Video Game Music Is Better Than The Music You Listen To

A serene location with a calm soundtrack, a character-defining moment with ambitious music, and a daunting boss fight with an intense and memorable track, video game music more often than not overtakes all other music fronts, given the correct circumstances. Most video game soundtracks range from background tracks to small segmented music, but the other portion, that’s where the goldmine shines.

In games like RDR2, music acts as a way to elevate the ambiance of the dying Wild West, in Risk of Rain 2, the tracks range from the map to map dynamic, going from lighthearted to absolute synth wave magic, and in something like Undertale, the music goes from extremely goofy one note tracks to entire symphonies brimming with spectacle and emotion.

Music, Brimming With Soul

After dozens of hours of riding with the lonesome sun, shooting outlaws, and being betrayed by your own gang, the story of Arthur Morgan is one players might never forget. From his charming demeanor to all the people he met along the way, Arthur’s story is one filled with true emotion, and the same goes for its ending. 

The track “May I, Stand Unshaken“ was played only once in the entirety of the game, and after all the rough and wild west eccentric tracks we had been getting thus far, this one was placed at an extremely pivotal point in the story, and wow, that decision was a perfect one. 

This scene hurts even more knowing Arthur was just, not at his best. It’s sad, tragic, and unfair, and that’s why the track resonates with its player, it talks about the choice and the people who guided him to this godforsaken place, but even against that, he stood as long as he could, against a crashing, heartless world. This “soul” is what gave the track meaning, and from here on the song will always be infused with Arthur’s memory.

May I stand unshaken
Amid, amidst a crashing world

Did I hear a thunder?
Did I hear you break?
I can’t quite remember
Just what guided me this way, oh

Let us look at another adventure through a tantalizing world, filled with monsters and a single human, Undertale. It is a story about choices and their extensive repercussions, and of course, the absolute jaw-dropping tracks that follow it through.

If not for their counterpart games, these tracks would’ve been exactly like many others, without soul, without any background. It is these games that breathe life into them, that make these songs go from pretty decent to near masterpieces. This synergy with music and these moments extend whole-heartedly towards the viewer, giving new interpretations of both the individual game and the songs in question.

Music, Filled With Intensity

Unlike the previous example, sometimes all a song really needs is an upbeat tone with layers upon layers of drums, bass, and an overarching theme of EDM, to take the idea of “intensity” home. Here we come upon Furi, a game filled with moments such as this.

You see, Furi is a game about killing jailers one at a time until you are free from their clutches, and their insane personas I might add. During your journey of slaughter and mayhem, one fight stands out in particular, The Song is the only “peaceful” jailer in the story, and the only one to offer us a choice in this cruel world, but refuse and you take your stance in a fight unlike any other.

the track Make This Right is different from others in the game as it parallels the protagonist’s actions while talking with The Song. It starts slow and calm during the phase of our choice, either to stay in peace or bathe in blood, after commencing the fight, it picks up in intensity. After this, the track slows down one final time, before pushing the entire weight of your choice in cold, hard spectacle.

It is truly a phenomenon in hype and build-up, but some games need music to add to their gameplay experience, for this you don’t need soul, you need metal. Introducing DOOM and ULTRAKILL, two games with similar themes, and even more similar music. Go from room to room incapacitating any and all demons from existence, all the while the sound of an intense metal guitar blasts in the background.

This sort of music is purely complimentary, adding to the overall theme of the stage and the current interaction of the players. The extra kick given from these metallic synergies complements its gameplay extremely well, and might as well be one of the most important aspects of DOOM itself as well.

Music, Filled With Remembrance

There exist some moments people don’t forget, some that are etched into the players’ minds due to their overwhelming significance, these are the junctures filled with the joy of remembrance. After a good 20 hours in the world of Dark Souls, one question beckons the player, what exactly is going on? At the end of the game, we receive not the answer, but a conclusion that creates even more questions, but alas, it is also “an” ending.

After defeating The Lord Of Cinder, the person responsible for many of the events in the game, the cycle created by Gwyn, starts anew. It is at this point that players realize that their journey is truly futile, ushering in yet another loop. Every boss fight in Dark Souls is a symphony, to say the least, but when battling Gwyn, it plays a lonesome piano, something one could never expect from a game such as this.

Looking at something much more calmer, Celeste is a game about climbing a mountain mentally and physically. The rise is extremely dangerous and hard, but at the peak of the mountains, lies a view so majestic, that it makes the hard work look like a small hurdle. And the music complimenting that journey is one to remember.

These tracks are something else entirely, they are beautiful, intense, and overflowing with memories. Although other facets of music have their own unique implications and ideals, to me, video game music will always remain unmatched in build-up, hype sensitivity, and overall enjoyment.