Soundtrack Sunday
Welcome to Soundtrack Sunday, the place a member of the PC Gamer staff takes a have a look at a soundtrack from one in all their favorite video games—or a broader have a look at videogame music as a complete—providing a bit backstory and proposals for tracks you ought to be including to your playlist.
July 22, 2025 noticed metalheads all over the place go into mourning as Ozzy Osbourne—the Prince of Darkness and early pioneer of heavy steel alongside his band Black Sabbath—died on the age of 76. Simply 17 days after returning to his hometown of Birmingham for one last farewell present that raised $200 million for charity.
Whereas his direct involvement in videogames through the years was pretty minimal, it is arduous to disclaim how a lot his affect has trickled down into our much-loved interest. As a Sabbath lover and fellow Brummie, Osbourne’s loss of life has had me reflecting by myself journey with steel music, and the early life spent enjoying videogames with all method of heavy riffs that went on to form my bizarre little emo nerd self.
Whereas video games have been well-known to borrow all method of rockin’ licensed music, there’s additionally a plethora of extremely neat authentic scores that pull from the choice scene. This is a couple of of my private favourites, plus suggestions from the PC Gamer staff that I listened to and actually liked.
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Otherworld – Remaining Fantasy 10
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Remaining Fantasy 10 is a sport usually scored by unhappy piano twinkling and delicate strings. In spite of everything, it is a sport all about sending a younger woman to her loss of life whereas we, because the protagonist, slowly fall in love along with her. It is a fairly heart-wrenching story!
It additionally makes Otherworld stand out much more among the many remainder of its soundtrack. A heavy steel piece that performs in the course of the sport’s very first cutscene, opening issues with a bang. It is penned by legendary Sq. composer Nobuo Uematsu, with lyrics by localiser Alexander O Smith and carried out by xtillidiex frontman Invoice Muir.
After being lulled right into a false sense of safety by To Zanarkand enjoying on the title display screen, Remaining Fantasy 10 opens up in virtually lifeless silence. The digicam slowly pans down onto protagonist Tidus, zooming in on his eye. It opens, and with it the tough-as-nails riff to Otherworld comes crashing in. We get to see Tidus enjoying Blitzball whereas Auron will get to, you realize, look all cool and mysterious and stuff.
Not solely is it a ridiculously hype option to kickstart a JRPG, the track rips in its personal proper. It has been a mainstay in my fitness center playlist for a scorching sec, for good purpose. Whereas the Remaining Fantasy collection has experimented with steel tracks in subsequent video games, nothing has ever fairly reached the highs of Otherworld for me.
The Intuition – Killer Intuition Gold
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It is secure to say that Killer Intuition Gold on the Nintendo 64 might be the very first time my younger ears bore witness to rock and steel music. The Intuition is an actual masterclass in constructing rigidity—seeing the N64 and Uncommon logos flash up on display screen because the theme track quietly bubbles away within the background, solely teasing with a few devices.
Then the title display screen blasts up on display screen, kicking the track into full gear as a melodic guitar wails away within the background. Composer Robin Beanland completely cooked on the unique Killer Intuition and Killer Intuition 2 soundtracks, even managing to wrangle the N64’s inferior audio card and restricted reminiscence to create one thing that was staggeringly near the latter’s arcade model.
Mick Gordon additionally did a improbable job of recreating the theme when Killer Intuition had its revival in 2013. He manages to take The Intuition’s core DNA and construct upon it, making it punchier whereas efficiently retaining that rigidity within the preliminary buildup by enjoying on the theme’s iconic riff, layering totally different devices collectively earlier than kicking into the primary meat of the monitor.
It is actual good, and Gordon speaking a bit to Maintain Again to Block concerning the technique of reimagining the track is tremendous fascinating—you even get to listen to some earlier ideas he put collectively for the monitor, none of which maintain a candle to the ultimate product when you ask me.
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Have I ever performed Metallic Gear Rising: Revengeance. Positive have not! Do I feel that Guidelines of Nature is a sheer masterpiece? Positive do!
It is one other a kind of songs that actually helps to set the tone for the sport, as I have been advised by numerous of my Metallic Gear Rising enjoyer buddies. If you happen to could not already inform, I am a complete sucker for rock and steel songs that slowly construct the strain with layering devices and vocals, and Guidelines of Nature is not any totally different.
Jason Charles Miller—a very iconic vocalist who’s not solely performed a bunch of stuff within the music trade however has lent his voice to a handful of songs within the likes of Responsible Gear and Remaining Fantasy 14—kicks off with some tremendous melodic vocals earlier than shouting out the enduring track title, and the entire thing kicks into the refrain.
It is a kind of songs that has since propelled itself to meme standing with the likes of ‘Guidelines of Nature Goes With All the pieces’ and hell, it certain does. Humorous sufficient, Miller wasn’t even conscious of the meme for a number of years. Seemingly a byproduct of his vocals not being credited on the monitor till a lot later down the road.
Herald of Darkness – Alan Wake 2
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Okay, that is an extremely area of interest choose. I additionally must admit I have never fairly gotten round to Alan Wake 2 but, with this suggestion coming from our senior editor Robin Valentine. After giving the 13-minute lengthy model a hearken to (there’s additionally a model that is half-hour and one which’s three), I can actually see the attraction.
I am going to let Robin inform you what’s simply so darn good about this monitor. He does a a lot better job than me:
Robin Valentine
Senior Editor
Heavy steel occupies a particular place in Treatment’s shared universe of video games. Fictional band Outdated Gods of Asgard not solely contributes to the soundtrack in all three Alan Wake video games and Management, however its members additionally seem as pivotal characters—ageing rockers whose music has fairly actually modified the world. Their songs, carried out by actual Finnish band Poets of the Fall, underpin arguably probably the most memorable moments in all 4 video games. Alan Wake 2’s Herald of Darkness sequence specifically is unimaginable—a playable rock opera, utilizing music as a campy window into Alan’s thoughts and the surreal limbo he finds himself trapped in. You could not mistake it for something apart from a loving tribute to the studio’s relationship with heavy steel and basic rock.
Rip and Tear – Doom 2016
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It will’ve been remiss of me to speak about sick videogame tracks whereas completely ignoring one of the vital steel videogames on the market. Now I am going to admit I’ve by no means performed Doom, however has that stopped me from rinsing its soundtrack top-to-bottom? In fact not.
Mick Gordon has already technically made an look on this listing, but it surely’s for a very good purpose. His work is stellar, a bona fide steel composer within the videogame house. He additionally did a bunch of labor on one in all my all-time favorite EPs, Convey me the Horizon’s Put up Human: Survival Horror.
His work on Doom 2016 is a few of my favorite, and Rip & Tear is a kind of tracks I’m going again to time and time once more. The guitars and drums are meaty as all hell, and it surprises me to study that id Software program did not truly need Gordon utilizing guitars in any respect—apparently the studio did not need a steel soundtrack, worrying that it could be “corny” regardless of the unique sport going all-in on heavy steel.
Fortunately it is okay to be improper, and Gordon was capable of wrangle some shredding into the combo to supply a ripping, tearing, uncorny steel OST that, from my numerous watch-throughs of Doom Let’s Performs, feels prefer it oozes the sport’s DNA.
You Cannot Cease Us – Nikke: Goddess of Victory
![You CAN'T STOP US [GODDESS OF VICTORY : NIKKE OST] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/w-BhQxGk34o/maxresdefault.jpg)
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Alright, alright, put your anti-gooner pitchforks down. Nikke: Goddess of Victory has a whole lot of, effectively, boobs and butts—it is the identical developer as Stellar Blade, in spite of everything—but it surely additionally packs a surprisingly gripping story and, extra crucially, a killer soundtrack.
That is as a result of an enormous chunk of Nikke’s songs are concocted by some actual legends within the rhythm sport scene—Korean composer Cosmograph is with Shift Up full time today, with a handful of contributions from NieN who options proper beneath this entry.
Cosmograph performs with a complete bunch of genres throughout Nikke’s rating—a few of my favorite non-metal tracks are The Harvester, Splinter Heated, and Khamsin Higher Combine—however You Cannot Cease Us is likely one of the heavier tracks to make an look.
As most rock and steel scores are, You Cannot Cease Us is the theme for a reasonably distinguished boss who options closely in the direction of the start of the sport: Chatterbox, a devastating Rapture (suppose corrupted machines) who causes fairly the kerfuffle at the start of the story and continues to be a menace for fairly a while afterwards.
The track begins heavy and maintains that high-octane vitality all through, which feels greater than becoming for such a fearsome foe. Simply ignore all the jiggly butts taking pictures away at him when you’re making an attempt to rock out.
Keep Alive – DJ MAX Respect V
As a rhythm sport sicko I could not full this listing with out not less than one entry from my favorite style.
One thing I completely adore about rhythm video games is simply how eclectic anyone’s library of songs might be. You’ve got acquired eurodance, drum and bass, home, pop, R&B, and naturally, a bit little bit of rock and steel.
DJ MAX Respect V is likely one of the rhythm video games that actually does all of it, and you’ll virtually chart Korea’s fondness for various music genres throughout the years with every sport within the collection through the years. It admittedly took DJ MAX some time to start out embracing the heavier facet of issues, but it surely now sports activities some absolute bangers, very like NieN’s Keep Alive.
It is one of many songs featured in V Extension 4, and virtually appears like one thing I’d have anticipated to listen to on Kerrang! Radio again within the 2010s. It kicks in arduous with heavy drums and a shrieky guitar riff, earlier than firming down into one thing extra ominous after which ramping proper again up once more for the refrain, switching forwards and backwards between deep growling vocals and extra melodic lyricism.
It is one in all my must-picks at any time when I play an internet foyer with buddies, and one more mainstay on my ever-growing videogame fitness center playlist. Simply, er, ignore the unusual AI-generated music video. It is higher on your well being to faux it is not there.
Marionette – Responsible Gear
Responsible Gear is the king of rockin’ preventing sport music, and it was arduous to choose only one track from virtually three a long time of musical excellence. However I acquired there finally, and if I needed to choose one it could be Elphelt Valentine’s theme: Marionette.
She was launched in Xrd, and her theme track is basically a rippin’ six-minute guitar solo that has me hooked for each single second. It is composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who’s accountable for a complete host of bangers throughout the collection. Oh, and he is additionally the man who actually created Responsible Gear. Nearly forgot that little truth.
Marionette feels oddly old-school regardless of solely being round a decade outdated, and that mix of classic riffing with modern-day mixing provides the entire thing an actual distinctive vibe. There’s additionally one thing I sort of love concerning the juxtaposition of Elphelt’s cutesy bridal look and her theme track, too.
I completely implore you to scope out the remainder of Ishiwatari’s work throughout his collection, in addition to a number of the tracks he composed for BlazBlue. Now when you’ll excuse me, I am off to discover ways to play Elphelt whereas listening to Marionette on repeat for the following a number of hours.
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