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 Ikaruga by Treasure.
THE STATS
Name: IkarugaDeveloper: Treasure
Publisher: Treasure
Release Date: December 20, 2001
Genres: Action, indie
Composers: Hiroshi Iuchi
MY FAVORITE TRACKS
(The full list of tracks are linked by playlist below... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)
**Note: Given the age of this game, I was only able to find an individual's
uploaded tracks. For info on how you can acquire the tracks for yourself,
see the end of this entry!**
(Length: 2:10) That long snare roll in the beginning puts you in mind of a military parade, and then pow -- at the 0:24 mark it flies headlong into action-packed percussion and epic melody. Aptly titled!(Length: 4:56) I just liked the melody of this one. It sounds on par with Final Fantasy or Xenosaga from around the same time. (That's a compliment. I like those very much.) The chord progression and percussion conveys struggle and urgency, which makes it exciting.(Length: 4:05) It feels and sounds like the end theme of an 80's sci-fi or fantasy epic, and I'm very much okay with that.
You can listen to the full playlist here:
WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?
First of all, would you honestly expect this music from an arcade shoot
'em up game? I wouldn't! I hadn't actually heard of this title until I
was researching games with notable soundtracks. It's likely a game I
would be terrible at, but I can appreciate the soundtrack. With just 10
tracks it isn't very long, but there's some great composition present! I
may have been a senior in high school when this game came out, but I
don't think it has aged badly in the slightest. What do you think?
THE COMPOSER: HIROSHI IUCHI
Primarily a graphics designer, Hiroshi has only composed music for 2
games. He contributed 2 pieces to
Light Crusader
(a Genesis title), but the entirety of the music in Ikaruga. I'm
almost sad to know he hasn't composed for any other games -- but if
he's better at graphics, then I wouldn't want to pull him away from
that either. This info makes this soundtrack that much more precious
and amazing, if you ask me!
They released the soundtrack on vinyl last year, and you can find it
available from third party sites like Mercari and eBay, but more readily
available is the game itself which is available as a port on Steam:
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