Give me your favourite OSTs, individual tracks, whatever.
I have lots of favourites but I feel like most will be suggested by others so I’ll go for one that isn’t as popular: Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine. The whole soundtrack is amazing start to finish. Some of the best piano tunes to ever be in a video game, and a super under-appreciated game. It should’ve been way bigger than it was. Unfortunately it’s being tainted by its less-than-stellar sequel which came out recently. Don’t play the sequel, but definitely play the original. It’s fun solo but it really shines co-op with a friend (or three). It supports up to four players and I’d definitely recommend co-op if you have the means. I used to play it on 360 with a friend of mine and it’s some of my most fond gaming memories. It’s not a difficult game to figure out but it’s not an easy game to get good at. But all that is to say, play the game, or if you can’t, absolutely listen to the soundtrack. It’s awesome.
Seconding this for the co-op play. It just captures the feeling of a heist so perfectly in a bite-sized package. In a matter of seconds you’ll go from everyone calm and knowing their role, to full panic mode as soon as someone makes a mistake, to a wary sense of relief as you manage to barely get to safety but still have to complete your mission.
I didn’t know about the sequel. Now I’m tempted to try it…
I’ve seen a lot of good mentions here already but haven’t seen Nier: Automata yet. I thought the game was overrated, but there are a lot of great audio tracks
axiom verge 1 and 2 - good in different ways. i liked to put first on for long coding sessions, and the second expanded in interesting directions
transistor & pyre & hades - all scored by Darren Korb, but different genres. from first moment, transistor has such vibe in big part thanks to it’s soundtrack, and is among my all time top games
Nier automata - won awards for it’s soundtrack, clear to hear why
crypt of the necrodancer - rhythm game should have a good soundtrack, and it does
witcher 3 - the battle themes - like “silver for monsters” are unique style of action-y folk, very rare to find anything else that scratches that itch.
dusk - awesome and dynamic metal
risk of rain 1&2 - first game itself didn’t click with me, but, oh man, that solo in “Monsoon” get me every time, and “Coalescence” is poignantly melancholic in a similar way to “song of the ancients” from nier - which is (a very high praise and) much more expected from nier’s type of game than a “risk of rain”'s. “face of the deep” from ror2 from second is head-spinning in a good way
no man’s sky - it introduced me to 65dos, for which i’m very grateful. that soundtrack is still probably my favourite album of theirs noita - low-key psychedelic, very vibes
unreal tournament 99 - and i think it’s not just nostalgia, because one of my favourites - “mechanism 8” - is from the map i almost never played
“Ultrakill” - good soundtrack, and yet cyber grind tracks from guest composers are still my favourites. “The cyber grind” in particular is just exhilaratingindividual tracks i overheard from games i haven’t played:
old “touhou project” games - their soundtrack is full of gems, even if it’s not my genre of game
system shock 2’s “Med Sci 1” and “Engineering” - very nice, i want more of that and can’t find
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33”'s “Lumière” - made me wishlist the game just for having it
“Final Fantasy IX”'s “You’re not alone” - very nice melody i like to whistle sometimes. considering playing it just for having it
original “Castlevania”'s “Vampire killer” rocksShovel Knight.
Outstanding compositions and Famitracker work by Virt.
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Katamari Damacy.
Na na, na na na na na, na na, na na na na na na…
Outer Wilds - The way this game uses music and ambient sound to foster a sense of wonder, dread, excitement, sorrow, and much more is nothing short of incredible. Probably the best game I have ever played.
Subnautica - Equally impressive use of music as Outer Wilds, many of the same feelings, but a much much different vibe and genre.
Return of the Obra Dinn - A grim game where the soundtrack with church bells and heavy string instruments really underscore the mood.
Outer Wilds
Already linked elsewhere.
Subnautica
Already linked elsewhere.
Return of the Obra Dinn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qvdAWLcPyU&list=RD8qvdAWLcPyU&start_radio=1
Lots of good choices in the comments already so I’ll start with what I’m currently obsessed with: Project Wingman and its DLC, FRONTLINE-59.
OTXO is also great if you’re looking for some heart-pounding action, both in-game and to listen.
Neotokyo, the old source mod has two fantastic cyberpunk albums for its OST: GSDF and NSF. Both have their own unique style instead of trying to imitate the classics which is a huge plus.
I’ve seen Drakengard being mentioned already so have some heavenly sounds announcing the end of the world. If you’d like something that doesn’t cause as much mental damage as the first game, Drakengard 3 is your friend! It’s still possesses the mad undertones of the original and some of the boss music can be take it or leave it for some people as the heavy electronic vibes can clash with the medieval fantasy aesthetic (I love them all personally) but it has some absolute bangers as well.
Here are the usual suspects when people talk about this title:- Black Song - surprisingly light considering when it plays in the game.
- The Final Song is a backing track for an 8 minute boss fight with no checkpoints and no place for mistakes (1HP through the whole thing baby!).
- This Silence Is Mine - if you want to listen to someone who’ve been through hell and back singing asking for the sweet release of death. It’s raw, it’s emotional and it perfectly encapsulates all the themes of the D3’s protagonist, Zero. Still one of my favourite OST songs of all time despite listening to it for at least a decade now.
Last but not least, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. It’s filled with fun and energetic tracks which fit perfectly with the light comedic tone of the series. Jake Kaufman’s masterpiece and probably my favourite OST in the series.
Nier Automata
Edit: it was mentioned already but I’m keeping it
Gonna list 2 that deserve the “great soundtrack” tag on steam:
- Assault Android Cactus - twin stick shooter/bullet hell with cute android girls blasting robots. Techno stuff, with my 2 favorite tracks being Liquorice (it’s divided in 3 “acts” as it’s a boss music) and Assault
- Cloudbuilt - 3D platformer with focus on speed. I suck at this game, but the tracks are amazing, with my fave being Aurora
Someone else mentioned Unreal 1, but I gotta say, Unreal Tournament 2004 has some absolute bangers, like Morpheus3, Hyperblast Redux, Level11 and Convoy
Ragnarok Online. Really love “Desert” and “Dancimg Christmas in the 13th Month.” So many more, but those two really stand out.
I’m surprised no one said Touhou yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqH79HDfrr8
Also, I see a lot of love for Celeste and Jet Set Radio in the comments. Y’all have good taste.
Rebel Galaxy - country rock genre? Very unique and different sort of music.
Trine 1 & 2 + Transport Fever 1 - instrumental background music good for concentration, working, studying or just relaxing.
Rebel Galaxy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBAYW0WGKtE&list=PLRMcXkadosW43B18ZSbYFqBnFn2myQwRw
Trine 1 & 2
Transport Fever 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVGzzi4-8Tw&list=PL9m0k1iEn7xdnATy5M9EzfCy_x6I-4vaR
I really like the soundtrack to Suikoden. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but it’s one of the better ones for me.
And lunar silver star story is pretty good too.
Quake, by Nine Inch Nails https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1SsBMsauvE Industrial / Ambient