Music in Video Games

Soundtracks in video games resonate more strongly with me than those from other types of media. This, I believe, is due to the level of immersion I enjoy in games. When exploring a new landscape, the music often helps to shape how we perceive it. It is an integral part of the novel experience we have while trekking through lush green fields with fantastical creatures roaming leisurely around us, or stepping carefully in a dungeon, wary of traps and beasts lurking in the darkness.

There are times when a piece of music is so beautiful that it takes my breath away from the start. More often, however, it is only in retrospect that I realise how great the soundtrack is. The nostalgia it evokes, of when I first stepped into the land of Cyrodiil, or Thedas, of the time I spent exploring every nook and cranny of the map, and even falling off edges at times due to my damnable curiosity.

Anyhow, that brings me to two tracks that have stayed on my mind recently. The first would be "Dust to Dust" from Final Fantasy XIII.

I've finally kicked my own lazy butt into motion and worked my way to the end of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (after an entire year). Right before the final boss battle, I decided to tackle the 4 Trials and thus went into the Altar of Judgment first. It was here that "Dust to Dust" started playing - even during battles. Putting aside my weakness for melodic ballads used as battle music, it really invoked a sense of longing in me for Oerba (in FFXIII). 

According to the wiki, it "mirrors the feelings of Fang and Vanille" when they return to their old hometown - now empty and inhabited by monsters. It conveys the loss and emptiness of losing one's home. Before reading the above, however, I felt this piece also presents a sanctuary of sorts - where one could rest and heal. Indeed, this is one of the songs I listen to when I feel upset or emotionally drained. It offers a musical haven that helps to soothe the soul, and allows me to lay down my burdens for a while.

Another piece that has captured my heart, would be "Lith My'athar" from Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark. 

Lith My'athar is the drow rebel camp that would be your "hub" for Chapter 2 in the DLC. Up until that point, players were only given the distinct impression that the drow were just war-like and treacherous dark elves who would kill them without second thought. Of course, to those who have played other D&D games or know a bit of lore, there are rebels who deviate from this generalisation: like the well-known Drizzt Do'Urden, and of course Nathyrra herself, who brings you to the camp.

The music that plays within this camp first caught my interest, then my heart. It gives the camp and the rebels that dwell in it a mystical quality. It reflects the hardiness of the people and their determination to not fall to the evil ways of their brethren - and the massive army of the Valsharess who hunts them. There is a sense of a "tribe" that this song applies to the rebels: people who would stick together in their common belief in a better way of living.

On a side note, I have identified this song so much with the drow rebels, that it was rather jarring to hear it reused in Neverwinter Nights 2. This time, in a mountainous area above ground. To me, it did not fit and just seemed like a lazy move to fill the silence. Although I enjoyed listening to it again, I would have enjoyed it more if it was played in a setting similar to Lith My'athar. Perhaps in an encounter with drow, or in a camp with cornered rebels.

So that's it for now. Writing this entry about music was really interesting, and I'd like to continue it in future.