It is time for yet another discussion about what makes this old man enjoy when not just dropping people from one coast to another. Certainly an interesting task, I must say, but not without the flaws of repetitive tasks that, over the centuries, simply become tedious. Thank the mighty Hades I got games to enjoy from time to time, which also help removing the monotonous soundtrack of the waves in my ears when rowing.
Because that’s what I do: I enjoy playing games. I won’t repeat myself, since last time we already had a chat about that (if you missed it, why don’t you check it out to see what I mean first?). And somehow recently, I got to experience something very special while playing: I discovered a game where music really played a huge role to get me into the situations I was going through in-game. It is something that some of us are capable of feeling when playing, but it is becoming less and less common, since the visual aspect of games is coming to a point where it captivates us the most. But this case was certainly exceptional, and so I wanted to come here and discuss with you all about what made this old man be thrilled in an unexpected way.
The game was «Darksiders Genesis», from Airship Sindicate/THQ Nordic. I’ve always been a fan of the Darksiders saga… you know, that dark ambience, fallen heroes in the search for redemption, angry gods with far too much power…I wonder why all stories turn out being the same in the end. Nevermind…So this game was a bet when it changed the type of gameplay all Darksiders fans were accustomed to, and it eventually got reactions about it. Some of it were positive, unfortunately most of them were not. In any case, I decided to have a look at it.
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the game. It actually made me had lots of fun, and was delighted about graphics, style, combat options and others. But what really became a treasure to me was the time when I reached one of the game bosses, Mammon, and got to beat him while something amazing was happening: a background song matching perfectly the type of fight I was having.
I must admit the boss fight was the easiest one I’ve ever had in a game, and therefore that reduced the time I enjoyed the masterpiece the whole scenery was, but in the meantime, I got a clear jawdrop while trying to avoid being hit by this boss’s attacks. The theme («Mammon», you can hear it here if you please) really matched the fast-paced fight where, at some stage, you didn’t even know if you were hitting the boss anymore or just slamming the keyboard to get things going. A playful yet ominous song which accompanied a fight until its end, and which made me look for the song afterwards to make it become one of the pieces I hear almost daily. What a masterpiece! I’m sure some of you guys will appreciate the art behind this combo and be delighted with this soundtrack’s theme.
But guess what…it was far from being over. I mean, the whole soundtrack really deserves your time (thought its composer, Gareth Coker, seemed to be very busy and did not have the time to answer to a comment almost glorifying what he had done with the OST, something which resulted in a bit of anger for a few days from my side…but whatever, I am old and I am allowed to be grumpy at this stage of my life), but there were more of those masterpieces to hear in the game. And guess what: they were all in boss fights. That’s what I call «get the player’s attention at the right moment». I am talking about two pieces mainly: «Dagon» and «Astarte» (you can check them out here and here, respectively). Vocal chorus were simply amazing, the rhythm of the songs was just right, and instruments were right on spot. These two also became part of my daily song list really fast, of course. However, I must remind you all that these three songs became something out of this world when listened while playing the boss fights. That was where the magic happened, and that is where I recommend you to have a look yourself (either through your own gameplay or via YouTube videos).
I know I am just stating personal preferences when talking to you all, but hey, I do have the right to do so, am I correct? Yes, it can be that you guys do not enjoy it as much as I did, but from what I could gather, these songs are also some of the ones the players liked the most about the game (especially «Astarte», which was constantly highlighted as a song with a great ramping and with a final stage being sublime). They were born from creating new concepts of sounds and music for a game which mixed various themes, and therefore I understand the difficulties the composer might have gone through when experimenting with the appropriate sounds. You can read more about the soundtrack itself in this interview with Gareth Coker from 2020, and even witness how «Astarte» became a complex piece to pull together throughout its inception.
With this, I would like to highlight that you might be able to find wonder in something completely unexpected, so never hesitate to play a game which catches your eye, or from which you have heard a great piece of music which could eventually carry you through a certain common in-game situation to a hype-like experience, making a soundtrack take you to a gaming state you could not reach by normal gaming means. And remember the thoughts of an old boatman: music was born to fill a gap between abstract ideas and real feelings using one of our five senses, open your ears and mind to it while gaming, and your enjoyment will reach limits that you didn’t even know they were there.
