Underrated game soundtracks?

Lotias

I'd say Journey To Silius. This whole game are way underrated. Never really see anyone talk about it or mention it in discussions. However, this old NES game are damn hard but soo good! and the music makes me smile like an idiot every time I hear it! <3

suplextrain

I personally love finding hidden gems of videogame music, so this thread is right up my alley.
While there were a couple of great songs in Lords of Shadow 1 and 2 I didn't really feel that the soundtracks as a whole were great. From LoS 2 for example I can pretty much only remember 4 songs from the entire soundtrack. Still what I think most people's problem with Lords of Shadow was that it didn't look, sound or feel like the Castlevania they knew and loved. That shouldn't come as a surprise though since Lords of Shadow did not start out as a Castlevania game, but was rebranded by Konami because they thought it would sell more.

But on to the soundtracks.

Saint Seiya: The Hades
One of the more underrated (casual) fighting games to be sure. Pretty content rich and is an excellent game to bring out and play with your buddies. The soundtrack is kickass.
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Saints vs Devils
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Inner Cosmos
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Orpheus Melancholy Harp
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Knights of Athena
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Atrium of Damn Emperor
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Until the Last Breath
Saint Seiya: The Hades PS2 - Warrior's Blood

Sigma Star Saga
The game gets a little repetitive but I still think that this is a very underrated game and the music is pretty good. Finding good recordings of it on YT is a bit tricky though.
Sigma Star Saga - Lifeline
Sigma Star Saga - Fire battle
Sigma Star Saga - Forest-Battle
Sigma Star Saga - Forgotten Planet (Battle)

Elemental Gearbolt
Let's end on a high note. Great little unknown gem but the soundtrack is fantastic.
Elemental Gearbolt - An Ending
Elemental Gearbolt - The Cause
Elemental Gearbolt - Dance
Elemental Gearbolt - Fortress
Elemental Gearbolt - Forest
Elemental Gearbolt - The Scout
Elemental Gearbolt - Echoes

Paper Lion

Persona 3 and 4.

The caveat here is that they're not underrated by people who played the games. But despite the cult following the series has, and despite it being so popular amongst games media people, it's still not a series most people have ever touched.

Think about it, even out of everyone you know, even amongst the hardcore gamer friends you have, who obviously have heard about persona games, and know persona 5 is coming next year, how many have actually played through 3 or 4?

And with little exposure to the franchise, the soundtrack isn't getting as much exposure as it deserves, and that's why it's underrated. People just don't know about it.

naltmank

@suplextrain Listening to the Elemental Gearbolt music right now and really digging it! Seems like a game that would be right up my alley, too!

Also, I totally forgot about Suikoden Tierkreis! I never had a PS1, so it's actually the only Suikoden game I've ever played (hoping to remedy that ASAP). I really liked that game - thought it was really well paced, and had a simple but effective combat system. The thing that I remember most about it, though, is the super weird sounding voice acting. For some reason it sounded like they recorded all their lines and then sped it up 1.5x. Once I got used to it, though, I thought it was rather charming!

TheMarcV

First off, totally agree with at least Persona 4 music being insanely good. One sound track I just heard some of for the first time thanks to Bosman playing tetris is Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. I know Kyle has been screaming how great that game is but I dont have a Wii U so I never got to really experience it, but he started playing the music on his tetris stream and my god is that soundtrack great.

Kaminski

@TheMarcV said in Underrated game soundtracks?:

First off, totally agree with at least Persona 4 music being insanely good. One sound track I just heard some of for the first time thanks to Bosman playing tetris is Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. I know Kyle has been screaming how great that game is but I dont have a Wii U so I never got to really experience it, but he started playing the music on his tetris stream and my god is that soundtrack great.

Tropical Freeze has among the very best video game soundtracks of all time, but pretty much everyone who has played the game agrees. Fantastic game overall.

I'd like to give a shout out to inFAMOUS 2's soundtrack. It's rather unique and I never hear it get mentioned.

Haru17

@Kaminski I don't remember Infamous 2's music, what did you like about it?

Kaminski

@Haru17 said in Underrated game soundtracks?:

@Kaminski I don't remember Infamous 2's music, what did you like about it?

Well it sounded good of course, but it was interesting because they used unconventional instruments like garbage can lids or conventional instruments unconventionally. The composer even had unwritten parts on the sheet music that just said "FWI" which stood for f*** with it. This encouraged the orchestra to go nuts.

The result was a really unique and brilliant soundtrack imo

Ringedwithtile

Enemy Zero, Lack of Love, and Ollie King.

Haru17

For my part, I'll offer up Gravity Rush. The soundtrack isn't under-appreciated as much as the series in general is, but that doesn't make it any less overlooked.

This music isn't chip tune crap that you have to pretend is actually good or midi compositions you wish were just a bit higher quality—It's all orchestral, baby! Studio Ghibli. The music mapping to the sandbox isn't like either Skyrim's ambient mix or The Witcher 3's brilliant idea of looping a single depressing song over and over, over an entire open world. It's more old-school, with unique area themes for each district of the open world city.

These themes not only encapsulate the feel of each of the quarters, but their upbeat, classical tones, contrast appropriately almost Metroid-esque "paths" series, which score the otherworldly rift planes. And throughout all of these areas, this is the combat theme! I've never heard a combat theme so good that I actually don't get sick of and hate by the end of the game, but Gravity Rush's does it. The dark tracks don't disappoint either, doing some wonderful things with the violin.

And can I just say how fucking lit Raven's motif is?

Lastly, I'll just say that the music in 2 is approaching GOAT territory. I mean seriously, just listen to this song's transition at a minute 54. So good!

suplextrain

@TheMarcV said in Underrated game soundtracks?:

I'd like to give a shout out to inFAMOUS 2's soundtrack. It's rather unique and I never hear it get mentioned.

I think 1 had a more unique sounding soundtrack and some better tracks while 2 is mostly ambient violin heavy music that sort of blends into the background. Most of it is rather forgettable but works when you play the games, but some would argue that this is the best kind of soundtrack.
Infamous 1 - Genesis
Infamous 1 - Rabble Rouser
Infamous 1 - Hunt for the Ray Sphere
Infamous 1 - End of the Road
Infamous 2 - Plight
Infamous 2 - Bertrand
Infamous 2 - The Beast
Infamous 2 - Boat hopping
Infamous 2 - Half as long... (BEWARE the YT link has a spoiler in the title. Don't click it if you plan on playing Infamous 2)

The Infamous 2 soundtrack made me remember M.A.G., a PS3 multiplayer only shooter (which I Fucking loved with a capital F).
In that massively underrated game each faction had their own music, Valor had more usage of acoustic guitars and such, SVER had violins and electric guitars and Raven had a more electronic style. While it was the SVER music that reminded me of Infamous 2, my faction of choice (since you got locked into a faction and couldn't swap willy nilly) was Raven and it was thus the music I grew to love and appriciate.
The composer for MAG was actually Apocalyptica, which some of you might've noticed even if I didn't say anything.

MAG - The Shadow War S.V.E.R.
MAG - Raven faction music
MAG - Raven menu theme

matteroffact

Is Bloodoborne's soundtrack considered underrated? I adore the music from that game.

naltmank

@matteroffact I think just about everyone who plays that game loves the music, lol. It's pretty bonkers. Maybe it would be more accurate to say the importance of the music in Bloodborne is under-appreciated? By that I mean, the music is incredible, but maybe it gets overshadowed by other elements of the game, and people don't realize how much it lends to the tone/mood of the game? Idk, I'm kind of spitballing right now.

Haru17

I think it's a stretch to say anything about a Souls game has gone unappreciated since 2014.

Meanfingers

I see several mentions of Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze which reminds me of how fantastic Donkey Kong Country 1-3 are for the SNES. DK2 being one of my all time favorite soundtracks. I would go to the sound test options and just sit and listen and get lost in the music back when I was a kid.

naltmank

@Meanfingers DKC2 straight up has one of the best soundtracks ever recorded, but I don't think anyone has ever/will ever question that. Stickerbush symphony is a triumph.

Youtube Video

Churchy

The one that always sticks out for me is Pokemon Colosseum. It has some truly calming themes for towns, tense battle music and even tracks with Latin influences too. It's a masterpiece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoBZqp25Dvs&list=PL25E760F83D231ED5&index=15

@naltmank I totally agree on Lords of Shadow's soundtrack. Even if the game's quality is subpar, that soundtrack is incredible.

Maczime

Note sure if it fits the thread but Oxenfree's soundtrack (which I tend to consider as an underrated game when I check Steamdb and see it has 60-70 k owners) is definitely my soundtrack of the year so far:

Youtube Video

naltmank

@Maczime I really want to play Oxenfree! I've heard great things about it. I'm hoping to pick this and the Banner Saga up at the next steam sale.

michemagius

STRETCH PANIC
This game is soooo underrated. In any case, the soundtrack is straight up insane. I love it.

Youtube Video