Games With Atypical Soundtracks
Inspired by a similar list on RateYourMusic. To qualify, a game must have a majority atypical soundtrack (i.e. a regular soundtrack with only 1 or 2 "atypical" tracks does not count).
Entries will be added as they are suggested but Standout Tracks and Write-Ups may come at a separate time from the initial addition.
Open to suggestions.
Entries will be added as they are suggested but Standout Tracks and Write-Ups may come at a separate time from the initial addition.
Open to suggestions.
80 Games
(goznog) [Mega CD]
Genres: Acid Techno, Hard Trance, Electronic
Standout Track: "Track 4"
Composed by Yuzo Koshiro (of Streets and Rage fame), this medieval first-person dungeon crawler has an... experimental Electronic/Trance soundtrack? It sounds like the dinner scraps of Streets of Rage III's soundtrack, and it gives this port a surreal, almost nightmarish vibe.
Genres: Acid Techno, Hard Trance, Electronic
Standout Track: "Track 4"
Composed by Yuzo Koshiro (of Streets and Rage fame), this medieval first-person dungeon crawler has an... experimental Electronic/Trance soundtrack? It sounds like the dinner scraps of Streets of Rage III's soundtrack, and it gives this port a surreal, almost nightmarish vibe.
(GutterTrash) [Sega Genesis]
Genres: FM Synthesis, Acid House, Electro-Industrial
Standout Track: "Big Boss"
Veering in a different direction from it's SNES counterpart, Jasper Kyd replaced the original gothic psuedo-orchestral score with Electro-Industrial bangers that pushed the hardware to its limits. Some of the tracks on here wouldn't sound out of place on modern-day Electronic albums, utilizing big, heavy bass and the nastiest synths known to man.
Genres: FM Synthesis, Acid House, Electro-Industrial
Standout Track: "Big Boss"
Veering in a different direction from it's SNES counterpart, Jasper Kyd replaced the original gothic psuedo-orchestral score with Electro-Industrial bangers that pushed the hardware to its limits. Some of the tracks on here wouldn't sound out of place on modern-day Electronic albums, utilizing big, heavy bass and the nastiest synths known to man.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Atmospheric Drum and Bass, Jungle, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Mysterious Age ~ Dark Ruins"
Despite appearances, Ape Escape is scored with dreamy, relaxing Drum and Bass as you explore these collect-a-thon levels looking for monkeys, which oddly enough, works incredibly well in the game's favor.
Genres: Atmospheric Drum and Bass, Jungle, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Mysterious Age ~ Dark Ruins"
Despite appearances, Ape Escape is scored with dreamy, relaxing Drum and Bass as you explore these collect-a-thon levels looking for monkeys, which oddly enough, works incredibly well in the game's favor.
(Dadhunter)
Genres: Bebop, Jazz
The freeform nature of Jazz inherently lends itself to the dynamic music systems of games, and its a shame few games have capitalized on that. An hour-long series of improvised drum beats that sync up to the actions of the ape in-game, as you run around throwing guards at each other and ripping them limb from limb, complimented with ride cymbals and other miscellaneous percussion sounds for every little action, culminating in a payoff for the credits that has to be seen to be believed.
Genres: Bebop, Jazz
The freeform nature of Jazz inherently lends itself to the dynamic music systems of games, and its a shame few games have capitalized on that. An hour-long series of improvised drum beats that sync up to the actions of the ape in-game, as you run around throwing guards at each other and ripping them limb from limb, complimented with ride cymbals and other miscellaneous percussion sounds for every little action, culminating in a payoff for the credits that has to be seen to be believed.
(snak)
Genres: Atmospheric Drum and Bass, Acid Techno, Ambient House
Standout Track: "Redial"
For a radical change to the Bomberman formula, the soundtrack for Hero is a much more laid back, psychedelic experience, with lots of Ambient House/DnB that provides a warm and comfy listening experience.
Genres: Atmospheric Drum and Bass, Acid Techno, Ambient House
Standout Track: "Redial"
For a radical change to the Bomberman formula, the soundtrack for Hero is a much more laid back, psychedelic experience, with lots of Ambient House/DnB that provides a warm and comfy listening experience.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Speed Garage, Jungle
Standout Track: "Zeppelin 2"
Most infamously known for it's banger of a title theme, Buck Bumble's soundtrack harkens back to the roots of the UK club scene with its Jungle/UK Garage influences.
Genres: Speed Garage, Jungle
Standout Track: "Zeppelin 2"
Most infamously known for it's banger of a title theme, Buck Bumble's soundtrack harkens back to the roots of the UK club scene with its Jungle/UK Garage influences.
Genres: Surf Rock, Rock & Roll, Alternative Dance
Standout Track: "The Big Game"
Covering too many genres to list, Bully's soundtrack feels like the perfect encapsulation of teen movies from across the ages, from 50s Rock & Roll, to early Electronic to late 90s Grunge Rock.
Standout Track: "The Big Game"
Covering too many genres to list, Bully's soundtrack feels like the perfect encapsulation of teen movies from across the ages, from 50s Rock & Roll, to early Electronic to late 90s Grunge Rock.
(turdl3)
Genres: Neoclassical Darkwave, Chiptune(?)
Standout Track: "Successor of Fate"
While the tracks are standard Castlevania affair for the era, the use of the GB PCM soundchip instead of the GBA's more advanced sound system create these discordant, harsh chiptune songs that create this unintentional throwback to tne early GB Castlevanias of old.
Genres: Neoclassical Darkwave, Chiptune(?)
Standout Track: "Successor of Fate"
While the tracks are standard Castlevania affair for the era, the use of the GB PCM soundchip instead of the GBA's more advanced sound system create these discordant, harsh chiptune songs that create this unintentional throwback to tne early GB Castlevanias of old.
Genre: A Capella
Standout Track: "Uka Uka Ice Creature Fight"
Not an instrument to be found in this game except for the human vocal chords. Full of wacky, over-the-top, cartoonish vibes and an infectious energy.
Standout Track: "Uka Uka Ice Creature Fight"
Not an instrument to be found in this game except for the human vocal chords. Full of wacky, over-the-top, cartoonish vibes and an infectious energy.
(Kanonenfieber)
Genres: Industrial, Dungeon Synth, Hypnagogic Pop
Standout Track: "Divinity of the Office"
A deluge of life. A boot stomping on your head forever. A Mandelbrot Fractal of flesh upon flesh. N64-era MIDI compositions put through a meat grinder until it is nothing but pulp. Beautiful in its chaos.
Genres: Industrial, Dungeon Synth, Hypnagogic Pop
Standout Track: "Divinity of the Office"
A deluge of life. A boot stomping on your head forever. A Mandelbrot Fractal of flesh upon flesh. N64-era MIDI compositions put through a meat grinder until it is nothing but pulp. Beautiful in its chaos.
(turdl3)
Genres: Electronic Dance Music, Chiptune, Electro House
Standout Track: "Mausoleum Mash (1-3)"
A rhythm-game/dungeon crawler all about moving to the beat, what's interesting isn't so much the songs themselves (which do do some funky stuff, such as the dynamic Heavy Metal/EDM shifting with World 3's music), but how the gameplay forces interesting musical shifts, such as faster tempos and busier instrumentation in later levels to represent increasing difficulty.
Genres: Electronic Dance Music, Chiptune, Electro House
Standout Track: "Mausoleum Mash (1-3)"
A rhythm-game/dungeon crawler all about moving to the beat, what's interesting isn't so much the songs themselves (which do do some funky stuff, such as the dynamic Heavy Metal/EDM shifting with World 3's music), but how the gameplay forces interesting musical shifts, such as faster tempos and busier instrumentation in later levels to represent increasing difficulty.
(turdl3)
Genres: Big Band, Swing, Barbershop, Ragtime
Standout Track: "Murine Corps"
Perfectly matches the beautiful hand-drawn 1920's Flescher aesthetic that game is going for. Every track is full of that motion and life you'd hear in classic American animation like Tom & Jerry and Popeye the Sailor Man.
Genres: Big Band, Swing, Barbershop, Ragtime
Standout Track: "Murine Corps"
Perfectly matches the beautiful hand-drawn 1920's Flescher aesthetic that game is going for. Every track is full of that motion and life you'd hear in classic American animation like Tom & Jerry and Popeye the Sailor Man.
Genre: Djent
Standout Track: "First Sortie"
Whoever said "This shmup needs a Djent-y power metal soundtrack" was right and they deserve a raise.
Standout Track: "First Sortie"
Whoever said "This shmup needs a Djent-y power metal soundtrack" was right and they deserve a raise.
Genres: Cyber Metal, Industrial Metal, Dark Ambient
Standout Track: "Battle-2 (Battle Music 2)"
A perfect time capsule of that early 2000s edge and sound that hasn't been seen since.
Standout Track: "Battle-2 (Battle Music 2)"
A perfect time capsule of that early 2000s edge and sound that hasn't been seen since.
Genres: Industrial Metal, Aggrotech, Dubstep
Standout Track: "Gotta Go"
Much like the game itself, this soundtrack is a time capsule of edge, of the early 2010's era of Dubstep and hyper masculinity. The vocal tracks on the No Redemption release are where it's at though.
Standout Track: "Gotta Go"
Much like the game itself, this soundtrack is a time capsule of edge, of the early 2010's era of Dubstep and hyper masculinity. The vocal tracks on the No Redemption release are where it's at though.
(turdl3)
Genres: Hard Rock, Calypso, Cinematic Classical, African Music, Swing
Standout Track: "Seashore War"
David Wise has a long-standing tradition of elevating what should be just a franchise about a funny monkey and his bananas by giving each entry the most jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, transcendental soundtracks known to man.
Genres: Hard Rock, Calypso, Cinematic Classical, African Music, Swing
Standout Track: "Seashore War"
David Wise has a long-standing tradition of elevating what should be just a franchise about a funny monkey and his bananas by giving each entry the most jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, transcendental soundtracks known to man.
(turdl3)
Genres: Industrial Metal, Djent, Deathstep
Standout Track: "Rip & Tear"
While DOOM Eternal is certainly heavier, the restrictions they place on Mick Gordon for DOOM (2016) give it a much more restrained vibe. Despite that, the wonderful use of dynamic music woven into each encounter creates a symphony of viscera and violence that really stands in a league of its own.
Genres: Industrial Metal, Djent, Deathstep
Standout Track: "Rip & Tear"
While DOOM Eternal is certainly heavier, the restrictions they place on Mick Gordon for DOOM (2016) give it a much more restrained vibe. Despite that, the wonderful use of dynamic music woven into each encounter creates a symphony of viscera and violence that really stands in a league of its own.
Genres: Thrash Metal, Horror Synth
Standout Track: "At Doom's Gate"
Borderline plagiarized MIDI thrash metal. While the soundtrack is pretty standard affair now, in the context of its original release it's incredibly ambitious and unique.
Standout Track: "At Doom's Gate"
Borderline plagiarized MIDI thrash metal. While the soundtrack is pretty standard affair now, in the context of its original release it's incredibly ambitious and unique.
(folkblues)
Genres: Exotica, Downtempo
Genres: Exotica, Downtempo
Genres: Glitch, Western Classical Music, Sound Collage
Standout Track: "First Chapter ~ Sky"
A nightmarish coagulation of chopped and screwed classical music samples repeated ad infinitum to create a sense of insanity that perfectly complements the nightmarish tone of Drakengard's story.
Standout Track: "First Chapter ~ Sky"
A nightmarish coagulation of chopped and screwed classical music samples repeated ad infinitum to create a sense of insanity that perfectly complements the nightmarish tone of Drakengard's story.
(ryu4)
Genres: Dub, Neo-Psychedelia, Lounge, Psychedelic Pop
Standout Track: "Sanctuary Guardian"
The wonders of childhood adolescence converted into audio form. Lots of sampling and Psychedelic Pop influence here that help Earthbound run the full spectrum of emotions, from the bright doe-eyed joy of discovery to seeing a horror movie scene at a way too young age and being traumatized for months afterwards.
Genres: Dub, Neo-Psychedelia, Lounge, Psychedelic Pop
Standout Track: "Sanctuary Guardian"
The wonders of childhood adolescence converted into audio form. Lots of sampling and Psychedelic Pop influence here that help Earthbound run the full spectrum of emotions, from the bright doe-eyed joy of discovery to seeing a horror movie scene at a way too young age and being traumatized for months afterwards.
(folkblues)
Genres: New Age, Tribal Ambient
Genres: New Age, Tribal Ambient
(folkblues)
Genres: Baroque Music, Chamber Music
Genres: Baroque Music, Chamber Music
Genres: Folktronica, Psychedelic Folk, Tribal Ambient
Standout Track: "Sunbeams Streaming Through Leaves on the Hill"
Composed by a man who can't read sheet music, the use of numerous modulated vocal samples, traditional Japanese instruments, and frankly bizarre song structure creates an experience more memorable than the game itself.
Standout Track: "Sunbeams Streaming Through Leaves on the Hill"
Composed by a man who can't read sheet music, the use of numerous modulated vocal samples, traditional Japanese instruments, and frankly bizarre song structure creates an experience more memorable than the game itself.
(turdl3)
Genre: Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal
Standout Track: "Intersect Thunderbolt"
What is it with shmups and Metal? Incredibly well-executed Power Metal tracks with harpsichords and synth keyboards just going the fuck off. Guaranteed to knock you on your ass.
Genre: Power Metal, Neoclassical Metal
Standout Track: "Intersect Thunderbolt"
What is it with shmups and Metal? Incredibly well-executed Power Metal tracks with harpsichords and synth keyboards just going the fuck off. Guaranteed to knock you on your ass.
(snak)
Genres: Jungle, Drum and Bass, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Plasma Fire"
A compilation soundtrack composed of Jungle/Breakbeat DJs, this mixtape of an OST serves as a great callback to the Y2K aesthetic and 90s club scene, the kind of music that sounded like our idea of the year 2000.
Genres: Jungle, Drum and Bass, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Plasma Fire"
A compilation soundtrack composed of Jungle/Breakbeat DJs, this mixtape of an OST serves as a great callback to the Y2K aesthetic and 90s club scene, the kind of music that sounded like our idea of the year 2000.
(snak)
Genres: Acid Techno, Industrial Techno
Standout Track: "Spook & Spell"
The textbook example of Cyberpunk music who's work its contemporaries would follow in the shadow of for years. That specific niche of music that tried to imagine what the future would sound like.
Genres: Acid Techno, Industrial Techno
Standout Track: "Spook & Spell"
The textbook example of Cyberpunk music who's work its contemporaries would follow in the shadow of for years. That specific niche of music that tried to imagine what the future would sound like.
(turdl3)
Genres: Rock, Synth Funk, Symphonic Metal, Flamenco Nuevo, Electropop
Standout Track: "Born to be Bone"
Composed in part by the drummer of Japanese band COIL, the various enemies fought by U-1 each have their own genre and style going on, composed in a typical call-response fashion to represent each duel the player engages in per level.
Genres: Rock, Synth Funk, Symphonic Metal, Flamenco Nuevo, Electropop
Standout Track: "Born to be Bone"
Composed in part by the drummer of Japanese band COIL, the various enemies fought by U-1 each have their own genre and style going on, composed in a typical call-response fashion to represent each duel the player engages in per level.
(turdl3)
Genres: Hard Rock, Spaghetti Western, Surf Rock
Standout Track: "Smoking Roll"
Rockabilly, Super Sentai, Elvis-sampling insanity that you won't find anywhere else (much like God Hand itself!)
Genres: Hard Rock, Spaghetti Western, Surf Rock
Standout Track: "Smoking Roll"
Rockabilly, Super Sentai, Elvis-sampling insanity that you won't find anywhere else (much like God Hand itself!)
(turdl3)
Genres: Neoclassical Darkwave, Neoclassical New Age
Standout Track: Giselle
I can't really put a definitive genre list down on this thing but man there is some shit going on in this thing. Illegible vocals a-la NieR, lots of orchestral instruments and sensibilities but also some modern-day synths and guitars snuck in here and there. It's all very ethereal and beautiful, if impossible to really nail down in terms of taxonomy.
Genres: Neoclassical Darkwave, Neoclassical New Age
Standout Track: Giselle
I can't really put a definitive genre list down on this thing but man there is some shit going on in this thing. Illegible vocals a-la NieR, lots of orchestral instruments and sensibilities but also some modern-day synths and guitars snuck in here and there. It's all very ethereal and beautiful, if impossible to really nail down in terms of taxonomy.
Genres: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock, Free Improvisation
Standout Track: "Messy Song"
Composed by the game's creator Mason Lindroth, Hylics' OST is a cacophony of guitar feedback, simple grungy riffs, and a general garage rock aesthetic that gives the game an earnest, punk-like vibe that compliments the visuals incredibly well.
Standout Track: "Messy Song"
Composed by the game's creator Mason Lindroth, Hylics' OST is a cacophony of guitar feedback, simple grungy riffs, and a general garage rock aesthetic that gives the game an earnest, punk-like vibe that compliments the visuals incredibly well.
Genres: Big Beat, Turntablism, Instrumental Hip Hop
Standout Track: "Funky Dealer"
Hideki Naganuma's sample heavy beats callback to artists like Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy, fitting with the game's DJ and counterculture aesthetic.
Standout Track: "Funky Dealer"
Hideki Naganuma's sample heavy beats callback to artists like Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy, fitting with the game's DJ and counterculture aesthetic.
Genres: IDM, Gabber, Drum and Bass
Standout Track: "you can't fxxk me (Stage3)"
Hot off the heels of their Deep House/D&B work on Radirgy, Kou Hayashi and Daisuke Nagata were working some real magic in the studio for Karous. Leaning harder into that alternative club style, there's a darker, more industrial tone to the soundtrack, having more of a cyberpunk feel to contract the carefree feel of Radirgy's work. "you can't fxxk me (Stage3)" is an insane piece of Drum & Bass action.
Standout Track: "you can't fxxk me (Stage3)"
Hot off the heels of their Deep House/D&B work on Radirgy, Kou Hayashi and Daisuke Nagata were working some real magic in the studio for Karous. Leaning harder into that alternative club style, there's a darker, more industrial tone to the soundtrack, having more of a cyberpunk feel to contract the carefree feel of Radirgy's work. "you can't fxxk me (Stage3)" is an insane piece of Drum & Bass action.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Shibuya-kei, Picopop
Standout Track: "Lonely Rolling Star"
One of those soundtracks so unique and ubiquitous you couldn't imagine anything else backing the gameplay and aesthetics of Katamari.
Genres: Shibuya-kei, Picopop
Standout Track: "Lonely Rolling Star"
One of those soundtracks so unique and ubiquitous you couldn't imagine anything else backing the gameplay and aesthetics of Katamari.
(folkblues)
Genres: Dungeon Synth, Dark Ambient
Genres: Dungeon Synth, Dark Ambient
(folkblues)
Genres: IDM, Glitch
Genres: IDM, Glitch
Genres: Instrumental Hip Hop, Post-Industrial, Electronic
Standout Track: "Brawlin'"
Composed by Austin Jorgensen with a 30 day free trial of Fruity Loops, LISA's soundtrack utilizes a lot of stock samples and synths to create songs almost entirely out of hooks that are simultaneously funny and at times, horrifying, much like the game itself.
Standout Track: "Brawlin'"
Composed by Austin Jorgensen with a 30 day free trial of Fruity Loops, LISA's soundtrack utilizes a lot of stock samples and synths to create songs almost entirely out of hooks that are simultaneously funny and at times, horrifying, much like the game itself.
(folkblues)
Genres: Ambient Techno, New Age
Genres: Ambient Techno, New Age
(turdl3)
Genres: Funk, Drum and Bass, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Track 7"
Contrary to the Big Band sound associated with the franchise, Sheep Raider opts instead for mellow Drum & Bass and Funk/Rock for each level, which, while unexpected, is a pleasant surprise.
Genres: Funk, Drum and Bass, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Track 7"
Contrary to the Big Band sound associated with the franchise, Sheep Raider opts instead for mellow Drum & Bass and Funk/Rock for each level, which, while unexpected, is a pleasant surprise.
(folkblues)
Genres: New Age
Genres: New Age
(folkblues)
Genres: Ambient
Genres: Ambient
(Goldude)
Genres: Electro House, Electro Swing, Drum and Bass
Genres: Electro House, Electro Swing, Drum and Bass
Genres: Cyber Metal, Electro-Industrial, Drumstep
Standout Track: "The Stains of Time"
High-octane, pulse pounding tracks with dynamic vocals during boss fights give this OST an edge that compliments the simultaneous cheesy and heartfelt tone of the plot and gameplay.
Standout Track: "The Stains of Time"
High-octane, pulse pounding tracks with dynamic vocals during boss fights give this OST an edge that compliments the simultaneous cheesy and heartfelt tone of the plot and gameplay.
(turdl3)
Genres: Jazz Fusion, Neo-Psychedelia, Ambient
Standout Track: "Strong One (Masked Man)"
Due to MOTHER 3's rhythm combat system, the variety of genres on display is impressive, and some of the stuff going on in each composition is wacky (there's a song here with a fucking 29/16 time signature). Masterfully balances sentimentality with the traditional MOTHER-brand quirkiness.
Genres: Jazz Fusion, Neo-Psychedelia, Ambient
Standout Track: "Strong One (Masked Man)"
Due to MOTHER 3's rhythm combat system, the variety of genres on display is impressive, and some of the stuff going on in each composition is wacky (there's a song here with a fucking 29/16 time signature). Masterfully balances sentimentality with the traditional MOTHER-brand quirkiness.
Genres: Hardcore Breaks, Atmospheric Drum and Bass, IDM
Standout Track: "Sin to Win!"
Much has been said about divisive writer Ben Esposito and the juvenile writing of Neon White's characters, but the music is top notch. Pulling in the talent of famed Electronic duo Machine Girl, the high-intensity seat-of-your-pants time trial gameplay of Neon White is complemented wonderfully by the most ADHD of genres, Breakcore; an IV drip of pure kinetic frenzy pumped right into your veins as you run, jump and shoot to shave precious milliseconds off your best time.
Standout Track: "Sin to Win!"
Much has been said about divisive writer Ben Esposito and the juvenile writing of Neon White's characters, but the music is top notch. Pulling in the talent of famed Electronic duo Machine Girl, the high-intensity seat-of-your-pants time trial gameplay of Neon White is complemented wonderfully by the most ADHD of genres, Breakcore; an IV drip of pure kinetic frenzy pumped right into your veins as you run, jump and shoot to shave precious milliseconds off your best time.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Avant-Folk, Dixieland, Acoustic Blues
Standout Track: "Klaymen's Theme"
Infectiously catchy and fully of both whimsy and curiousity, combining nonsense vocals and comical compositions with foot-tapping Blues & Jazz music to give The Neverhood an identity all its own.
Genres: Avant-Folk, Dixieland, Acoustic Blues
Standout Track: "Klaymen's Theme"
Infectiously catchy and fully of both whimsy and curiousity, combining nonsense vocals and comical compositions with foot-tapping Blues & Jazz music to give The Neverhood an identity all its own.
Genres: Neoclassical New Age, Classical Crossover
Standout Track: "Song of the Ancients / Fate"
While the composition is fantastic on its own, the use of the fictional Chaos Language in the vocals turns them into an instrument in and of itself, creating a haunting ethereal quality in every track.
Standout Track: "Song of the Ancients / Fate"
While the composition is fantastic on its own, the use of the fictional Chaos Language in the vocals turns them into an instrument in and of itself, creating a haunting ethereal quality in every track.
Genres: Folktronica, Americana
Standout Track: "Nuclear Throne"
The game's title screen describes this soundtrack better than any words could. A strong emphasis on acoustic guitar and throat singing, the tone can switch from chaotic to incredibly lonely and tired sounding, much like the characters themselves.
Standout Track: "Nuclear Throne"
The game's title screen describes this soundtrack better than any words could. A strong emphasis on acoustic guitar and throat singing, the tone can switch from chaotic to incredibly lonely and tired sounding, much like the characters themselves.
Genres: Dark Ambient, Downtempo, Industrial
Standout Track: "Desperately Safe"
Much like the game itself, there's a subtle undercurrent of unease throughout every track. Incredibly empty sounding ambience occasionally interrupted by moments of life and energy, before being quickly snuffed out.
Standout Track: "Desperately Safe"
Much like the game itself, there's a subtle undercurrent of unease throughout every track. Incredibly empty sounding ambience occasionally interrupted by moments of life and energy, before being quickly snuffed out.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Dark Ambient, Illbient, Tribal Ambient, Ambient Dub
Standout Track: "Utroba Night"
A perfect blend of downtempo/trip hop atmosphere and primal, ritualistic composition. Music that sounds like it's alive.
Genres: Dark Ambient, Illbient, Tribal Ambient, Ambient Dub
Standout Track: "Utroba Night"
A perfect blend of downtempo/trip hop atmosphere and primal, ritualistic composition. Music that sounds like it's alive.
(ryu4)
Genres: Ritual Ambient, Trip Hop, Darkwave
Standout Track: "Plague Awake Here"
Much like its predecessor, this soundtrack feels alive, like its writhing in agony in a cold sweat. Like walking into a sabbath in the dead of night.
Genres: Ritual Ambient, Trip Hop, Darkwave
Standout Track: "Plague Awake Here"
Much like its predecessor, this soundtrack feels alive, like its writhing in agony in a cold sweat. Like walking into a sabbath in the dead of night.
Genres: Hip Hop, Illbient, Trip Hop
Standout Track: "Changing Seasons"
The hip hop and R&B influences are strong on this soundtrack, from the overworld themes to the battle theme, it has an undeniably urban influence. Contrast this with the bizarre and off-kilter tone of many of the Dark Hour songs, and you get a remarkably unique experience.
Standout Track: "Changing Seasons"
The hip hop and R&B influences are strong on this soundtrack, from the overworld themes to the battle theme, it has an undeniably urban influence. Contrast this with the bizarre and off-kilter tone of many of the Dark Hour songs, and you get a remarkably unique experience.
(folkblues)
Genres: Breakbeat, IDM, Drum and Bass
Genres: Breakbeat, IDM, Drum and Bass
(turdl3)
Genres: Progressive Rock, Progressive Electronic, Dub
Standout Track: "Beach"
Former composer and full-time audio wizard Tim Follin is cursed to do nothing but contribute system-bending, boundary-pushing soundtracks to mediocre at best games. A soundtrack bursting at the seams with prog-y goodness and ahead of the curve musical sensibilities.
Genres: Progressive Rock, Progressive Electronic, Dub
Standout Track: "Beach"
Former composer and full-time audio wizard Tim Follin is cursed to do nothing but contribute system-bending, boundary-pushing soundtracks to mediocre at best games. A soundtrack bursting at the seams with prog-y goodness and ahead of the curve musical sensibilities.
(snak)
Genres: Dark Ambient, Drone
Standout Track: "The City"
The sounds of madness. Looping dark ambient samples that play intermittently through your mass shooting rampage. No humor to be found here, just droning, maddening hell. More akin to a survival horror game OST than a twin-stick shooter.
Genres: Dark Ambient, Drone
Standout Track: "The City"
The sounds of madness. Looping dark ambient samples that play intermittently through your mass shooting rampage. No humor to be found here, just droning, maddening hell. More akin to a survival horror game OST than a twin-stick shooter.
(snak)
Genres: Dark Ambient, Industrial, Drone
Standout Track: "Parallel Dimensions"
Composed by Trent Reznor of NIN's fame, the soundtrack to Id's first true 3D outing veered from the heavy metal influence of DOOM and into a much more atmospheric, oppressing feeling through its droning, oppressive ambience and excellent sound design.
Genres: Dark Ambient, Industrial, Drone
Standout Track: "Parallel Dimensions"
Composed by Trent Reznor of NIN's fame, the soundtrack to Id's first true 3D outing veered from the heavy metal influence of DOOM and into a much more atmospheric, oppressing feeling through its droning, oppressive ambience and excellent sound design.
(folkblues)
Genres: Trance, Detroit Techno, Electronic Dance Music
Genres: Trance, Detroit Techno, Electronic Dance Music
Genres: Chiptune, Ambient, Progressive Rock
Standout Track: "Surface Tension"
Covering a wide range of tones and genres, from the bombastic ambience of "Monsoon" to the simple dread of "Moisture Defecit" to the hauntingly beautiful "Chanson d'Automne..", this soundtrack is unpredictable and haunting, an alien world in and of itself.
Standout Track: "Surface Tension"
Covering a wide range of tones and genres, from the bombastic ambience of "Monsoon" to the simple dread of "Moisture Defecit" to the hauntingly beautiful "Chanson d'Automne..", this soundtrack is unpredictable and haunting, an alien world in and of itself.
(folkblues)
Genres: Synthwave, Ambient
Genres: Synthwave, Ambient
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Dungeon Synth
Standout Track: "Waterfall"
One of the longest-running and most famous MMORPGs ever made, Runescape's soundtrack is the perfect match for it's charming, low-poly visuals. The early MIDI sounds of adventure.
Genres: Dungeon Synth
Standout Track: "Waterfall"
One of the longest-running and most famous MMORPGs ever made, Runescape's soundtrack is the perfect match for it's charming, low-poly visuals. The early MIDI sounds of adventure.
(turdl3)
Genres: Industrial Rock, Drone, Noise
Standout Track: "Shapeshift"
Sparse moments of ethereal synths that get drowned out and overblown by grating, harsh Industrial Rock and Earth-esque Drone. Horrific. Maddening. Beautiful.
Genres: Industrial Rock, Drone, Noise
Standout Track: "Shapeshift"
Sparse moments of ethereal synths that get drowned out and overblown by grating, harsh Industrial Rock and Earth-esque Drone. Horrific. Maddening. Beautiful.
Genres: Illbient, Industrial Rock, Dark Ambient
Standout Track: "Fierce Battle"
A hostile world where not even the standard RPG town is a safe haven, the combination of menacing ambient tracks and the hard rock battle themes with nightmarish, nigh-incomprehensible vocals are half the personality of Nocturne, and serve well as a strong tone-setter.
Standout Track: "Fierce Battle"
A hostile world where not even the standard RPG town is a safe haven, the combination of menacing ambient tracks and the hard rock battle themes with nightmarish, nigh-incomprehensible vocals are half the personality of Nocturne, and serve well as a strong tone-setter.
Genres: Industrial, Trip Hop, Noise
Standout Track: "Ain't Gonna Rain"
Unlike the other SH games composed by Akira Yamaoka, the mellow trip-hop and ambience is few and far between here, leaving most of your playthrough to be scored by either scraping metal sounds or droning noise. The most nightmarish soundtrack of the series by far.
Standout Track: "Ain't Gonna Rain"
Unlike the other SH games composed by Akira Yamaoka, the mellow trip-hop and ambience is few and far between here, leaving most of your playthrough to be scored by either scraping metal sounds or droning noise. The most nightmarish soundtrack of the series by far.
Genres: Hard Rock, Ska Punk, Jazz Pop, Drum and Bass, Hardcore Hip Hop, Electronic
Standout Track: "Escape from the City ...For City Escape"
What is probably the most iconic Sonic soundtrack. With each playable character having their own genre of music, the variety on here is insane, from Sonic's Hard Rock and Ska, to Shadow's Drum & Bass, to Knuckles' infamous Hip Hop songs.
Standout Track: "Escape from the City ...For City Escape"
What is probably the most iconic Sonic soundtrack. With each playable character having their own genre of music, the variety on here is insane, from Sonic's Hard Rock and Ska, to Shadow's Drum & Bass, to Knuckles' infamous Hip Hop songs.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Eurodance, Dance Pop, Euro House
Standout Track: "Living in the City"
Before Sonic music became associated with the Alt. Rock/Pop Punk (AKA Crush-40 "Butt Rock"), it was buddy-buddy a lot of House and Electronic music. Despite ostensibly being a competitive racing game, the soundtrack is full of these infectiously catchy tracks that sound like the singles of one-hit-wonder Eurodance artists.
Genres: Eurodance, Dance Pop, Euro House
Standout Track: "Living in the City"
Before Sonic music became associated with the Alt. Rock/Pop Punk (AKA Crush-40 "Butt Rock"), it was buddy-buddy a lot of House and Electronic music. Despite ostensibly being a competitive racing game, the soundtrack is full of these infectiously catchy tracks that sound like the singles of one-hit-wonder Eurodance artists.
Genres: Electronic, Spoken Word, Synthpop
Standout Track: "Spleen"
A compilation of public broadcast sound libraries, spoken word, and obscure 70s bands, making the game feel like a bizarre Hanna-Barbera cartoon designed to haunt your dreams.
Standout Track: "Spleen"
A compilation of public broadcast sound libraries, spoken word, and obscure 70s bands, making the game feel like a bizarre Hanna-Barbera cartoon designed to haunt your dreams.
(turdl3)
Genres: Electronic Dance Music, Pop Punk, Instrumental Hip Hop
Standout Track: "Ink or Sink"
Fitting with the Inkling's sense of fashion and aesthetic, Splatoon's score is full of contemporary counter-culture music reminiscent of classic Pop Punk, as well as dabbling in Hip Hop and Vocaloid-esque EDM, all full of garbled nonsense vocals that add a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that brings the whole thing together.
Genres: Electronic Dance Music, Pop Punk, Instrumental Hip Hop
Standout Track: "Ink or Sink"
Fitting with the Inkling's sense of fashion and aesthetic, Splatoon's score is full of contemporary counter-culture music reminiscent of classic Pop Punk, as well as dabbling in Hip Hop and Vocaloid-esque EDM, all full of garbled nonsense vocals that add a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that brings the whole thing together.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Acid House, Breakbeat, Instrumental Hip Hop
Standout Track: "Dudley Stage ~ You Blow My Mind"
Really bringing the Street to Street Fighter, the urban/club aesthetic really gives 3rd Strike a vibe all its own, blending hip hop and house to back each match with tracks that are both subdued yet full of adrenaline-pumping goodness.
Genres: Acid House, Breakbeat, Instrumental Hip Hop
Standout Track: "Dudley Stage ~ You Blow My Mind"
Really bringing the Street to Street Fighter, the urban/club aesthetic really gives 3rd Strike a vibe all its own, blending hip hop and house to back each match with tracks that are both subdued yet full of adrenaline-pumping goodness.
(folkblues)
Genres: Acid House, Acid Techno
Genres: Acid House, Acid Techno
(turdl3)
Genres: Techno, Gabber, Hard Trance
Standout Track: "Fuze"
Unlike the banger House tracks that scored the first two SoR games, 3 opts for a much harsher, experimental, Industrial sound that pushed the Genesis soundchip to its limits and is in itself, a minor miracle that these tracks even made it into the final product. Absurdly abrasive in a way that many will find off-putting, but fans of heavy electronic will love this thing to death.
Genres: Techno, Gabber, Hard Trance
Standout Track: "Fuze"
Unlike the banger House tracks that scored the first two SoR games, 3 opts for a much harsher, experimental, Industrial sound that pushed the Genesis soundchip to its limits and is in itself, a minor miracle that these tracks even made it into the final product. Absurdly abrasive in a way that many will find off-putting, but fans of heavy electronic will love this thing to death.
(turdl3)
Genres: Progressive Electronic, Industrial, Orchestral
Standout Track: "Niko"
Utterly alien, yet hauntingly beautiful. Frantic and anxiety-inducing chaos that hardly ever lets up. A sound that is 100% undeniably Berserk.
Genres: Progressive Electronic, Industrial, Orchestral
Standout Track: "Niko"
Utterly alien, yet hauntingly beautiful. Frantic and anxiety-inducing chaos that hardly ever lets up. A sound that is 100% undeniably Berserk.
(GutterTrash)
Genres: Big Band, Jazz Fusion, Spaghetti Western
Standout Track: "MEDIC!"
Wacky, over-the-top and bombastic in every way possible, the TF2 soundtrack is tailor-made for the game's aesthetic and succeeds in every regard, delivering on its tone with perfect 60's-tinged Bond-esque jazz.
Genres: Big Band, Jazz Fusion, Spaghetti Western
Standout Track: "MEDIC!"
Wacky, over-the-top and bombastic in every way possible, the TF2 soundtrack is tailor-made for the game's aesthetic and succeeds in every regard, delivering on its tone with perfect 60's-tinged Bond-esque jazz.
(folkblues)
Genres: New Age, Lounge
Genres: New Age, Lounge
(turdl3)
Genres: FM Synthesis, Heavy Metal, Jazz Fusion
Standout Track: "Metal Squad"
Heavy Metal isn't a genre that was super prevalent on the Sega Genesis, so to have a soundtrack full of hard rock goodness with some surprisingly great electric guitar samples and lots of quirks like odd time signatures and prog elements alongside the more mellow Jazz-Fusion elements is a wonderful little treat. The sounds of raw undistilled victory.
Genres: FM Synthesis, Heavy Metal, Jazz Fusion
Standout Track: "Metal Squad"
Heavy Metal isn't a genre that was super prevalent on the Sega Genesis, so to have a soundtrack full of hard rock goodness with some surprisingly great electric guitar samples and lots of quirks like odd time signatures and prog elements alongside the more mellow Jazz-Fusion elements is a wonderful little treat. The sounds of raw undistilled victory.
(folkblues)
Genres: Techno
Genres: Techno
(folkblues)
Genres: J-Pop, Art Pop, Glitch Pop
Standout Track: "Polaroid"
While Vib-Ribbon's central gimmick was turning any audio CD you inserted into a playable rhythm game challenge, the original soundtrack is no slouch! A sampling of noise/industrial-sounding, hyperactive J-Pop, constantly speeding up and slowing down, like a cassette tape on the fritz.
Genres: J-Pop, Art Pop, Glitch Pop
Standout Track: "Polaroid"
While Vib-Ribbon's central gimmick was turning any audio CD you inserted into a playable rhythm game challenge, the original soundtrack is no slouch! A sampling of noise/industrial-sounding, hyperactive J-Pop, constantly speeding up and slowing down, like a cassette tape on the fritz.
Genre: Progressive Rock
Standout Track: "Vertigo"
An obscure Japan-only SRPG, the amount of songs with a 4/4 time signature can be counted on one hand. A pure prog rock experience, composed partially with help by Ian MacDonald of King Crimson fame
Standout Track: "Vertigo"
An obscure Japan-only SRPG, the amount of songs with a 4/4 time signature can be counted on one hand. A pure prog rock experience, composed partially with help by Ian MacDonald of King Crimson fame
(turdl3)
Genres: Downtempo
Standout Track: "Diving"
There's a weird trend of low-budget tie-in games bringing in audio wizards to deliver absolutely insane soundtracks for literally no reason. Ethereal and calm, just like the vast blue sea.
Genres: Downtempo
Standout Track: "Diving"
There's a weird trend of low-budget tie-in games bringing in audio wizards to deliver absolutely insane soundtracks for literally no reason. Ethereal and calm, just like the vast blue sea.
(snak)
Genres: Acid Trance, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Cold Comfort"
Featuring a number of underground DJs as well as a bevy of phenomenal in-house tracks by musician CoLD SToRAGE, the sounds of 90s Trance and Breakbeat go hand-in-hand with the pre-Y2K aesthetic of the game, again, trying their best to capture the sounds of the future.
Genres: Acid Trance, Breakbeat
Standout Track: "Cold Comfort"
Featuring a number of underground DJs as well as a bevy of phenomenal in-house tracks by musician CoLD SToRAGE, the sounds of 90s Trance and Breakbeat go hand-in-hand with the pre-Y2K aesthetic of the game, again, trying their best to capture the sounds of the future.
Genres: Dark Ambient, Drone, Chiptune, Psytrance
Standout Track: "Barracks Settlement"
Short loops of a few notes or chords, repeated over and over until it clouds your brain, creating a thoroughly dreamlike feeling as you explore surreal landscapes and observe the world around you.
Standout Track: "Barracks Settlement"
Short loops of a few notes or chords, repeated over and over until it clouds your brain, creating a thoroughly dreamlike feeling as you explore surreal landscapes and observe the world around you.
25 Comments
oh yeah, also the genesis version of the adventures of batman and robin's ost is EBM for some fucking reason, when the snes one is just gothic background stuff like the show
@GutterTrash Yooo, good shit! I'll look into all of these. Thanks for the suggestions
- Bravely Default - by Linked Horizon (the band that does Attack on Titan OPs) a bunch of orchestral stuff, but varied in instrumentation and the battle themes are symphonic metal that also get somewhat proggy. Maybe too normal sounding for this list though
- Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance - GBA game that uses the GB sound chip (idk which ones even do this other than this) and it sounds dissonant as hell while doing so. Maybe not atypical in the intended sense here though, it's still chip music really
- Cuphead (yeah, I still have to mention it) - big band, swing, barbershop, etc
- DOOM (2016)/DOOM Eternal - Mick Gordon's industrial metal and synthy stuff here really just sounds like its own thing
- eXceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package - like tinny sounding synthy power metal that sounds really distinct. Done by Saitama Saisyu Heiki who really has a unique sound imo
- Gitaroo Man - pretty much every song is a different genre
- House in Fata Morgana - Whatever the fuck some of this falls under. Absolutely deserves to be on here though I can't do a write-up that does it justice
- Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider - Funky, goes liquid funk/dnb at times? Uses all kinds of instruments, is pretty all over the place
- MOTHER 3 - behemoth of a soundtrack with a fuckton of influences and messy time signature variants of each battle song
- Saya no Uta - horror, generally ambient, some tracks get quite noisy, unsure what genres to slap on this honestly
- Streets of Rage 3 - weird sounding experimental techno
- Splatoon (1/2) - another genre hopper, gets jazzy, metally, all the vocals are... Splatoon
- Tetris Effect - somewhat varied, there's like some tribal stuff and jazz though I remember most of it sounding a bit samey still. Maybe ignore
- Thunder Force 4 - jazzy, metally Genesis game
Stuff generally by (personal recs in parantheses):
- Masafumi Takada (God Hand)
- Danny Baranowsky (Crypt of the Necrodancer)
- Tim/Geoff Follin (Plok)
- Dean Evans (Waterworld (SNES))
- David Wise (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)
would qualify imo
- Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance - GBA game that uses the GB sound chip (idk which ones even do this other than this) and it sounds dissonant as hell while doing so. Maybe not atypical in the intended sense here though, it's still chip music really
- Cuphead (yeah, I still have to mention it) - big band, swing, barbershop, etc
- DOOM (2016)/DOOM Eternal - Mick Gordon's industrial metal and synthy stuff here really just sounds like its own thing
- eXceed 3rd: Jade Penetrate Black Package - like tinny sounding synthy power metal that sounds really distinct. Done by Saitama Saisyu Heiki who really has a unique sound imo
- Gitaroo Man - pretty much every song is a different genre
- House in Fata Morgana - Whatever the fuck some of this falls under. Absolutely deserves to be on here though I can't do a write-up that does it justice
- Looney Tunes: Sheep Raider - Funky, goes liquid funk/dnb at times? Uses all kinds of instruments, is pretty all over the place
- MOTHER 3 - behemoth of a soundtrack with a fuckton of influences and messy time signature variants of each battle song
- Saya no Uta - horror, generally ambient, some tracks get quite noisy, unsure what genres to slap on this honestly
- Streets of Rage 3 - weird sounding experimental techno
- Splatoon (1/2) - another genre hopper, gets jazzy, metally, all the vocals are... Splatoon
- Tetris Effect - somewhat varied, there's like some tribal stuff and jazz though I remember most of it sounding a bit samey still. Maybe ignore
- Thunder Force 4 - jazzy, metally Genesis game
Stuff generally by (personal recs in parantheses):
- Masafumi Takada (God Hand)
- Danny Baranowsky (Crypt of the Necrodancer)
- Tim/Geoff Follin (Plok)
- Dean Evans (Waterworld (SNES))
- David Wise (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)
would qualify imo
Oh yeah, there's a Berserk Dreamcast game where they got Susumu Hirasawa (guy who did the OST for the anime, Satoshi Kon stuff, and a lot of his own albums) and he makes extremely distinctive weird sounding stuff
@turdl3 Another behemoth of a suggestion there! Kudos, I'll take a look at all this as well
Earthbound has a few surreal tracks and obscure samples afaik
And as @turdl3 suggested Mother 3 also fits the bill even though i think it's much more tame compared to Earthbound. Another one is Pathologic 2, absolutely insane soundtrack. Ritual/tribal vocals on top of trip hop instrumentation, and there's a couple of unorthodox instruments in there too, one track has a cow mooing at the beginning and the rest of track mixes in the moos with the background instrumentation, the whole thing is uncanny
- Ghost in The Shell - techno
- N++ - techno
- Wipeout games - techno, breakbeat
- Flywrench - jungle, juke
- Quake - dark ambient, industrial
- Postal 1 - heavily distorted short ambient loops played between levels
- Bomberman Hero - drum and bass
- N++ - techno
- Wipeout games - techno, breakbeat
- Flywrench - jungle, juke
- Quake - dark ambient, industrial
- Postal 1 - heavily distorted short ambient loops played between levels
- Bomberman Hero - drum and bass
eye of the beholder mega cd port for sure
https://youtu.be/xhLSXx_rB1o?t=295
it's a dungeon crawler so of course the game is backed by... club music
https://youtu.be/xhLSXx_rB1o?t=295
it's a dungeon crawler so of course the game is backed by... club music
Some other sugestions:
Vib-Ribbon - J-Pop, Glitch-Pop
Planet Dob - Breakbeat, IDM, Drum and Bass
Streets of Rage II - Acid House, Acid Techno
Tetris (CD-i) - New Age, Lounge
Ecco the Dolphin - New Age, Tribal Ambient
Vectorman (Sega Tunes ver.) - Techno
Robots (GBA) - Synthwave, Ambient, Sequencer & Tracker
LSD: Dream Emulator - Ambient (LSD and Remixes are IDM but it's not on the ost)
Kirby: Canvas Curse - IDM, Sequencer & Tracker, Glitch
King's Field 4: The Ancient City - Dungeon Synth, Dark Ambient
Doshin the Giant - Exotica, Downtempo
Lost Eden - New Age
L.O.L. (Lack of Love) - Ambient, New Age, Ambient Techno
Echochrome - Chamber Music, Baroque Music
Vib-Ribbon - J-Pop, Glitch-Pop
Planet Dob - Breakbeat, IDM, Drum and Bass
Streets of Rage II - Acid House, Acid Techno
Tetris (CD-i) - New Age, Lounge
Ecco the Dolphin - New Age, Tribal Ambient
Vectorman (Sega Tunes ver.) - Techno
Robots (GBA) - Synthwave, Ambient, Sequencer & Tracker
LSD: Dream Emulator - Ambient (LSD and Remixes are IDM but it's not on the ost)
Kirby: Canvas Curse - IDM, Sequencer & Tracker, Glitch
King's Field 4: The Ancient City - Dungeon Synth, Dark Ambient
Doshin the Giant - Exotica, Downtempo
Lost Eden - New Age
L.O.L. (Lack of Love) - Ambient, New Age, Ambient Techno
Echochrome - Chamber Music, Baroque Music
I forgot Rez!
Rez - Trance, Electronic Dance Music, Detroit Techno
Rez - Trance, Electronic Dance Music, Detroit Techno
Cruelty Squad has some industrial/dungeon synth sounding shit that no one can really seem to describe as anything except "slurpcore". Also Quake and its Trent Reznor tracks are essential to this list, I will never stop mentioning that game for any reason
I might think of something else, but off the top of my head, Final Fantasy XIII-2 has an amazing underrated OST. There are a fair amount of orchestral/symphonic tracks like the predecessor, but there's also plenty of tracks with electronic beats, as well as splicing rock with classical instruments and features plenty of songs with vocals which is rare for FF as a series, even so far as including rap and heavy metal. It's a surprisingly eclectic set and I'm not versed enough to think of a single unifying term for it all, but it's nonetheless distinct from the rest of the series.
We <3 Katamari?
Oh and that Taz-Mania Game Gear game that has such wildly discordant music that most people think the entire OST is either randomly generated or just an unfixed glitch
Christ that was a quick turnaround on my recs lmao, completely agreed with each description and I'm glad a lot of them seem to fit what the list was going for
Mad Rat Dead - Electro House, Electro Swing, Drum & Bass
Majora's Mask
The soundtrack tends to be just okay, a slight improvement over Ocarina ambiances and folk tunes overall.
However, a great amount of tracks that take inspiration (I counted 11 in the yt soundtrack list), just like the game itself, with brazilian indigenous group Marajoara, who practice a genre of afro brazilian music called Lundu. Just as an example of what it usually sounds like, the inspiration is clear: https://youtu.be/6nJ4AfBXnzQ
Sure, it can be seen as just 'tribal' from an outside view but I think it's neat how clearly inspired by this particular subset it ended up sounding like, specially with the limited resources they had for making music in the n64
The soundtrack tends to be just okay, a slight improvement over Ocarina ambiances and folk tunes overall.
However, a great amount of tracks that take inspiration (I counted 11 in the yt soundtrack list), just like the game itself, with brazilian indigenous group Marajoara, who practice a genre of afro brazilian music called Lundu. Just as an example of what it usually sounds like, the inspiration is clear: https://youtu.be/6nJ4AfBXnzQ
Sure, it can be seen as just 'tribal' from an outside view but I think it's neat how clearly inspired by this particular subset it ended up sounding like, specially with the limited resources they had for making music in the n64
The World Ends With You features a pretty vast variety of Alternative Hip Hop and Electronica, also throwing in some Rock in a few tracks. Standout songs for me are "Three Minutes Clapping" and "Calling"
"Deja Vu" is also a good song to fit in there too
great list! one i always think of is Thief: The Dark Project using intense dark ambient and industrial jungle for its soundtrack. It's one of the few fantasy-tinged games to use electronic music.
Would Tetris Effect count? Aside from covering many different genres, the entire OST is sync'd to your gameplay. It's hard to listen to the soundtrack on its own because the music is so inherently informed by the way you play - it ends up sounding "wrong" on its own because of how different it is.
Oh, Untitled Goose Game would be a great fit for this list!
System Shock 1 should definitely be there, synthwave, industrial and noise (literally) all into one.
GutterTrash
2 years ago
-Buck Bumble's ost is basically entirely UK Garage/Jungle type shit
-TF2s ost is primarily big band type stuff, but also runs the gambit of a lot of other mid 1900s genres, from surf rock to klezmer to western music
-Ape Escape is atmospheric drum n bass stuff
-The Neverhood's ost is bizarre avant garde folk with a lot of dixieland stuff, and all the lyrics are just gibberish mumbling
Pathologic ost is like, tribal illbient
-Katamati Damacy is Shibuya-kei
-Street Fighter 3rd Strike is acid house
-Sonic R is Eurodance
-Runescape is dungeon synth