The Console: Top 5 Game Soundtracks of 2021
Luci Holland selects her favourite game soundtrack scores of the year
2021 has been a big year for the world of gaming and we’ve been introduced to some incredible video game soundtracks.
On her latest show, Luci Holland looked back on 2021 in the world of gaming, featuring music from key releases and award-winners. She also selected her personal favourites of the year.
The Console: Top 5 Game Soundtracks of 2021
5 – Chicory: A Colorful Tale by Lena Raine
Lena told us her "work on Chicory began with a bit of rebellious intent, since just coming off work on Celeste and its expansion Farewell" and that the "game afforded me the chance to define an aesthetic & its lead creator Greg Lobanov gave me free reign to experiment with primarily live ensembles."
4 – Evil Genius 2 by James Hannigan
James told Luci "Melody seems to have taken a back seat in music for some games lately - perhaps for good reasons sometimes, such as the need to be unintrusive or to simply lend atmosphere. But now and again, it's nice to let rip on some unapologetically bold 'big themes'." James referred to this soundtrack as "stylish cheese" and went on to say that "Comedic music can be difficult. Being overtly 'silly' rarely seems to work. There may be a bit of an art to being 'silly' while making it look as though you are being deadly serious though. These evil geniuses really mean business. They are not clowns. At least, they don't 'think they are..."
3 – Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy by Richard Jacques
Richard Jacques told us that "Scoring Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was a thrilling ride from start to finish!" and that "Music is an essential part of the Guardians DNA and I wanted to retain the fun element whilst creating an epic orchestral intergalactic symphony."
2 – Humankind by Arnaud Roy
Speaking previously about composing the music for Humankind, Arnaud said that he "was really delighted to meet all these musicians, to be able to interact with them, to discover other musical styles, different ways of thinking. And what I hope for with the Humankind soundtrack, is that you really feel the links, which are woven by the music between different peoples."
1 – Psychonauts 2 by Peter McConnell
Peter told Luci "Returning to Psychonauts wasn't so much of a return as it was a realization of music that already was just there in my head. Psychonauts 1 was a big deal for me, my first gig as an independent composer, and we were working under the constraints that are common for a game company start-up. So it was great to be able to bring some years of experience—and much greater production resources—to a score that I have always thought of as an old friend."
Join Luci every Saturday from 5pm on 'The Console', as she delves into the realms of video games, looking at the ever-growing popularity of classical music in gaming soundtracks.