19 people found this review helpful
2 people found this review funny
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 0.0 hrs on record
Posted: 26 Feb, 2016 @ 12:39pm

How is the Super Win the Game Soundtrack?

Technical details:
Format: MP3, 128 kbps
Number of tracks: 18
Total size: 22 MB
Total length: 0:23:56 hours (~24 Minutes)

The soundtrack offers chiptune-styled music, fitting to the theme of the game.
Unfortunately by the tracks being relatively short, the (perceived) repetition inside the tracks gives a feeling of getting even less unique music than expected. That aside, the variety of genres is fitting for a video game, but fails to set new accents.

The happiness of the third track "The Lamplight Proclamation" is carried over to the fourth track "The Mushroom Jam", which sounds dark and happy at the same time, but not crazy enough to really remind of the other mushrooms.
Track 5, "Old Haunts", uses a musical principle that was used in the infamous Track 4 from the Tropico 4 soundtrack: Repeating the same thing and then repeating it with a changed note. Unfortunately here it does not get quite that pop feeling, but could have been a great track with more variety. Please compare for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruxmkh6FQsE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wiiSjb5lhI
Track 7, "Old White", uses the same musical scheme again. If J. Kyle Pittman was inspired by the Tropico track above, he did a nice hommage without actually copying it. If not, a good choice to use that kind of scheme.

Track 9 must be the highlight of the album: "Subterranea" is good chiptune pop, reminding of techno/trance music. Unfortunately, again, the length of the track cuts the enjoyment short.
Track 10 is "Growing Up" that reminds me actually of punk music á la Green Day, but only lasts for half a minute.

"Arc Evil" follows which spreads a dark mood indeed, giving me even goosebumps, while still not being a memorable melody. This also sets the tune for the coming track which is in a darker mood: "Pity Wings". Unfortunately "Bored and Bled" has a dark name, but sounds too happy for its name. It is no surprise then that "The Razor's Edge" is also happy, sounding like a ballad without a singer.

Track 15, "The Hollow Heard", is mistuned while poppy - fitting to the place in the game where it occurs, but partially unpleasant to hear on its own. Track 17, "Hall of Speedruns", delves into rock music, but is over too fast. The final track just delivers normal poppy music once more, like the other three not mentioned tracks (1, 2 and 16), although all in different styles.

What remains is a fleeting glimpse, like a box of chocolates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0acEl97ZBME

It is pleasant but the enjoyment is too fleeting, too few. The soundtrack is by no means bad, it is enjoyable in parts, but as a separate DLC I can really only recommend it to hardcore chiptune fans. All others will get enough out of it from hearing it ingame.

Unfortunately one can only buy the standard or the soundtrack version, without any chance to upgrade, to buy the DLC extra. In this case I can only say if you get the game on a good sale (75 percent or more) and collect music, or if you want to support the developer, you might want the soundtrack edition. If you are a "normal" player, the standard edition of the game will suffice for you.

Recommended: Only for chiptune fans, as you will hear almost everything ingame aplenty. My upvote is for lack of a "neutral" option.
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1 Comments
3lives 26 Feb, 2016 @ 7:59pm 
Surely the most in-detail game soundtrack review I ever read. Nice!