Metal: Hellsinger
Metal Hellsinger
Remember how the music of Alice in Chains and Pantera inspired the music of 1993’s Doom? Metal and video games have always gone hand in hand, especially when it comes to slaying demonic enemies. In Hellsinger the player takes control of a winged demoness as she finds power in the natural rhythm of the cosmos.The soundtrack of the game is stunning with each level having its own song. Even the cutscenes are brilliant.
Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta
If Christopher Nolan had to direct a video game, this is a good choice. The titular character — chasing down a threat by securing a portal to the Alphaverse — comes across her interdimensional counterparts, all bearing the same taste for fashion as well as weaponry. She starts out with her four large-calibre handguns and then graduates to a wider range of weapons. The soundtrack does justice to the game’s multiverse aspects. The track that stands out is Ghost.
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West
The game unfolds after the events of Zero Dawn as Aloy follows Sylens in search of a backup of GAIA, the AI that can bring world order back. The planet is slowly dying because of something called the Blight while warring human fractions can’t think of peace. There are moments of serenity that requires subtle symphonies and that’s what you get.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Revenge
Shredder’s Revenge is a walkthrough to a 32- bit era of animated pixel art and more. The 11 games take users from the late-80s originals on through the NES sequels, the Genesis exclusive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist and more. You get to hear the famous cartoon theme song in various chiptune interpretations. The soundtrack is spearheaded by Tee Lopes.
Splatoon 3
Around since 2015, Nintendo’s Splatoon continues to have a successful formula of players controlling an ‘Inkling’or ‘Octoling’that is able to spray paint on enemies and over surfaces. Characters can be slowed down and take damage if they touch different-coloured ink. What makes this year’s offering special is a soundtrack that fuses different musical genres, making every match wacky and thrilling.
OlliOlli World
OlliOlli World
It’s a great skating game accompanied by a soothing soundtrack. Packed with colours, it’s different from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Here’s it about achieving ‘flow’over exploration.The soundtrack is best described as chill and we have enjoyed a soundtrack featuring artistes like Fardust, Adam Swim and Midflite. “Music has always been a key component in OlliOlli games as it constitutes an integral part of the flow-state gameplay of the series. We are thrilled to [include] these captivating tunes created by outstanding independent musicians from around the world,” Simon Bennett, founder and director of development studio Roll7, said earlier this year.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring
Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and story and world-building from George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring is among this year’s best-designed video game with a hostile fantasy world where battles have left their scars. Yet, it’s not a traditional game packed with cinematics and music. Take the example of The Final Battle, an epic sendoff that comes with triumphant brass instruments, and Regal Ancestral Spirit Theme, which has a somber feel.
God of War: Ragnarok
God of War Ragnarok
Set three years after the previous edition, Ragnarok finds Kratos and his son Atreus looking for peace in Midgard but things are shattered by the Aesir. This time the focus is not on Kratos but his emotional growth is integral to the plot while 2018’s God of War was about the father and son trying to connect in the absence of Atreus’s mother. Keeping with the theme, the notes are apocalyptic but when the heroes need to roar, the score becomes explosive.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
A Plague Tale Requiem
The sequel to 2019’s A Plague Tale: Innocence, we find siblings Amicia and Hugo travel to southern France for some peace, which is short-lived as Hugo’s sickness forces a visit to a nearby city for treatment from a group of alchemists. The score of the game captures the grim reality of the plot, complete with doomand-gloom encounters.
Stray
Stray
In the game from BlueTwelve Studio we plunge into a post-apocalyptic setting where humans have disappeared but cats have proved hardy. It’s a world of concrete imagination as you slip through a crevice, landing in a laboratory that’s home to a flying drone called B12 that quickly becomes your — that is, the cat’s — companion. Making the neon-soaked city come to life is a soundtrack with a feline quality, which can be mysterious as well as lively.