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61 Frames Per Second

OST: Soul Blazer

Posted by Peter Smith

As we've noted before, Kurt Kalata's Hardcore Gaming 101 is an invaluable resource, with thoughtful, graphic-heavy reviews of dozens of underappreciated games. I do have to take issue, though, with one of David DeRienzo's comments on the soundtrack to the poetic SNES classic Soul Blazer. "The dungeons have this crazy '80s synth thing going on. Some of them are slightly catchy, but most are just silly and cheesy to the point of being laughable. I was just waiting for Rick James to start singing during a few of them." Um, and? Dave, where I come from, sounding like Rick James is a good thing. Rick James rules.

Granted, Soul Blazer's soundtrack is quite different from the epic orchestration of its spiritual predecessor ActRaiser. (Although the town theme seems like a clear homage.) Yukihide Takekawa's soundtrack is one of the few of its era to feature a clear funk influence. (Off the top of my head, I'm only coming up with Toejam and Earl and Tim Follin's awesome score to the otherwise unbearable Spider-Man and the X-Men.) Most of the dungeon themes are tight, synth-bass-driven funk-rock. Like Soul Blazer's gameplay, whether you find them repetitive or hypnotically satisfying may come down to taste. The rest of the tracks range from straight-ahead rock tunes to humbling fanfares. I really love the latter track's evocation of a chilly cathedral — it's a perfect fit for the game's dark existential undertone. Then there's "Koibito no Inaiyoru", the plaintive ballad that accompanies Soul Blazer's haunting ending. (Sidenote: avoid the vocal version of this track if at all possible. It's flat-out gruesome.) All in all, the soundtrack is an odd little gem, much like the game it accompanies. Head on over to SNESmusic.org and give it a listen.

Previous OSTs:
Everyday Shooter
Rule of Rose

Treasure of the Rudras


+ DIGG + DEL.ICIO.US + REDDIT

Comments

xxsodaboy said:

I remember the first time I even saw the name Kurt Kalata. I was twelve, and trolling around on the internet. His Castlevania Dungeon pretty much reintroduced me to the series (especially since it was too hard for me as a kid), and pretty much served as my biggest time-waster for the better part of two years. If you want information on something to do with Castlevania, he's your guy.

June 5, 2008 2:23 AM

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John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

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Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

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