In this new weekly feature, I'll be recommending game soundtracks. I'll share a few of my favorite tracks, talk about why everyone should listen to the soundtrack, and a little bit about the composer. This week's choice is Crypt of the NecroDancer by Brace Yourself Games.
THE STATS
Name: Crypt of the NecroDancerDeveloper: Brace Yourself Games
Publisher: Brace Yourself Games / Klei Entertainment (PC)
Release Date: April 23, 2015 (PC)
Genres: Roguelike, rhythm
Composer(s): Danny Baranowsky
MY FAVORITE TRACKS
(The titles link to YouTube videos.)- Crypteque (1-2)
This is, arguably, the absolute best track in the entire game. I had to listen to the entire thing when fetching the YouTube link to share it here. Don't believe it's that great? It was used as a crossover song in the PS4 game Amplitude (by those Harmonix guys that brought us Guitar Hero and Rock Band). - Igneous Rock (3-1 Hot)
There is some seriously awesome guitar in this track. Enough said. - The Wight to Remain (4-3)
The melody of this one makes it sound like it's an OC Remix of a Legend of Zelda song, and that isn't a bad thing! In fact, did you know that NecroDancer has a crossover with The Legend of Zelda? They made a game called Cadence of Hyrule which mashes together Hyrule and rhythm-based fighting. It's available to play on the Nintendo Switch. - For Whom the Knell Tolls (Dead Ringer)
Love the bell theme, first of all -- but I also get some great Castlevania vibes. - Absolutetion (Golden Lute Fight)
Sampling from several songs across the game, this one just lets it all out and rocks hard.
You can listen to the full soundtrack on Danny Baranowsky's bandcamp page: Crypt of the NecroDancer OST by Danny Baranowsky
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
First of all, I don't think I've ever seen a rhythm game that had a bad soundtrack. (Comment with a link if there is!) Secondly, this is a soundtrack you can enjoy listening to without playing the game. I have used it as part of an upbeat playlist while working on papers or projects, and I'm willing to bet it's great for workouts or drive mixes. (Wait, do people still have those? Is my age showing again?) Additionally, a variety of musical genres and themes clearly influence the soundtrack, so it stands apart from a lot of other game music. And we can't forget the amazingly punny track titles. +1 for puns, every time.
THE COMPOSER: DANNY BARANOWSKY
If this is your first time hearing Danny's name, I am sad for you. Before NecroDancer came along, Danny was busy composing the music for video games, web series and short films including some titles like Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, Parallax (short film), Anthony Saves the World (web series with Anthony Burch), Singularity Collapse (fan film based on Half-Life 2), Once Upon a Pixel, Gravity Hook, and Canabalt. He started out as a member of the OverClocked ReMix community in 2001, back when he was hoping to become a film composer. Oh, Danny... I think we love you better as a game composer, but I believe you would do amazing things for film!
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