Emotional Soundwaves | Gaming Soundtrack Collab with Leeksplays.

A while ago now me and the lovely Krista from Leeksplays decided to do a collab, we have been wanting to do something like this for a while now and it seemed like the perfect time to write up a post. We settled on something that we both felt fitted us and gave us joy, it's a topic I don't ever go into much detail about when it comes to gaming and I feel like it's probably time I should talk about it, that subject is gaming soundtracks. I find people are so focused on the games graphics and forget about all the other bits that bring a game together, I have come to appreciate game soundtracks more than ever now due to them being the staple music I choose over today's chart hits. The right song can completely change how we feel about a game, this is due to music being able to change our perception on something, an intense battle can turn into something comical with fun upbeat music but once you add a deep and dramatic music it feels much more serious.

Music has always been such a big part of my life, I would wake up to the sound of my mum cleaning with the radio on and I have the best memories dancing around with my sisters to music all the time. One year we sat and sang mama I love you to my mum by the spice girls, it was all 6 of us girls together and it's a memory I will forever cherish. I can remember playing The Lion King constantly and the sound track being stuck in my head, to this day it plays in my head when I'm in a good mood and I have to pop over to YouTube and play it!

Krista and I chose some very different soundtracks from one another to talk about in today's post, I feel that both our choices kind of represent ourselves and gives a glimpse into the kind of genre that stands out for us in games. We both have similar tastes to each other anyways and it's clear how emotionally driven we are when it comes to music. Krista chose The Sims 2 Main Theme, i'm not surprised she went with a Sims soundtrack if I'm honest, she is a huge fan of the franchise. The other is Bring Me The Horizon - Ludens from Death Stranding which is one of them songs you can't help but like to check out why she chose these song click HERE!  

The following are my choices: Quantic Games have taken up a huge part in my life, their games and stories are some of the best I have ever played but one in particular that stood out to me was beyond two souls, not only because of the story but because of the beautiful soundtrack. Due to Beyond Two Souls having such a big emotional rollercoaster of a story the soundtrack pulls it all together showcasing Jodie's emotions and trauma she has had to deal with for her whole life. The soundtrack has a lot of raw emotion which has been composed beautifully across 16 different soundtracks, each takes you through the trials and tribulations of Jodie's life and how much trauma she has faced in such a short amount of time, the poor girl has been let down by a lot of those who were meant to be there to protect her.

The first song from the soundtrack called Jodie's Suite opens us up to Jodies world, feels us with some comfort whilst framing the sadness that plagued Jodie's life and her journey. The game focuses a lot on life and death and leads us to have some relief knowing that there could be other beings out there around us even in death. The second song on the soundtrack that makes me feel all the feels is Black Sun, this song is added towards the end of the game, it's the make or break part where you're lead to make a hard choice leaving that haunted feeling, Lorne Balfe certainly brought all the emotion within Beyond Two Souls to life and composed a memorable soundtrack that I will never stop listening to.

Assassin's Creed 2 will always be my go to for gaming soundtracks, I can't tell you how many times I would escape reality by blasting the soundtrack into my ears believe it or not this would help my anxiety when I needed to be out and about, escaping my own head and phasing everything around me out with the use of music has been the best tool for me to try and keep my anxious mind busy. AC2 has one particular song that has become the franchises staple song and has been reused other and other again with a slightly different sound to fit the latest game, this song is Ezio's family. 

To me it's the most important song from the soundtrack as it builds up to a breaking point that stays with you, Ezio losing his father and brother cemented the soundtrack further making it an unforgettable combo. The second song from the soundtrack is Dreams of Venice, it feels a little more dark compared to Ezio's Family and much like there is a small glimpse of hope, this song takes us along the streets of Venice showing us it in a different light. I spent a good chunk of time just standing around and listening to the ambience that surrounded me in AC2, the chatter, music and atmosphere transported my mind to a place I have lusted after, Jesper Kyd is a wonderful composter that's for sure.  At one point I put together a post on my favourite places in Assassin's Creed and Venice was one of my top picks, to read it click HERE.

Be sure to check out Krista's latest review for Against The Current HERE.