Two horror franchises that have seen their share of iterations in film, literature, and gaming are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Friday the 13th. Both made waves in the gaming industry (for better or worse) in the late 1980s with ill-received releases on the Nintendo Entertainment System. These games are widely considered to be overly difficult and poorly designed, and have garnered a plethora of reviews skewering all aspects of their terribleness.

The soundtracks of these two monsters, however, couldn’t be more different. Let’s take a closer look at the music that propels these terrifying (in more ways than one!) games straight to the bottom of many a gamer’s “must-play” list.

“Friday the 13th”

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Disclaimer: Composed by Hirohiko Takayama, Friday the 13th‘s score gives us a LOT less to work with than Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There’s a massive amount of looping the same tracks during the game, which is pretty scary in itself…but here we go. You’ve been warned.

“Character Select/Room Theme”

We’ll start with the good one. Of only (apparently) four tracks in the game, this one actually has a melody that keeps a player interested. There’s a pretty rudimentary bass line underneath too, but that’s nothing to write home from Camp Crystal Lake about. It’s not unpleasant, which is nice in a game about trying to murder a serial killer before he can do the same to your friends at camp. Doesn’t exactly set the tone, but that’s what these other abominations are for…

“Walking Around”

Okay. Let’s put this in perspective: Friday the 13th wasn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, overly hard on the Nintendo Entertainment System’s processor. It wasn’t the ugliest game (visually), but it could have been better. Suffice it to say the graphics likely didn’t take up the whole cartridge. Long story short, there could have been so much more to the main theme of the game than a mere four bars of “music” that loops near-endlessly until a player either dies, fights Jason Voorhees, or wisely shuts off the console and finds a better game to play. It’s hard to listen to this one, but just wait until you hear the boss music!

“Battling Jason”

There’s not much to be said about this track — certainly nothing positive. It’s grating the first time, and it only gets worse. Thankfully (spoiler alert!) a player only has to defeat Jason three times to complete the game. Granted, that doesn’t mean only fighting him three times, unless he’s defeated on the first try each time. In the best-case scenario, we get to move on to the final piece of music as soon as humanly possible and don’t have to listen to this any more than we have to.

TERRIFYING!

“Jason Defeated”

Well, it’s finally over…or is it? Friday the 13th ends with this tune, and a cliffhanger. “Jason Defeated” isn’t much more complex than the previous two tracks, being just a short piece looping over and over. But like “Character Select/Room Theme”, it’s significantly nicer to listen to.

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

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Since this game has nearly five times as many tracks, it’s worth speaking about more broadly. A few of the entries here are just extended sound effects and not really full-fledged soundtrack pieces, so I’ll highlight some of the better tunes.

“Title”

This one really sets the old-school horror vibe, but ends in a way that nicely illustrates the dichotomy between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That might sound ambitious for such a limited sound chip, but the latter half of the track sort of shifts upward into a happier, more hopeful melody — and it’s a nice touch, particularly for some of the first sounds a player is likely to hear.

“Feuding Couple”

Hear me out on this one. Yes, we’ve got the same sort of repetition that we heard in Friday the 13th. But this one actually serves to set the scene for the game! The frantic pace of this melody excites a player and puts them on edge…and the best part? You don’t have to listen to it repeat several hundred times in a row!

“Elena McCowen”

This…thing (?) stands out due to its sheer dissonance. It’s not good, per se, but it’s strange enough to unnerve a player and create a general feeling of unease — which would be great if the gameplay stood up to the quality of the audio (Narrator: “It doesn’t.”)

“Mr. Hyde Stage”

It’s subtle and sinister without resorting to clashing notes or loud effects. The minor key, of course, evokes a wistful feeling that settles in nicely with the overall aesthetic and theme of the game.

“Ending”

Again, spoilers ahead: Upon finishing the game as Dr. Jekyll (reaching the church where he is to be married before Mr. Hyde can do the same), a traditional wedding processional will play. It’s nothing the player likely hasn’t heard, but it’s nice to finish the game with a happy ending. Note: This is apparently the “bad ending”, or at least, not the best one. For the sake of a complete picture, both endings can be seen below

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FINAL ROUND

It should be pretty apparent by this point that the winner of this showdown is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In addition to being a somewhat deeper game, the breadth of its soundtrack just sets up a horror atmosphere much better than that of Friday the 13th. Not only that, but half of the tracks on the latter are barely even music, looping almost endlessly and chipping away at a player’s sanity. Friday the 13th never even had a chance.

The post Soundtrack Showdown: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (NES, 1988) vs. Friday the 13th (NES, 1989) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Bushiden Soundtrack

Garoad is back at it with another fantastic game soundtrack. This time, Garoad lends his talents to Bushiden, a soon-to-be-released ninja action platformer that invokes memories of Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, and VICE: Project Doom. For those unfamiliar with Garoad, one of his most prominent pieces of work was the VA-11 HALL-A Soundtrack, providing virtual bartenders a kick-ass slew of energetic tunes while they attempted to mix drinks and change lives.

Black Screen Records decided to release only 100 copies of the soundtrack on vinyl, as later batches of the soundtrack will coincide with the game’s actual release date. I just happened to be in the right place and at the right time to secure an order of the record, as it was shortly sold out after I placed my order. The three-record vinyl release comes in a purple-ish marble color and has a trifold sleeve with tremendous art featuring the main character of the Bushiden saga. The vinyl pressing itself is high quality, with evenly mastered tracks for the vinyl format.

For anyone who enjoyed the VA-11 HALL-A soundtrack, Bushiden’s soundtrack is an instant must-have. While Garoad does focus some of the tracks towards a more traditional Japanese Ninja/Samurai sound that you would find in an equivalent genre film soundtrack, the sound is still very much Garoad. Garoad’s signature energy is all there with charging baselines, terrific piano licks, and uplifting energy,

Check out this preview of the tune used in the stage select screen to get a great example of how energetic Garoad’s music is. For anyone who listened to the VA-11 HALL-A soundtrack, I don’t think you’d disagree with me if I said this would feel right at home in the jukebox of the bar in the game.

Those looking to get a copy of the soundtrack will have to wait until they are back in stock at Black Screen Records, but when they are, you can get them at the following link:

https://blackscreenrecords.com/products/bushiden?variant=43814721519882

ABOUT THE GAME: 

Your sister has vanished, and rumors swirl that Gaoh has been resurrected with an evil army at his command. Explore for cybernetic upgrades until you are powerful enough to defeat the diabolic Gaoh and his cybergenetic army once and for all in this futuristic action platformer!

Wishlist the game on Steam now: 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1046920/Bushiden

TRACKLISTING:

A01 Heart of Steel

A02 Light and Dark

A03 The Storm Approaches

A04 Steel Ruins (Prologue)

A05 Specters of the Past

A06 Spirit of Dragon

B01 Stage Select

B02 The Wicked City (Act I)

B03 The Wicked City (Act II)

B04 The Sacred Forest (Act I)

B05 The Sacred Forest (Act II)

C01 Might of the Terra (Act I)

C02 Might of the Terra (Act II)

C03 One Must Fall

C04 Alley Shop

D01 Respite and Reflection

D02 Sinister Science (Act I)

D03 Sinister Science (Act II)

D04 Lost to Time (Act I)

D05 Lost to Time (Act II)

E01 Waterworks (Act I)

E02 Waterworks (Act II)

E03 Fire in the Sky

E04 Will the Light Perish?

F01 Cut Through Heaven (Koi)

F02 Cut Through Heaven (Dragon)

F03 Shadow of the World

F04 Shimmering Light

F05 The Path to Tomorrow

F06 Light and Dark (Instrumental)

The post Bleeps On Wax: Bushiden Soundtrack appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Myself, Joon, and Fanney after the show.

I’ve been itching to attend a Distant Worlds show for a good long while and while this wasn’t my first ever trip to a video game symphony, this was one show that I’ve been looking forward to.  Earlier in the year, I did attend A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy in La Jolla California.  An officially sanctioned show with a smaller orchestra and no video screens to showcase the action from the games.  Even though it was smaller, that show was still amazing to attend and a great date night.  After attending that show with my lovely girlfriend, Fanney, she mentioned how she would love to go to the bigger show, mostly so she could see the game footage and have some idea of what was going on during a piece of music.  As luck would have it, Distant Worlds had a show scheduled in Los Angeles on a night we could both attend.  Tickets were immediately bought and we even convinced our friend Joon to join us as well since he is also a huge Final Fantasy fan.

The general vibe at the concert was relaxing and exciting.  While one would think to dress up in your best when attending a symphony, video game fans have a different approach.  There were people in some amazing outfits and dresses, but there were also some cosplayers walking about and fans wearing the special Uniqlo Final Fantasy shirts.  One minute you would see a couple dressed to the nines, and the next you would see a Tifa cosplayer alongside a group of moogles.  It was fantastic to see and nothing felt out of place.  Even with me in my Final Fantasy I t-shirt, I didn’t feel underdressed.  All the attendees were there to enjoy music from one of our favorite video game franchises and just enjoy the night.  If there was one thing I do regret, it’s that I didn’t get to the theater early enough to buy some merchandise.  We arrived at the Microsoft Theater about half an hour before the show was set to start and the merchandise line was incredibly long.  Refreshments were almost as long as the merchandise and a few items I was hoping to get did sell out.  So pro-tip for anyone wanting to attend a Distant Worlds show if you want the merchandise you need to get there EARLY.  Do not underestimate Final Fantasy fans for they will get the goods.  While I was lucky enough to walk away with a shirt and a music box, I missed out on some other items.

Orchestra playing To Zanarkand

The show started with the Prelude playing and immediately I was giddy and had an uncontrollable smile on my face.  The screens showed off the beautiful logo for the show as well as clips from a myriad of games.  Even if you weren’t familiar with all the games the conductor, Arnie Roth, would get on a microphone and tell the audience the songs and which game they were from.  A beautiful logo of the said game would come up on screen and the orchestra would play about 2 or 3 songs from each game.  They started with the original Final Fantasy and mostly worked their way in numerical order, only going out of order in the second half of the show.  For the first half what struck me as a bit odd but made some commercial sense was that the footage being shown for games I-VI was all from the Pixel Remasters.  No original NES footage, no PSP footage, and no DS footage.  I can only assume this is because Square wants to push the Pixel Remasters and this would be the way to do it, even though the graphics and art style of the PSP games are beautifully detailed.  Aside from the footage, what I did appreciate was how they weren’t afraid to throw in a little joke when the moment arose.  While playing songs from Final Fantasy IV, the infamous “Spoony Bard” line came up on the screen.  Not only that but while playing Phantom Train from Final Fantasy VI, a shot of Sabin throwing the Phantom Train got a huge laugh from the audience.

While I highly enjoyed the first half of the show, you could tell the audience was itching for music from the later games.  Not to say the first half was boring, but you could feel the room’s energy rise when the show’s second half began.  the second half started with Final Fantasy VIII‘s Liberi Fatali and went right into Aerith’s Theme where I will freely admit to getting a tad emotional.  As an added treat Yoko Shimomura (the composer for Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV) was in the audience and when it was time to play one of her songs, the audience erupted.  The song they played was Apocalypsis Noctis and talk about hype.  There were times in the show when the game footage didn’t sync up with the music, meaning the action on screen felt out of place, but with Apocalypsis Noctis it did 100%.  Not only was Yoko Shimomura in the audience, but for the Final Fantasy X number they brought out Ritsuki Nakano to sing Suteki da ne (Isn’t It Wonderful).  For those wondering, Suteki da ne is the song sung when Tidus and Yuna share their first kiss in the game and Nakano is the original singer.  This was quite possibly the most beautiful moment in the show.  I was constantly watching her sing and looking up at the screen to see scenes of Tidus and Yuna and I could’ve sworn I heard some people around me crying.  A touching moment to be sure and somehow a fitting place to bring in the main theme of Final Fantasy.  While the orchestra was playing this classic song, the credits were rolling on screen and it just felt right.  Even though I knew the show wasn’t over, there was still the encore, but it felt like I was watching the end credits of a game.  I went on a journey through 35 years of Final Fantasy music and this was the end.

An iconic shot at the end of One Winged Angel.

Of course, it wasn’t the end as my girlfriend was next to me wondering when they would play One Winged Angel.  We were treated not only with one encore song but 2, and the first one they played was To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X.  A true fan favorite and one of the songs I was hoping to hear that night.  Like any great performance, they saved the best for last.  After the applause from Zanarkand was over, the chorus immediately stood up and we all knew what was going to play next.  Video recording and photos were allowed during the performance and while my phone stayed in my pocket for 99% of the show, this was the exception.  The opening notes were met with cheers from the audience and then silence as we all basked in the glory that was One Winged Angel, the most famous song from Final Fantasy.  I’ve heard this song plenty of times, but listening to it live was surreal.  This was also when the footage deviated from showing game footage and instead showed footage from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.  I was thinking they would show footage from the remake but it was nice to see Advent Children get some love.

Once the show was over there were 2 things I wanted to do right when I got home.  Play some Final Fantasy games and look up tickets for the next show.  It was such a fantastic night that I’m eagerly awaiting the next show in Los Angeles.  It’s not just the Final Fantasy show I’ll be looking forward to.  Video game concerts and symphonies have become a more common occurrence so that one doesn’t have to wait too long for the next show.  While you may still have to wait for a bit and do some research for a particular game/franchise to have a concert, going to a show like this live is worth it.  It gave me a deeper appreciation for the games and strengthened my desire to play them and experience the music firsthand.  If you’ve never been to a Distant Worlds show then I’d highly recommend that you go and experience it for yourself.

Three extremely happy fans at the end of the show. Myself, Fanney, and Joon.

The post A Night In Distant Worlds appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

The post The Top 5 Old School Video Game Soundtracks appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

I had always known that full studio produced tracks for the release of Mother/Earthbound Origins existed, but I had only heard small bits and pieces of some of the tracks. When I picked up this record, I expected just a high-quality recording of the music from the Famicom classic; but instead, I got so much more. Let me be honest, these lyrical, studio-produced music tracks are pretty cheesy; but somehow hit me right in the heart with almost every track. For a game that was made to capture the essence of the mid to late ’80s in the United States, these arranged tracks manage to do the same thing. I could have easily heard music like this when I turned my radio on in the ’80s and not thought it was out of place. The arranged tracks range from genre to genre; sometimes you get a little pop music, and other times you get something that seems straight out of a Peter Gabriel album, but it’s all very well done and sounds fantastic on the format. Side D on the second record gives you the original music from the Famicom game, and it flows excellently in its constant mix presentation.

This two record LP set from Ship to Shore Phono Company is beautifully produced and comes on two gorgeous red vinyl discs, along with an excellent gatefold cover. The version I was given included a booklet which provides a fascinating history of the production of the music from this album and a thank you page devoted to the fans who backed the initial Kickstarter to fund this project.

Regrettably, the red double LP version of this soundtrack is out of print, but you can still pick up a pink vinyl pressing of the record or a CD version of this directly from Ship to Shore as of the publishing time of this article. If you are a fan of Mother or Earthbound and don’t have some version of this music in your library yet, I suggest you pick it up!

Mother Soundtrack CD/Vinyl: https://www.shiptoshoremedia.com/store/albums/mother

The post Mother/Earthbound Origins 2X LP Soundtrack Review appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Nearly entirely different from the SNES score (only sharing “Metropolis”), the ten-song soundtrack is great. Each track helps tell the story that you get to build (just like later SimCity releases), but is even more stripped-down and raw, due to the hardware limitations. It’s a fantastic precursor to what became a fantastic game series, and can be heard in its entirety below. Happy listening!

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The post Sound Bytes: NES SimCity Prototype (NES, Unreleased) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

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Disclaimer: There are many, many tracks that fit in this category, but we’re only covering a select few this time around. Comment below if you feel we missed something important!

“Cool Cool Mountain” (Super Mario 64)

Immediately upbeat, this snappy tune brings some of the best of Koji Kondo’s compositions to Super Mario 64. Granted, he’s amassed a huge pile of excellent music, but this one’s always been a winter favorite. If you listen closely, it’s very similar to “Slider”, but with much less banjo and fiddle, and a lot more sleigh bell. It’s more easygoing than its frantic sibling, but in a good way. The atmosphere is much more inviting and less “GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!”

“Frappe Snowland” (Mario Kart 64)

Just as easy to tap your toes to, “Frappe Snowland” is chilled-out (pun intended) enough to still allow a player to focus on driving on ice tracks without being too terribly distracting. It’s not loud. it’s not overbearing. It doesn’t make you forget about the godforsaken ice physics nobody ever asked for in any game ever. It’s just a nice, simple song that helps you get through snowy levels, and that’s wonderful in and of itself.

You’ll be seeing this a lot. Ice physics are, objectively, the worst.

“Chill Penguin” (Mega Man X)

Being the first Maverick many players face when starting a new playthrough of Mega Man X, Chill Penguin’s theme pairs an excellent melody with the futuristic rhythm section we’ve come to expect from the X series. It sets the scene for an early boss fight well. It doesn’t exactly conform to traditional “winter” music; there are no sleigh bells, but then again, Chill Penguin’s stage isn’t meant to evoke a happy, cozy feeling. There are more overt antagonistic forces at work in the level (and the game overall), and it shows in the tone.

“Jangle Bells” (Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!)

It should be noted that this track, under normal circumstances, does not appear during standard play. It can only be accessed by entering a special code at DKC 3’s sound test screen. It’s not hard to hear the similarities between “Jangle Bells” and pre-existing holiday tunes like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, but the comparisons are welcome. Once the cheat code is activated, not only will “Jangle Bells” play; bananas and in bonus levels will be replaced with presents and ornaments, thus making the festivity more complete. The song itself heavily features saxophones and tubular bells, which further push it into the winter/holiday style.

“Mountain Village” (The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask)

This track, much like the game whence it comes, is sort of a black sheep among its equals. It’s very simple, but even without its context, portrays loneliness and bleakness to a degree that truly enhances immersion. It’s a favorite not because of its festivity or happiness, but because it represents the other side of winter: the cold, unforgiving snow and wind and the initial futility of trying to resist them. It’s not unpleasant by any means…but as they say, variety is the spice of life!

“Ice Cave Chant” (Donkey Kong Country)

Touching on a game we covered earlier this year, we’ll keep this one brief. This one is another classic Rareware tune, composed by Eveline Fischer (not David Wise, who composed the majority of the other songs in the game). Its catchy melody only takes a few seconds to kick in after the strings intro, and it’s just a fun song to groove to.

Unfortunately, “Ice Cave Chant” does little to answer the question, “Why are there bees, though?”

“Freezeezy Mountain” (Banjo-Kazooie)

If there seems to be a pattern here, blame Rare. This one’s composed by Grant Kirkhope, and it doesn’t fail to amaze. The Nintendo 64 had some excellent platformers, and it only makes sense for the music to be just as good (if not better, in some cases) as the gameplay. Featuring a wide array of instruments (a horn section, flutes, and the nearly-compulsory sleigh bells), “Freezeezy Mountain” is laid-back at times, and sweepingly melodic at others. Its dynamics help create a wintry wonderland for Banjo the bear and his feathered friend Kazooie to play around in.

Overall, the ’90s were great for winter themes in Nintendo video games, and the accompanying tracks were no different. Happy holidays from Old School Gamer Magazine, and as always, stay tuned for more excellent old-school and retro gaming news and reviews!

The post Soundtrack Roundup: Nintendo’s ’90s Winter Music appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

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“Title”

The main theme of Dungeon Explorer has a nice, driving tempo to draw a player in. It’s suitably epic for a medieval fantasy game, and is complex enough to keep things interesting before the game starts. It’s a little ominous — which is fitting; a dungeon crawler usually isn’t overly cheery, after all.

“Bar”

It’s relaxing! This tune is a little more fast-paced than the title theme, but it does a better job of evoking the image of a specific place, rather than just a general sense of dread or curiosity. It seems homey and inviting, and is a nice tune in between more intense areas of gameplay.

“Town”

This one’s more bustling and busy than we’ve heard so far, and for good reason. There’s a lot more happening in the town sections, and the track matches the motif. The bassline is nice here; simple yet effective, and the light background percussion matches.

Be sure to visit your friendly neighborhood king for advice and supplies!

“Castle”

Ooh, spooky! This calls to mind the horror-movie castles of old, like those of Dracula and Frankenstein. Similar to the fugues that accompanied castle scenes in those films, “Castle” doesn’t disappoint in terms of building atmosphere. It’s one of those tracks that, when played (even without visual accompaniment), puts a player (or listener) in a very specific place.

“Field 1” and “Field 2”

General overworld background music. Nothing wrong with them; they’re upbeat and interesting enough to not get terribly repetitive. “Field 2” is more melodic and sweeping than the former, and tells more of a story, but “Field 1” has a faster tempo and a driving beat that stays focused on its more basic musical phrasing.

“Dungeon” Music

We won’t get into detail about each “Dungeon” track for the sake of brevity, but they’re all definitely worth a listen. There are eight separate dungeon themes, and each one has its own style, tempo, and killer melody. For the cream of the “Dungeon” crop, though, check out “Dungeon 2”, “Dungeon 3”, “Dungeon 4”, and “Dungeon 8”. They’re somewhat faster and more complex, but they all rock.

“Boss”

Oh yeah. Here’s the good stuff. Dungeon Explorer drops us right in with a funky bassline and an in-your-face (approximation of a) horn section. It’s immediately urgent and lets you know that you’re in danger RIGHT NOW! The flourishes beginning at 1:17 in this track are fantastic too. It slows down the tempo slightly while ramping up the complexity, but only for long enough to stay interesting. A great track for some cool, diverse bosses.

…except this guy. Literally just flowers.

“Crystal”

Definitely getting another horror movie vibe from this one, but this time it’s more ominous (and less obvious) than “Castle”. It does put a player in an apprehensive, heightened mindset —  almost like that of a character in a slasher flick. Frankly, this is what the entire soundtrack from the Friday the 13th NES game should have been like. It’s a lot better than what they ended up with. It’s okay, though; at least this game is good, and thankfully this track wasn’t wasted on an inferior product. The higher notes set the tone right away, but when the low-end synth kicks in a few seconds later, it elevates the music immensely.

“Last Boss”

Appropriately epic for a final showdown, “Last Boss” features a bassline that’s all over the place and fast-paced percussion. It’s heavier (in a rock sense) than what you might find in most early dungeon crawlers, but would be at home in, say, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (which also heavily featured 90s-style guitar riffs and more aggressive drum tracks). In short, it grooves well with where it should by this point in the game.

Wasn’t this guy on an Iron Maiden cover?

“Ending”

There’s not much to say here. It’s simply a slowed-down version of “Castle”, which we’ve already covered. If anything, it’s a little more boring.

“Credit Roll”

This tune does a good job of accompanying the staff roll, and is more enjoyable than the rehash that was “Ending”. It’s traditional end credits fare, sentimental-sounding and wistful, as it should be. A good credits song helps the player reminisce about the adventures they’ve played, appreciate the staff who created the game, and look forward to playing again — and this one checks all the boxes. It’s a good way to wrap up a playthrough.

Final Thoughts

The diversity of this game’s soundtrack is astounding. Each track is different (aside from “Ending”, but even that has a tempo change) and intriguing in its own way. It’s worth playing the game just for the music, let alone the Gauntlet-style mechanics. Dungeon Explorer‘s music is, from start to finish, fantastic. Overall, I’m giving its soundtrack a final rating of 8 out of 10. It’s not flawless, but it is great. Definitely worth a listen.

The post Soundtrack Review: Dungeon Explorer (TurboGrafx-16, 1989) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

An interesting take on the pinball genre with some classic Sonic mechanics, Sonic Spinball is a spinoff of the main series based on the early 90’s cartoon The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. The game received mixed to moderately positive reviews, with problems cited mainly due to its clunky controls and shortfalls as both a Sonic game and a pinball game.

Sonic Spinball‘s soundtrack was composed by Howard Drossin, Brian Coburn, and Barry Blum. It features theme music for each of the four main levels, as well as tracks for boss rooms, bonus games, and high score display. There are also a few sound effects and transition tunes included here, but for the most part, we won’t go into detail about them.

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“Spinball Theme”

It’s worth mentioning solely because it’s the “main theme”. A little disappointing that it’s only a few seconds long, but to be fair, it normally wouldn’t play for long on the title screen anyway. It’s nothing special, but it’s certainly not the worst Sonic tune out there.

“Toxic Caves”

This peppy little number is the first song you’ll hear during actual gameplay. It’s upbeat enough to get the ball rolling (get it?) quickly, and sufficiently varied so that it doesn’t get terribly repetitive. The bass line, as in many Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks, starts out strong and keeps the track funky. In addition, the lead synthesizer melody complements the driving low-end rhythm. Overall, it’s not bad for a first level.

Sonic Spinball was, in many ways, a product of its time.

“Lava Powerhouse”

This one might be a little polarizing; depending on how you feel about the buzzing synthesizer at the beginning, it might get on your nerves at first. However, if you can hold out past the initial forty seconds or so, the track really starts to get interesting. We get a brief reprieve from the droning (thankfully) and the song transitions into a more minimal melody and a simpler bass riff for a while. It alternates between chilled-out and in-your-face loud, and I’m not convinced that the dynamic range is entirely for the better.

“The Machine”

The theme for Sonic Spinball‘s third level is much more mellow. Both the high and low ends get a little playful in areas, and some “futuristic” sound effects are thrown in for good measure. If nothing else, it’s a welcome change from the previous level. There are a lot of “non-melody” sounds in here, but it’s not busy in a frustrating way due to their sparseness. It helps, too, that there’s not really a main melody either; it lets some of the more interesting sounds come to the forefront without really detracting from the tune itself.

“Showdown”

Being the theme for the final level in Sonic Spinball, you’d expect this track to build some tension and urgency — and it delivers. The simple bass line and not-too-complex melody evoke a sense of impending doom, and despite its relative repetitiveness, it sets the stage for, well, the final showdown with Dr. Robotnik. There’s some dissonance that helps make a player uncomfortable, which is great in a final level; it makes Dr. Robotnik seem like he should be much more serious than he looks and acts in the animated series on which the game is based.

And yet, the final boss is…this.

“Boss Room”

Funky and driving, “Boss Room” gets a player in the mood for a good, old-fashioned fight. The problem is, fighting a boss as a pinball is significantly more challenging than the usual Sonic the Hedgehog fare. It’s hard to know how to feel about this tune, because the experience is so much different from what a player would expect. The music is okay, but it does get a little repetitive after a while, particularly upon hearing it more than once in a playthrough.

“Bonus Game”

This happy-sounding song deviates from the rest of the soundtrack in its tone and sort of lack of a real connecting thread throughout. Its staccato notes and multitude of different instruments keep things interesting long enough to get through the relatively brief bonus stages. Its whimsical nature does match the departure from the (kind of) seriousness of the main levels that can be seen in the bonus stages as well.

One of several bonus stages

“High Scores”

This one’s a little shorter — which is nice, because the short amount of time spent viewing the high scores might as well be spent with the volume on mute. This track’s incessant buzzing is grating and unpleasant. There’s technically a melody to it, but it’s hard to listen to due to the instrumentation.

Final Rating

There are some pretty decent tracks here, but the egregious nature of “Lava Powerhouse” and especially “High Scores” (which, admittedly, isn’t really part of the main gameplay, but you’ll still hear it after every playthrough) really brings down the overall quality of the soundtrack. It’s not necessarily that the songs are poorly composed — on the contrary, the melodies are good and the dynamics of most of the songs keep things interesting. It’s just that the instrumentation, particularly the harsher buzzing noises, makes the two tracks mentioned above hard to listen to in a loop. Overall, Sonic Spinball‘s soundtrack is just…okay. Not terrible, but not great. I’m giving the soundtrack three Chaos Emeralds out of seven.

Image courtesy of willowthewolf10 on DeviantArt.

The post Soundtrack Review: Sonic Spinball (Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, 1993-1995) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

To listen to each track mentioned, use the YouTube playlist below.

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In this installment, I’ll finish up the rest of the soundtrack and give my final rating. Now that we’re on the same page, let’s move on to the second half of DK Jamz. I know you’re as excited as I am to jump back in, so let’s go!

“Mine Cart Madness”

I think this song does a great job underscoring the frantic tension already present in the mine cart levels — if you’ve ever played, for example, “Mine Cart Carnage”, you’ll know exactly the tension I mean. It doesn’t overshadow the gameplay, which is nice, because it would be pretty hard to focus on jumping mine carts on rails otherwise.

“Life in the Mines”

Another tune that’s pretty low-key, “Life in the Mines” is a more chilled-out song for mostly slower-paced levels (at least, compared to “Mine Cart Madness”). It’s a much more meandering melody for the first thirty seconds or so, then focuses in with some pan pipes. It’s not unpleasant to listen to by any means, but doesn’t really stand out for me.

“Voices of the Temple”

This one’s a little more driving than “Life in the Mines”, but only a little. It’s pretty atmospheric, featuring a lot of plucked strings and wind instruments. It plays during levels like “Millstone Mayhem”, which are sort of reminiscent of King Louie’s temple ruins from The Jungle Book (more accurately, the 1967 animated Disney film). Those pan pipes are really starting to show up a lot…

Not pictured: Actual Kongs.

“Forest Frenzy”

Back to the more melodic tunes. It’s got some piano, some strings, some flute, and…maybe xylophone? This song gets you through the forest floor levels, and while the “frenzy” part of the title might be a bit hyperbolic, this is definitely a pleasant background ditty to help you trek through hordes of wasps, vultures, and reptiles. The driving beat helps keep the pace too.

“Treetop Rock”

Moving up to the higher, interconnected areas of the jungle, “Treetop Rock” plays during tree house-style stages. This one nicely balances a great bass line with some higher melodies. If you listen closely, you can catch — you guessed it — more pan pipes in the background. The tune goes into a sort of melancholy interlude before cranking back into a more urgent variation on the main melody, finally looping back into the beginning again. It’s bouncy, like the tire trampolines scattered throughout these levels.

“Funky’s Fugue”

Now here’s a departure from some of the other, more atmospheric tracks. Playing during transport between worlds (at Funky’s Flights, an airline of sorts), “Funky’s Fugue” comes right at you with — and I might catch some weird looks, but go with me here — a guitar riff almost reminiscent of the one from “Cotton Eye Joe” (not the fiddle, the guitar underneath it). It’s definitely got a strong techno vibe to it, and when I was a kid, the people yelling “Aww yeah!” every so often were…oddly satisfying. It was (and is) so catchy, I used to sit and listen to two or three good loops of this track before moving on to the next level.

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See? Told you it sounds like Rednex!

“Misty Menace”

This might be a contender for one of the most atmosphere-evoking pieces of the score. Any semblance of melody is very bare-bones, but the sound effects really create a feeling of loneliness and mystery. The accompanying levels aren’t overly complex either, but the enemies you encounter in them are quick and often seem to come out of nowhere. It kind of puts you on edge, seemingly without trying too hard.

“Northern Hemispheres”

Like the previous level, the immersiveness of this track is really impressive. It’s bleak, but it adds so much to the blizzard levels in which it plays. A little over a minute in, the melody gets urgent and dissonant, almost like warning sirens. Near two minutes, a harp comes in and plays a short, hopeful little tune; but when the track loops back on itself, it’s back to the (awesome) snowstorm.

“Ice Cave Chant”

Unsurprisingly, you’ll encounter this one in the ice cave levels. It’s a lot more melodic and catchy than the previous two tracks, which is likely a welcome break at this point. Lots of strings and what sounds like a glockenspiel here, which make for a nice change of pace that helps vary the song selections. I found the title interesting, mainly because there doesn’t appear to be any chanting; it’s no less pleasant to listen to, though.

“Fear Factory”

Full disclosure here: this is my favorite song on the entire soundtrack, and the levels that accompany it are probably my favorites too. It’s got an industrial vibe without feeling too heavy, and even throws in some horn stings at the end, before it loops back. It’s a great tune with a driving beat and some wicked xylophone harmonies (bet that’s a new one!). The factory levels feature a lot of oil drums and steel kegs, the sound effects for which fit nicely in with this song’s rhythm.

Kremkroc Industries: The Pollution Capital of Kong Island!™

“Gang-Plank Galleon”

This one will throw you for a loop. It starts out as a jaunty pirate tune, with a little flute and accordion duet…then, about twenty seconds in, it fades completely into the theme for the final boss. King K. Rool’s stage is simple, but this song builds tension through a fast tempo and a hearty bass line and builds up to a bigger, better melody, which starts at about 1 minute, 15 seconds. “Gang-Plank Galleon” definitely works well with the pressure of fighting the last boss in the game (and the villain who stole your banana hoard!).

“The Credits Concerto”

Well, we’ve made it to the end of the game. “The Credits Concerto” is an airy, synth-heavy tune that makes you feel as if the weight of thousands of bananas has been lifted off your chest (and back into the cave where they belong). To be honest, it’s a really nice finish to the game, like whipped cream on top of a slice of pie.

Final Rating

I’ve carried these tunes with me since Donkey Kong Country‘s release in 1994. I grew up with this generation of Kongs, and still love to play this game and listen to each track. In an attempt to avoid reviewing it exclusively through the nostalgia lens, however, I will say this: there were a few tracks that didn’t really stand out, namely “Life in the Mines”, “Candy’s Love Song”, and “Voices of the Temple”. They’re not necessarily bad, and there are a plethora of other great songs here, so I’m giving Donkey Kong Country‘s soundtrack a final rating of 9 bananas out of 10.

The post Soundtrack Review: Donkey Kong Country, Part II (SNES, 1994) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.