Memorable Music in Gaming #49

For my third and final edition of my Dungeons & Dragons Memorable Music articles I’ve been pulling from games that are pretty old now. It’s a testament to how good these soundtracks were then, and still are today. Gameplay has evolved, graphics have gotten better, but the music has aged flawlessly over the years, evoking powerful memories and emotions whenever I hear them play.

Neverwinter Nights – Forest Boss

This song just hits my nostalgia hard. The beginning just has this sense of scale that makes you think of an epic, grand battle about to take place, but even midway through, there’s a shift in the tempo that somehow makes everything feel just that much more amazing to me.

Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn – Jaheira’s Romance Theme

While so many of the songs in this series drive hard and fast to create a sense of urgency during big, bombastic battles, there’s a lot to be said about some of the quieter, more emotional songs, such as this one.

Planescape: Torment – Deionarra’s Theme

Haunting, sad, and a little unusual – this song in many ways encompasses this unique game itself.

Icewind Dale 2 – Skeleton of a Town

The twinkling sounds at the start remind of the snowy fields of Icewind Dale, before giving way to a more sweeping song that I could listen to on repeat while writing stories of fantastic lands – or simply recalling my adventures in this one.

  

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance – Ciraxis the White Dragon

Perhaps not the most challenging boss fight, but any time a white dragon is involved, there’s a greater sense of awe involved, and Ciraxis was certainly an entertaining battle with an excellent musical score to back the encounter up.

These are just some of the many songs that come to mind when I think of Dungeons & Dragons games, and this really just touched on the old Bioware titles from years ago. Not the really old Gold Box games, or the newer titles like the MMO Neverwinter Nights (which has a fantastic soundtrack as well). Any of your favorites in here, or glaring omissions? Thanks for reading!

Article by: Nick

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Memorable Music in Gaming #48

Welcome to the second installment where we are talking about (or listening to) music from classic Dungeons & Dragons games. I always felt like these games made great use of audio. I remember playing them and having my headphones on late at night, listening to the sounds of skittering creatures in dark caverns, all of it complimented by some of the best RPG music in the business.

Icewind Dale II – The Severed Hand

This song stands on its own, with an epic introduction that continues strong throughout what is the final battle of the game. A confluence of events that just brings the experience together for the definition of a memorable moment.

Baldur’s Gate – Sword Against Darkness

So many of the songs in this soundtrack just come out hard, emphasizing the tempo of combat. Not that this particular scene was all that challenging for me at the time, where the music outperformed the moment in gaming.

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark – Main Theme

Given this expansions theme of being located in the Underdark, this theme’s tone compliments the experience perfectly. There’s a dark undertone to it, but moments of higher pitched instruments that cut through it, like a shining hope amidst the oppressive darkness. This expansion’s narrative was similarly fantastic.

Baldur’s Gate – The Friendly Arms Inn

Pull up a chair, huddle near the fireplace and rest your weary bones for a spell. Your journeys have been hard, and you’re not done yet - but for tonight? Tonight, you sleep well, my friend.

That is the vibe I get from this slow, comfortable song.

Neverwinter Nights 2 – King of Shadows Battle

What an amazing (if somewhat frustrating) battle this was for me. The music comes in fast and hard, and when the chanting vocals enter the song later, it just compliments what has happened to this point in the story and sets the stage beautifully.

Article by: Nick

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Memorable Music in Gaming #47

Given that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves just released (a movie that I enjoyed a great deal), it got me reminiscing about some of my favorite songs from the vast catalog of Dungeons & Dragons video games.

Honestly, I could turn this into a two or three part article instead of a single Memorable Music, given how many fantastic soundtracks these games have seen over the years. In fact… I just talked myself into it.

So here’s Memorable Music in Gaming – Dungeons & Dragons Edition: Part 1

Baldur’s Gate – From Out of the Storm

This song is one that just hits you right out of the gates. It’s an absolutely epic mix of vocal harmonization and instruments as you wage an epic battle against Sarevok.

  

Icewind Dale – Kuldahar

Jeremy Soule is known for his epic fantasy songs, and this is among my favorites of his. There is something both inviting to the wind instruments here, that also make me recall the cold, frosty environments as well.

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Neverwinter Nights – City Docks Day

An underappreciated favorite of mine from Jeremy Soule. I almost feel like there’s a haunting quality to this song that would make it more appropriate for night than day, but it’s not going too far to say that this is one of my favorite songs ever from a video game. It’s shown up in a prior Memorable Music of mine, but I couldn’t justify leaving it out here.

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Baldur’s Gate 2 – The Pirate Isle

Flutes and percussions make this a fun, lightweight tune. The tempo’s a bit uneven, and with it a sort of bawdy sound that would be right at home in a tavern. Sometimes a song can simply be fun, and not need to be tethered to a grand battle or overly emotional moment, to remain memorable.

 

Planescape Torment – Sigil

I didn’t play this title when it first came out, and I wasn’t much of a Planescape connoisseur during my tabletop days, but this particular song stuck with me when I did play. The chiming sound of a clock near the end caps off a strange mix of sounds and tones that works in an almost haunting way.

Article by: Nick

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