Earlier
this year, my so called friend Brandon thought it would be hilarious
to buy me a small game from Runic Games called Torchlight 2 which
inadvertently also got me the original Torchlight. So I begrudgingly
started playing the game one afternoon and when I looked at the
clock, it was 2 in the morning. I had since fallen for the game and
was one of the many people who counted down the clock 2 weeks prior
waiting for the game to go live. Since then I have enjoyed several
fun hours playing the game online with my friends, and Brandon.
When
I play games like Torchlight II I find myself not bothering with the
music and turning it off completely so I could listen to other stuff
or talk with my friends. However with Torchlight, I was compelled to
listen to its soundtrack and I am glad to say I did. To describe the
soundtrack in a single word, it would be, atmospheric.
Torchlight
II is a very dark game in contrast to the original and the music
reflects that. Matt Uelman was able to invoke the feelings of dread
and desperation in the music. There is no track that makes you feel
that there is hope for the future, that once the fight is done,
people will go back to their lives and treat this as bump in their
happy life. The closest we get to a happy, peaceful tune is the
Enclave Morning theme, but even then it goes dark and depressing.
I
have to give Matt Uelman alot of credit. He was a one man team
working on this soundtrack and he did a fantastic job on the music.
It is a great album to listen to, both in the game when trying to
take down the Big Bad or just walking about doing nothing. As a
single composer in a business where it is common for companies to
hire bands or orchestra's he doesn't falter and is able to stand
along side his AAA game peers. He is not the only one who does this
however, but that is an article for another time.
This
soundtrack is quite possibly one of the best I've heard in a long
while. While I did say that Illusion of Gaia had a great game and was
nearly flawless, that was for the Super Nintendo and since then games
and soundtracks have changed. We expect games to have soundtracks
that evoke emotions, much like the way the old games did. There are
some games that do evoke emotions through their music and use it to
play with them. The Assassin's Creed series is a good example of
this.
If
you are interested in playing Torchlight II, visit the Steam store
today. Also the soundtrack is available free on the Runic games
website.
Tomorrow,
I introduce a new feature for Lost in the Music called 5 Bucks to
Burn, where I take a look at indie game soundtracks that are good,
but not long enough to warrant a full review. So come and join me as
I scale a tower to confront god itself. This is Daimo Mac and I am
lost in the music.
~~
Follow
me on Twitter @lostinthmusic or e-mail me at lostwithmusic@gmail.com
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