Music in games is the most influential tool in hand with graphics and a story. A personal favourite soundtrack of mine has had me and my friends laughing hysterically alongside the action within game. Stick Fight: The Game has a repetitive soundtrack, with many songs using the same or a similar melody or drum beat. In fact, it only has 6 main themes.
Something about the silly physics in gameplay accompanied with this type of music makes the perfect mix for a funny night with a group of friends. In this particular track, the grumbly electronic bass variating and looping sections throughout the whole song and being half muted when the main melody comes in fills in the silent spots so listeners are always entertained. It’s amusing when played at the same time as some treble sections when the song builds up because they feel like they don’t quite belong together but don’t clash either. The high pitched beeps in the beginning feel awkward and build tension until a kick is added, as it sounds random and out of time without percussion. The majority of the track syncopated and feels irregular which no doubt adds to the clumsy feel that players experience in game. The melody that plays at 1:40 is jarring due to its harsh tone and short note duration and the bass is distorted and built upon. It also phases between notes regularly, producing a vibrato effect that reminds me of glitching. The notes themselves feel disjunct half of the time which causes discomfort and tension until the melody becomes conjunct again.
The main theme for the game shares many similarities with the above song.
Again, the bass is what the song builds upon and it feels irregular and silly, even with a drum beat. Syncopation is what most of this soundtrack is based on. The random percussive sounds during the song add to the madness and allow the beat to variate a lot. The higher pitched percussive parts throughout when the bass is more muted sound off-key and irritating.
Universe sandbox is another game that is heavily dependant on the soundtrack for entertainment and immersion. It’s a game revolving around space exploration, experimentation and admiration.
I would personally describe the soundtrack as ambient as it prolongs bassy notes and heavily depends on reverb. It’s the kind of soundtrack that would make you say ‘it’s beautiful’ as you laser the Earth and draw a smiley face across Europe or collide two planets and completely destroy everything that once lived on them.
The introduction builds tension by repeating the same two chords over a droning bass. This bass never stops throughout the whole song but the piano develops into more complex melodies and slowly vocals and violin are introduced in small parts. The piece repeats several times with some variation.
The female vocals in this are layered and panned and have reverb on them to create the imagery of ‘the voice of an angel’ or similar. Violin is only used for texture building while the piano develops.
The soundtrack to this game is very effective at immersion as it feels natural alongside gameplay and allows players to focus on their actions and research rather than on the music. Ordinary players probably won’t notice the soundtrack much as it’s not there to stand out but rather set the mood.