Saturday, February 15, 2020

Soundtrack Saturday: Rakuen


In this weekly feature, I recommend game soundtracks. I 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 Rakuen by Laura Shigihara.



THE STATS

Name: Rakuen
Developer: Laura Shigihara
Publisher: Laura Shigihara
Release Date: May 10, 2017
Genres: Adventure
Composer(s): Laura Shigihara


MY FAVORITE TRACKS

(The titles link to YouTube videos... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)

Welcome to the Forest
(Length: 1:50) This sounds like something straight out of a Nintendo game. Something not quite Zelda and not quite Mario. There's less repetition and more personality. It's fun and bright, despite being short.

The Midnight Tea Shop
(Length: 1:46) I have a soft spot for this track because it's the first one I heard from the game. It was shared by Laura as a preview before the game's release. It's got a sort of ambient, chillout quality despite being somewhat upbeat.

Gemma and the River
(Length: 2:18) I enjoy the mysterious, haunting quality of this track -- and the waltzy feel gives it a flow and rhythm reminiscent of water (the river).

Kowareta Omoide
(Length: 2:30) If you ever wanted to know how to put feelings of anxiety and fear into music, this is it. Most of the track leaves your ears straining to hear a resolution in the chords, but there's perpetual motion in the notes that doesn't let it settle. It's wonderfully composed!

Build a Little World With Me
(Length: 3:50) "Once these walls were grey/ But you made stars and skies and snowflakes..."
I'm not crying, you're crying! ;__;

Jump/Ending Credits
(Length: 4:39) "Though we were without a map/ Without a plan, without a destination/ We knew where we were going..."



You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube: 




WHY I RECOMMEND IT

First of all, did you listen to the tracks I shared? If even one of those isn't enough to encourage you to listen to the rest, then I don't know why you're reading a blog entry about a soundtrack!

But really, I'm a huge fan of Laura Shigihara. I first learned about her after playing the game To The Moon, in which she sings the song "Everything's Alright." I started following her on YouTube and Facebook, and I soon heard she was making her own game called Rakuen. I haven't played much of the game, and it's seriously on my to-do list to play it sometime this year. I know it's full of feels and is an emotional roller coaster... but isn't that the best kind of game?

If you need a better recommendation than that, then maybe look up some of Laura's videos and get a better feel for her personality and music. You won't be disappointed.


THE COMPOSER: LAURA SHIGIHARA

You might know her on social media as Supershigi (and if not, you do now!). She's an insanely talented musician with a sweet voice. If you ever played the game Plants vs. Zombies, then you've heard her music. (Yep, that was her.) She's also worked on World of Warcraft, Deltarune, the 5th Anniversary Edition of Super Meat Boy, and even worked with Yasunori Mitsuda on the official Square Enix Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross 20th Anniversary Album. Overall, she's worked on over 30 published titles for over a decade.

Street cred established? Check. Now go follow Laura on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, or even her blog. You won't regret it!

If you stay right by my side
We'll make it through the night
And we'll never have to feel alone again
So before it's time to leave
Would you build a little world with me?

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