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 Hollow Knight by Team Cherry.
Believe it or not, it was completely accidental that I scheduled Hollow Knight's soundtrack on Halloween. It's one of those happy accidents, though. This soundtrack is full of some dark, sad, mysterious, sinister, intense sounds. Enjoy them and have a Happy Halloween!--snarkqueen
THE STATS
Name:
Hollow Knight
Developer: Team Cherry
Publisher: Team Cherry
Release Date: February 27, 2017
Genres: Action-adventure, Metroidvania
Composer: Christopher Larkin
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!)
White Palace
(Length: 4:19) This track is simply beautiful. You'd never know what it was from if you heard it by itself without context.
(Length: 4:19) This track is simply beautiful. You'd never know what it was from if you heard it by itself without context.
(Length: 2:46) This one was semi-ruined for me by a marimba cover of it
that I shared with my Patrons a while back. This original now seems flat by
comparison, but the composition is solid.
(Length: 3:37) This one reminds me of a track from To The Moon when it
starts, and that's all I needed to put it in this shortlist of favorites.
(Length: 2:58) This one sounds like it came straight from one of the Ori
games, and it's beautiful.
(Length: 1:59) NeoCore's Van Helsing, is that you?
(Length: 2:22) This one straight up came out of a Tim Burton/Danny Elfman
collaboration, I'm sure of it. It has that strange, dark, but emotionally
pretty vibe.
(Length: 4:30) I had to include this impressive, organ-packed track since
this is posting on Halloween. Get ready for the action at 2:16.
or, right here:
WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?
Did you listen to those tracks above? Not only are they beautiful, but they are compositional masterpieces! Two of my coworkers were subjected to it on two separate days -- both of them enjoyed it and had no idea it was from a video game.
THE COMPOSER: CHRISTOPHER LARKIN
Mr. Larkin has been actively composing for what appears to be 8 years now, but I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with his projects prior to Hollow Knight. This doesn't mean anything bad -- in fact, it could be he can only go up from here. Hollow Knight, and it's upcoming sequel (Silksong), got a LOT of attention in the gaming world, so perhaps there will be more demand for Larkin's work. From what I hear in this soundtrack, I certainly hope so!
I can honestly leave "White Palace" on repeat for hours.
I can honestly leave "White Palace" on repeat for hours.
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