Soundtrack Saturday: Demon's Souls

 

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 Demon's Souls by Bluepoint Games.

THE STATS

Name: Demon's Souls
Developer: Bluepoint Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: November 12, 2020
Genres: Action-roleplaying
Composer: Shunsuke Kida

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!)

Flamelurker

(Length: 4:17) This was the first track my husband had me listen to. It's pretty great, and I'd say it's my second-favorite. 

Maiden in Black

(Length: 4:14) Do those opening vocals not give you chills? The overall tone sings of cathedrals and sorrow, and I really like it. The bell tones really help that.

Tower Knight

(Length: 3:13) This is all about the section from :53 to 1:30, and again at the 2:00 mark. This track is just epic all around! It ALMOST makes me want to go play the game myself. (Omg, no. What am I thinking? Don't tell my husband.)

Phalanx

(Length: 2:28) This one makes me think of a more sinister Jaws/Batman theme for some reason, but I like it? There's a frantic undertow of urgency and movement to it that reels you in.

Old King Allant

(Length: 3:18) Just here for those undercurrent arpeggios pushing the march-like feel. Not one of the best tracks, but it had elements I really just wanted to share. It's very climactic!

One Who Craves Souls

(Length: 4:24) Initially I get some serious Lord of the Rings elf-song vibes, but then it broadens out into something that makes me think of Record of Lodoss War. I love it!

Return to Slumber

(Length: 4:28) Sorta almost like the first Ori soundtrack because of the vocals, but more melancholy. Good way to end!

You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube:

Demon's Souls OST

WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?

My husband is a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge Souls fan. He has played all of the games several times over. He buys the remastered editions to play them on newer consoles. He loves their challenge and never tires of them. So naturally I heard allllllllll about how Demon's Souls was getting a remake for the PS5, and thus we now have a PS5 in the house and he keeps telling me how pretty the game is. (Which, it is. You should consider it if you're purchasing a PS5.)

This led to me having the obligation to review the soundtrack for this series. I do these things for my husband so he knows I'm paying attention, even if he probably won't ever read this sentence. 

In any case, this is easily on par with the the Dark Souls and Bloodborne OSTs. If you like those, and a little diversity in sound like NieR: Automata's OST, then you should really enjoy this soundtrack. It's heavy on the chorus, but I don't think that detracts from it at all -- and I say that as an instrumental musician. The amount of tracks listed here should be a big hint to you that I really enjoyed this soundtrack! I normally stick to a top-5 format. 

THE COMPOSER: SHUNSUKE KIDA

Look, it's really hard finding info about Asian composers because apparently English-speaking people don't seem to care enough about them, so all of the info is in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc. So, you'll have to just take my word for it that I don't have much to share. Best I have is Shunsuke's Filmography from IMDb, which is basically a sandwich. Demon's Souls at the start (2009) and at the end (2020), with lots of movie/TV movie scores in the middle. Having heard the Demon's Souls music, I feel like more people should be offering work to Shunsuke in the game industry. Someone get on that!