{"id":7729,"date":"2019-11-26T18:17:30","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T23:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=7729"},"modified":"2020-01-22T13:23:53","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T18:23:53","slug":"video-game-music-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/video-game-music-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"The state of video game music in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
Illustration: Benedikt Rugar<\/a><\/h6>\n

Video game music has come a long way since the four descending notes of Space Invaders<\/em>.<\/h2>\n

Monophonic chiptune melodies like the Space Invaders <\/em>theme captured people’s attention in arcades in the 70s, while the polyphony enabled by consoles in the 80s birthed classics like the Super Mario Bros. <\/em>soundtrack. Digital synthesis astronomically expanded the possibilities for video game music in the 90s, and Dolby Digital software allowed for complex and expressive orchestral arrangements in the 2000s. As the 2010s draw to a close, video game music is in a more dynamic and exciting place than it has ever been before. As we look forward to what the upcoming decade may bring, let’s celebrate the state of video game music in 2019.<\/p>\n

Entering a golden age for creative freedom<\/h2>\n

In its early days, the sound of video game music was defined by the limited number of audio channels and timbres offered by sound chips. However, as technology advanced throughout the years, games gradually progressed towards utilizing recorded music. For a time, moving away from chiptune and 16-bit audio towards higher-fidelity formats seemed to be the uncontested trend across franchises (which makes sense, as a series would appear stagnant in comparison to competition if it didn’t demonstrate evolution from console to console).<\/p>\n

Today, we’ve arrived to a place where we’ve been distant from 8-bit and 16-bit music for long enough that it has become nostalgic; we’re now drawn to the very limitations that once restricted us. Entirely new franchises like Shovel Knight<\/em> (2014 – 2019) and mega-hit titles including Toby Fox’s Undertale <\/em>(2015) and\u00a0Deltarune <\/em>(2018) heavily feature 8-bit and 16-bit sounds across their soundtracks. The revival of 2D platformer and metroidvania games at large \u2014 with recent releases including Hollow Knight<\/em> (2017),\u00a0Celeste\u00a0<\/em>(2018), and\u00a0SteamWorld Dig 2\u00a0<\/em>(2017) \u2014 is indicative of the cultural interest in games that incorporate aesthetics of the past. That said, these games and their soundtracks don’t blindly walk the same paths as their predecessors. Blending new genres and audio implementation techniques with retro timbres and arrangements, many of these games craft a new sound that’s simultaneously familiar and fresh.<\/p>\n

And on the other hand, plenty of games are continuing to create increasingly stunning orchestrated soundtracks. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> (2017) boldly reinvented the famed series’ musical identity with subtle but beautifully-recorded piano performances. NieR<\/em>: Automata\u00a0<\/em>(2017) blessed us with some breathtaking orchestrations that are topped off by vocalist Emi Evans’ haunting songs. Detroit: Become Human<\/em> (2018) featured an ambitious score with music tailored to the perspectives of various in-game characters. On the audio implementation side of things, Fe <\/em>(2018) innovated on interweaving music and gameplay by allowing the player to sing dynamically to communicate with its world’s creatures<\/a>.<\/p>\n