Tag Archives: music

Gamer's Life, General Commentary, Questions

When the Music Misses the Mark

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Image by Flickr user Brian J. Matis (CC)
Image by Flickr user Brian J. Matis (CC)

While playing through Xenoblade Chronicles, I’ve been reminded of the synergy between a game and its music. This game is filled with lush, harmonious, and exciting sounds that play well off of whatever stage you’re in. From music that envelopes you in sweeping plains, ponders the existence of snow-capped hills, and mourns loss in valleys deep and wide, Xenoblade Chronicles has had, so far, a winning soundtrack.

Only then I hit the Mechonis Field, a vast, multi-leveled arena that’s essentially located inside a giant, robotic being. With robot enemies littering various machined structures within the field, the place looks like nothing less than a world out of a science fiction movie. With moving sidewalks and platforms, buttons to activate, and doors that slide open to reveal more things to do and/or fight, the entire level screams “I’m mechanical!” So imagine my surprise when, upon traveling through the Mechonis Field, my ears were treated to the soft/bright synthesized sounds of 1980s sparkles and chimes.

Continue reading When the Music Misses the Mark →

Resonance, Retro

Resonance: Cave of Bad Dreams

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I have recently been in a big Rayman mood.  I’ve been replaying Rayman 3, and I have also been reading a pretty great fan fic for the series called When the Tables Have Turned which I’ve been following for a good year or two now.  Seriously, it’s awesome.  Ahem, well, a time came when her story made mention of the Cave of Bad Dreams from Rayman 2, and I was thrilled and excited at this reminder of a level I enjoyed just as much as it chilled me. Continue reading Resonance: Cave of Bad Dreams →

Resonance, Retro

Resonance: Highland

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Classic gaming at it's finest
Classic gaming at it’s finest

You may recall the post I wrote for the Isle of Skye theme from Quest 64, a game which manages to occupy a special place in my heart despite all its many flaws, probably thanks to a combination of nostalgia and the many, many hours I spent playing the game because I had little else to play back then.  But, what I think really helped to give me warm feelings for a game I’m not even particularly fond of were two songs that really, well, resonated with me.  It’s time for the second of those songs and my favorite of the two, Highland.

Highland plays in Brannoch, the final town in the game.  Brannoch was always a depressing place, I thought, with the night sky and the kingdom’s war-hungry king, not to mention the fact that this place is set within a wasteland the player only reaches after a long and trying trek through the Boil Hole.  The setting does a fine job of giving this place an ominous feel, while its theme plays an integral part in setting the mood and letting you know as soon as you escape from the horrors of the Boil Hole that you’ve nearly reached the end of the game, and things are only getting to get worse.  (It might be interesting to note that this is also the location of some of the only plot in the game.  At least, I think this game had a plot.) Continue reading Resonance: Highland →

Resonance, Retro

Resonance: Isle of Skye

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Classic gaming at it's finest
Classic gaming at it’s finest

After Jacob’s Resonance post on the Dark Jungle from Jurassic Park 2 (the game, not the movie, silly people), he got me thinking about songs I have enjoyed from games that aren’t super great, and the first game that sprang to mind was Quest 64.  I believe I had written posts on the game before, as it has a special place in my heart because of how long I’ve owned it and all the memories I’ve gathered while playing through it.  But, if I’m being completely honest here, the game is just…so boring.

Nevertheless, there are two songs I have always loved, enough that I actually created save files in their respective locations just so I could go and hear them whenever I wished.  (That was back before I knew about Youtube.  Though, actually visiting the location in the game is always better than merely finding a video of it online anyway.)  These songs somehow managed to make the endless hours of trekking and leveling up worth it and are probably the best examples of songs that resonate with me that I can possibly think of, and that is why they must be shared with the rest of you. Continue reading Resonance: Isle of Skye →

Resonance

Resonance: Scorch ‘n’ Torch

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Screenshot by Flickr User: angeltenchi1
Screenshot by Flickr User: angeltenchi1

I know I’ve said this before, but I wasn’t a big fan of Donkey Kong Country Returns.  I thought it was too difficult, and it didn’t stand up to the high expectations I had of a new entry to an old series I used to love.  Well, I have since grown somewhat fond of the game, and I really can’t expect it to compete with the old SNES games, now can I?

Nevertheless, I really wasn’t sure about trying the game’s sequel on the Wii U, Tropical Freeze.  I decided to give the game a chance, however, and was pleased to find that it excels in all areas.  The levels are far more unique and varied, the enemies aren’t as, well, silly (they’re still silly, but I didn’t particularly like those tikis), and then there’s the music. Continue reading Resonance: Scorch ‘n’ Torch →

Resonance

Resonance: The End of the World

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Screenshot from Flickr User: Esperino.com
Screenshot from Flickr User: Esperino.com

Video from Youtube user: Video Game Soundtracks

A little while ago, I wrote about a song called “Night of Fate” from “Kingdom Hearts”, and today, I will be discussing another song that stuck with me from this game, the music that plays in the End of the World.  The song is also found at the beginning of the game, but here is where it is most effective, in the last level of the game and the place containing the remains of worlds that no longer exist, after they were ravaged by the Heartless.  This is a very strange, empty place, most chilling at the beginning and end, with the empty expanse of nothingness, aside from a few bits of stone and a large, bright light when you first enter the world, and the bizarre, narrow hallways towards the end, with images of twisted buildings and trees on the walls that defy explanation.  This is a dead, empty place, and the music makes you feel that.

Without this song playing in the background, this place would still be depressing, but it is the music that helps complete this place, making you feel as empty and lonely as the world you are wandering.  You know if you don’t act fast, other worlds will share this same fate, and you can’t help but feel a despair as you work your way through this world, a despair and a loneliness that eats at you the longer you hear this music, slow and simple, but filled with sorrow, the vocals filled with the empty sadness that characterizes such a hopeless place.  There isn’t a whole lot to say about this music, and there isn’t really a lot to it, but maybe that’s the point.  There’s not much left in this world, either.  It is the result of destruction, the result of worlds brought to their knees by the Heartless, worlds where countless people once lived, now displaced or simply gone, like their world. Continue reading Resonance: The End of the World →