Image by Flickr User: Christian Haugen (cc)
One of the most wonderful things about game music, and indeed music in general, is its incredible staying power. All it takes is a hint of a game’s theme to bring the entire experience rushing back! I was recently reminded of a old favorite just like that in fact. All thanks to the theme from its first level.
(Video by youtube user:MrBiscuit)
The game, Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues, itself isn’t anything too special, but it does hold some distinction from being one of the few competent games attached to the Jurassic Park license. It’s a side-scrolling shoot ’em up, that tasks players with saving Isla Nublar from T-Rex, Velociraptors, and the private army of BioSyn, InGen’s rival company. The shooting is fun, but it’s definitely the music that makes the game shine. I’ve always felt that it managed to convey so much more than the rest of the game ever could, and this theme particularly stands out in my opinion.
The track is titled “Dark Jungle”. It’s more our less what one would expect for a jungle theme, but it really does fit, and not just the jungle setting of the level. The games sets up the situation as quite dire, and that idea feels at the root of the theme. It’s subtle; dark tones and humming underneath the lively bongo beat and flourishes of the flute. It perfectly describes where you are in the game: alone in a jungle, prepared but with danger looming over more and more with every step forward! Absolutely exceptional!
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What’s your take on this theme? Do you recall any tracks that have stuck with you over the years even though their game(s) weren’t anything special?
I can definitely see what you like about this song. It gives me this mysterious feeling, like you’re in a beautiful location, but you can’t really take it all in because danger lurks behind every tree, and you never know what might jump out at you. Well, I guess you do. Dinosaurs, most likely.
And yes, I can definitely think of songs I loved from games I didn’t particularly enjoy. (Actually, I should write Resonance posts about them, shouldn’t I?) Two songs that spring to mind are from Quest 64, a truly boring game that is home to a few songs I’ll never forget. The Isle of Skye is a simple song that gives the island where it is played a really mysterious feel that I can’t describe. It just makes the place feel so magical, like there is so much more to this place than just what the game shows. The other song takes place in this spooky town near the end of the game that I can never remember the name of. It was really just the first place that made me feel some of the danger the game had been hinting at all that time. In the end, though, I found that the song made the location feel far more important than it ended up being.
Quest 64 is a name that’s popped up quite a bit over the years. I’ve never heard anything good about it, but somehow it sounds like a game most N64-era gamers have played.
What’s the deal with that game?
I got the game because it looked like it would be a fun adventure, based on the cover. And it had quest in the title. Ooh, I’d like to embark on a quest! And then it was more just a kid walking around for weeks on end and fighting stuff. Not much of a quest at all. I keep it for the nostalgia, but not for playing. Never again.