Soundtrack Saturday: Hades

 

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 Hades by Supergiant Games.

THE STATS

Name: Hades
Developer: Supergiant Games
Publisher: Supergiant Games
Release Date: September 17, 2020
Genres: Rogue-like, action-roleplaying
Composer: Darren Korb

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!)

Last Words

(Length: 3:05) My favorite by far! It has creepy, sinister vibes, but also has some great rhythm and chord progression. I'd enjoy a full OST of music exactly like this.

Final Expense (Payback Mix)

(Length: 2:36) Oh Darren, I hear elements from Transistor in here, and it's great -- and mixed with something like the general sound of OC Remix music. It's wonderful!

The Unseen Ones (feat. Masahiro Aoki and Daisuke Kurosawa)

(Length: 4:18) Can I get a show of hands -- who wants a full metal album like this for a rogue-like? (You can't see it, but my hand is WAY up in the air here.)

God of the Dead

(Length: 9:01) This one doesn't shred like The Unseen Ones, but it definitely hits some of the epic metal vibes while also tapping into some very Bastion-like progressions.

Lament of Orpheus

(Length: 3:13) This one is just here because it sounds so different from the rest. I don't necessarily enjoy Darren's singing. 

You can listen to the full soundtrack on YouTube:

Hades OST

WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?

C'mon now. It's Supergiant. I may not enjoy every track, but Darren Korb's work is always worth a listen at least once. I hear a lot of Bastion inspiration in the sound and tone of this soundtrack, and elements of suspense from Transistor. The only downside to this soundtrack is that there aren't enough tracks that sound unique -- in fact, a great many of them simply sound like different sections of the same song. That's fine if you're playing the game, but not very engaging for someone only listening to the OST. It's not as bad as I felt Pyre's OST was, but it's not as good as Transistor or Pyre to me.

THE COMPOSER: DARREN KORB

This makes 4 times I've talked about Darren Korb. He's still awesomesauce. You can see the blips I wrote here, here, and here. So far, the only let-down I've had from him was the Pyre soundtrack, but this one isn't too much better overall. It's not as unique and vibrant as Transistor and Bastion were. To me, anyway. You're welcome to your own opinions!