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 FTL by Subset Games.
THE STATS
Name: FTL (Faster Than Light)
Developer: Subset Games
Publisher: Subset Games
Release Date: September 14, 2012
Genres: Strategy, rogue-like
Composer: Ben Prunty
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!)
(Length: 2:40) I think this track best represents the soundtrack as a whole. It has movement, a variety of audio elements, and changes things up regularly to keep the listener's interest.
(Length: 3:31) There are so many incredible elements in this track that I wonder what happened to several of the previous tracks that they didn't get this amazing treatment. The first 30 seconds sounds like a combination of Danny Elfman and Pink Floyd, and then when it picks up the pace it takes on a life of its own -- with elements of 80's-style music. It's a diverse and captivating track, and easily my favorite!
(Length: 3:31) The added percussive layers definitely transform the original track into something out of the 80's/early 90's. While it makes for an interesting track, I prefer the Explore version.
(Length: 3:46) This one reminds me distinctly of Portal music, crossed with something I can't put my finger on. It has that fully synthesized tone, but a broader range of expressiveness than Portal provided. It's mysterious, brooding, and intriguing.
(Length: 2:47) This one has a music box quality to it, but is also super mellow, super mysterious, and overall just chill. (The Battle version, however, sounds like it belongs in a DDR machine or was part of a retro anime.)
"After a gruesome battle with a persistent and well-armed Elite Rebel unit, you struggled to survive.. until you finally got the last shot on their ship.. marking their fate with one final explosion.. You jump to the next sector, happy you found yourself in none other than peaceful Engi Space... Ah, what relief." --Overkill, YouTube
WHY I RECOMMEND IT
I have never played FTL because it's honestly never appealed to me as a genre. However, I do pay attention when people say a game has a great soundtrack and that's why it made it into my queue. I was not disappointed! In fact, I enjoyed this one more than other soundtracks that were 100% computer generated. You can tell there's someone with a good ear behind the audio, and quality audio is key to enjoying a game. My husband tells me I ought to play the game because it's really good, so I just might at some point.
THE COMPOSER: BEN PRUNTY
This soundtrack appears to be what Ben is best known for, as well as being the first soundtrack he's given credit for. Prior to this, he worked as a datacenter technician at Google in California, though he is originally from Maine. (Yay for New Englanders!) He has produced tracks for a number of noteworthy games in addition to FTL, including Into the Breach (also by Subset Games), Celeste (B-sides), and Subnautica: Below Zero.
He also has 9 standalone albums and has done soundtrack work for a documentary about Bitcoin, and a Hank Green podcast. He also does regular streams on Twitch where he composes music and helps teach others in an effort to help others find the same path to game music creation as he did.
You can find him on Twitter (@benprunty), and if you do -- tell him #GamerReverieBlog (@spottedsnark) sent you over to tell him how great FTL's music is! You can listen to the full soundtrack here, and it includes a link if you want to buy it!
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