intimate approach by using just a handful of musicians from his inner circle, along with a viola ensemble and a male choir. Wintory added additional texture by hiring a boy’s choir, which brings some innocence and wonder to the music. It is again a fantastic score, which can be enjoyed on its own, but works even better in the context of the game and its world.
Europa Universalis V – Håkan Glänte
One of the surprises I have found in recent months is the music for the game Europa Universalis V. It is a strategy game that I had not previously been aware of. After some research this made more sense, as the game has not been released yet and is scheduled to come out early this November. While we do not know what the game will be like, we can already familiarize ourselves with its music by Håkan Glänte, who has written for similar strategic games before.
What I love about the score is that, while it has a strong main theme that binds some of the cues together, the majority of the tracks are excellent standalone pieces, performed by an orchestra and choir, and occasionally featuring some medieval instruments. Many of the cues are heavily influenced by classical composers, but several other tracks also have a modern touch. I haven’t seen any gameplay yet, but I do know that players will be treated to fantastic music while playing this game.
