Have you ever listened to a song which made you want to go out and buy a video game or watch a movie? This happened to me a couple of years ago. I can’t remember what or why (it was probably due to a Reddit post) but I was introduced to a YouTube video featuring the soundtrack to Dustforce. Now, the game is pretty big in the indie scene but to someone like me who didn’t really follow it then, I had no idea what to expect.
Lifeformed – Cider Time
Dustforce
I pressed play and fell in love with it immediately. The music wasn’t groundbreaking or completely unheard of, but it was probably the first time I had ever listened to a video game soundtrack in isolation (no ingame sounds) so I could truly appreciate it. And my god, it was beautiful.
I downloaded the whole soundtrack immediately and burned a copy for my car. I kept listening to the album nonstop.I had fallen in love with a video game soundtrack. Not long after, I finally bought the game. And while the game is excellent on its own, the fact that I loved its music made me enjoy it even more.
Lifeformed – Fifty FPS Forest
Dustforce
Since Dustforce, I’ve been paying attention to video game soundtracks and discovered many other games with music I enjoy. Here’s a sampling of some of my favorites:
Magic Sword – The Way Home
Hotline Miami 2
Perturbator – Sexualizer
Hotline Miami 2
Ben Prunty – Milky Way (Explore)
FTL
Bignic – Tetrapod
Corporate Lifestyle Simulator
Chris Christodoulou – Dew Point
Risk of Rain
M.O.O.N. – Hydrogen
Hotline Miami
24Herbs – Do You Know Me
Sleeping Dogs
Keiji Yamagishi – Ryu’s Determination
Ninja Gaiden