The Physics of Video Games column is now onto soundtrack reviews. Why? Sound is physics. Also, the lovely Jeremy (the Gaming Futurist) told me to. We’ll review the horrendous, the masterpieces, and everything in between. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Obscure, popular, appalling, it doesn’t matter.
River City Ransom is a solid and fun game. It isn’t a game that will be on the top of many ‘best game ever’ lists, nothing to go crazy over, but it is good ol’ fashion fun. It is one of the earliest examples that I can think of where a game has RPG elements infused in a beat ‘em up (which is all beat ‘em ups seem to be capable of now in order to create unnecessary padding). It has pixelated butts and hilarious eating sequences… not that this is really a selling point or anything. The game is quirky and has some funny moments. Controls are unique but work incredibly well. It is short and sweet if you know what you’re doing. It is just solid.
What is great for the purposes of this column is that the soundtrack is probably the strongest component of this game. There aren’t too many parts of the game that stand out in my mind that get me excited to play it again. The only draw that makes me want to repeat the game time and time again is that groovy soundtrack. Which helps emphasize how important soundtracks are to games, something that I think is lost in many modern games. I often find myself humming some of the songs in my head, just like I am now. Each song has its own charm that makes it super catchy. Let’s get started by looking at the first of our three chosen songs.
Click the picture for a stereo version of each song… this guy is great, check his stuff out.
This is probably the song you will hear most, which is far from being a bad thing. I am actually quite pleased about this choice. This song is very upbeat. Even while nothing is going on in the game, this song encourages you to keep up a good pace and really get into the moment. There is such a chipper tone to this whole track that contrast the action sequences, enhancing them in my mind. There is a lot going on in this song, especially for an NES game, but I think everything works incredibly well. It is just a really fun song. *Barf*
I love the tone change when a boss is introduced. Beginning with such a heavy beat, transitioning to a frantic one, then it finally levels out with a consistently intense pace. There is some aggression with this track that perfectly matches the fact that you are now fighting someone stronger, faster and smarter than before. An increased threat being followed by a more daunting song is brilliant. What also makes this track stand out is that it almost makes you want to dance, but since you’d probably look crazy dancing in front of an NES, the energy is transferred into focusing more on fighting this new enemy. I still opted to dance, but I don’t care if people see me dancing, controller in hand, gazing at a TV with an old game being played, while in boxers and fluffy slippers.
I didn’t want to spoil the last boss, so here’s a screen capture I took of a butt!
The final boss theme, my gosh is this a fun one. It draws on a lot of the same melodies used in previous songs, but with an increasing tempo and pitch. This makes the track feel more climactic, which by no coincidence, is at the end of the game. It’s almost as if they carefully planned that out. Or didn’t, I don’t know, I didn’t develop the game. If they didn’t intend on doing that, I am surprised because I think it captures the moment perfectly. The frantic pacing and knowing that this is the final boss, compliment one another and make the fight much more intense. And if players don’t know tricks to get them through this fight *cough* Dragon Feet *cough*, it is going to be a tough one, thus making the song much more appropriate.
These are only but a few songs, but they really standout. The whole soundtrack is exceptional and really conveys each theme appropriately. The soundtrack gets even better with modern adaptations too, you should seek out covers and medleys found on the world wide web.
If this soundtrack were a food, it would have to be spicy chili; and not just because it happens to be in the game. When describing to someone that they are getting an RPG beat ‘em up, it doesn’t really reflect what the experience could possibly be, much like a spicy chili. You never thought that chili could be this way until you tried it. There is a wonderful balance of flavours and new ingredients you didn’t think would ever be in a chili, but you want more. The flavours and components are funky and unexpected, but welcomed and almost indescribable. When anyone asks you about this chili, you can only say “you just have to try it for yourself”. So go on, try River City Ransom. If you like beat ‘em ups, you won’t be disappointed. Taste the chili!
Dan
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Next time: Something close to home.