Puzzle Games. Who doesn't love them? I know I'm a big fan and so are my fellow authors here at Chalgyr's Game Room. In today's collective, which is also the first of this year, we feature memorable music from puzzle / casual games. These games help you relax, or keep your mind sharp for the next puzzle game to come out. I swear the composers for the music of this genre really nailed it. From the opening notes of the first track, to the meat of a section of the game, the transitions, they all draw you along throughout the game. It's also good to be able to have some of the music for regular life where it can soothe your raging frustration at day to day life. Enjoy!
Nick
Austin Wintory – Journey (2012)
Journey is one of those titles that I was somewhat late to when it was released in 2012, but once I began to play it, I fell in love with it. Something about the simple yet elegant visuals, play-at-your-pace style that mixed exploration with light platforming and puzzle elements made it a game that I felt like I was experiencing rather than just playing. However, despite all of those above elements coming together to help create such a memorable experience, the music was probably the standout aspect for many people. There is a reason it was nominated for a Grammy in 2013 for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Even though Journey didn’t come away with the hardware, it was notable because this was the first time a video game had been nominated for this particular award.
Austin Wintory was the composer, and he has a long list of credits both in the film/TV and video game industry. His first credit dates back to 2002 and his most recent work was as recently as this year (probably most notably as a co-composer with the recently released and critically acclaimed Hades 2).
Journey is a game about mystery, discovery and exploration with moments that can be whimsical but also at times a bit tense throughout the adventure. There’s so many great songs on this soundtrack, with
Apotheosis (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypNgvc6c6Cc ) being a standout entry, but The Crossing being another memorable track in a collection filled with songs that stuck with me well after my journey had ended.
Peter Gabriel - Myst IV: Revelation (2004)
As you are all aware by now, I love puzzle games. Although, rarely does the music in a puzzle game captivate me as much as many songs from the Myst series. I’ve previously mentioned enjoying Catherine’s Theme from Riven, but I haven’t talked about some of my other favorites and why they resonate so much. Out of the whole series the order of my favorite titles goes Myst IV: Revelation, Myst III: Exile, Riven, Myst, and End of Ages. Songs that I adore include:
The Theme from Amateria (
https://youtu.be/B0yjqq4ZWOw ) and
Going Home (
https://youtu.be/HBPKsYsLuBc?list=PL1E2F81F280184A96 ). Both are from Myst III: Exile and are quite different to each other. Amateria is an age full of crystals and sparkling atmosphere which is why I like it so much whereas Going Home is only heard when you reach a specific ending - a good one too! Unlike Riven or Myst before it, Exile had multiple endings which made it my favorite at the time. Then Myst IV topped my list and really stepped up its storytelling and gameplay. Like Exile, the game allowed us to choose different endings but didn’t have as many cutscenes that pushed the narrative forward without requiring pages of information and a copious amount of notetaking to extrapolate puzzle solutions. The series developed quality of life features that made puzzle solving easier for video game players and that is one of the defining reasons for the series’ reputation.
Where Myst and Riven’s music was composed by Robyn Miller, Myst III: Exile switched it up with compositions by Jack Wall. I can recall listening to the intro song on repeat and it has burned a permanent place in my skull as one of my favorite game themes next to Baba Yetu from Civilization. However, it is not the one that destroys all other puzzle game tracks. When Myst IV: Revelation released there was one song that Jack Wall didn’t do.
As you fall asleep to enter Dream, a beautiful cutscene plays with a song composed by Peter Gabriel titled Curtains. It is the most iconic song for me and it is only heard the first time you enter Dream, which is honestly a tragedy because the song is spectacular and quite surreal. I remember being so entranced by it and I am not sure I can explain why. (For reference Peter Gabriel composed Solsbury Hill which is one of his many iconic songs that you can hear here:
https://youtu.be/_OO2PuGz-H8 ) Curtains could only be heard in Myst IV: Revelation and was not released until 2019 on the album titled ‘Flotsam and Jetsam’ which is a collection of previously unreleased and rare B-Side tracks. I know this because I went looking for the song back then, only to discover that it was an exclusive track. Anyways, part of why this song sticks out in my mind is because it manages to put people into a zen state of mind, which is good because in this new ethereal and abstract place known as Dream you must complete an irritating and simple color puzzle that I felt made the color marble puzzle from Riven look like child’s play - at the time. Anyways, that song leading into Dream resonated with me so much that Curtains by Peter Gabriel sticks out in my mind as THE most memorable song in gaming history partly due to its inclusion in my favorite Myst game of all time and partly due to its affiliation with one of the most surreal sections in any video game I’ve ever played. There is nothing that has captured a sense of awe and wonder quite like the Myst series as a whole - at least, nothing I can recall. So, without further ado, I present to you Curtains by Peter Gabriel:
https://youtu.be/dpXCpmk5xdo.
Honestly, Myst IV: Revelation changed the gaming landscape by using cutscenes to drive a story forward. The physical acting was spectacular and brought the story to life. It is part of the reason the Myst series became a benchmark for puzzle games and kicked off the genre in a big way. Plus, they were some of the first games to have multiple endings. Needless to say, the Myst series is responsible for my addiction to puzzle games and I’m not ashamed to say it. The music helped create that healthy addiction I have…
Tomohito Nishiura - Professor Layton (2007-2017)
Mmm, this is a real tough choice for me, because I do like me some puzzle games. Even tougher because there’s a lot of cross genre games that may not really settle nicely in this category. Take La Mulana for example. I’d call it a brutal puzzle game, but it’s probably more action platformer. Tetris? A true classic, but everyone knows Tetris. Maybe something like Phoenix Wright or Misao? Great games, but they’re more Visual Novel with puzzle elements. There are also plenty of Puzzle games with fitting ambient soundtracks that aren’t really memorable, much to my chagrin. The Super Solvers games for instance I loved the music for, I remember that, but I can’t remember the actual soundtracks anymore.
There is, however, a game I played almost 20 years ago now that I still remember a lot of the soundtrack to: Professor Layton and the Curious Village. This series in general is a great puzzle game series that incorporates a lot of small brain teaser type puzzles into a large overarching game with an interesting plotline, tied together by a usually soothing soundtrack you can solve puzzles to. Tomohito Nishiura has been the composer for Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy, and the Layton series for ten years. While there are other puzzle games I may rate higher than the Layton games, the soundtrack is certainly one of the most memorable for me. It definitely starts off strong right from the main theme of The Curious Village (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYlpoteRT6o&list=RDGYlpoteRT6o&start_radio=1)
Trigg and Gusset - Blue Prince
There is nothing like a puzzle game to keep one's mind on their toes and their imagination floating away in the music of that game. While writing this up for our memorable music collective I came across an interview of the duo Trigg and Gusset. In it they featured two of the sound tracks that keep me opening the next door and then the next. However, I am hard-pressed to choose just one as they all are the body of the game.
If I must choose a couple, then Stairways & Steam and Under the Black Bridge. Throughout all of the pieces you get the sense of things hiding, things disappearing and reappearing, nooks and crannies to discover, the people that live there, and all manner of atmosphere of a house that has a story to tell. If you haven't played this awesome game by now, I say go get it.
