{"id":1125,"date":"2020-11-15T15:20:17","date_gmt":"2020-11-15T15:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=1125"},"modified":"2024-01-22T13:43:28","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T13:43:28","slug":"best-cyberpunk-video-game-soundtracks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/best-cyberpunk-video-game-soundtracks\/","title":{"rendered":"A Look at the Best Cyberpunk Video Game Soundtracks"},"content":{"rendered":"

As far as cyberpunk video game soundtracks go,\u00a0Cyberpunk 2077<\/i>\u00a0might just be the most memorable of all time. The game\u2019s maker, CD Projekt, managed to recruit an absolutely stellar list of talent across various genres. Besides notable names like Grimes (a natural choice for the dystopian futuristic subgenre), A$AP Rocky and Run the Jewels, the soundtrack also features the work of longtime IDM producer and sound designer, Richard Devine (Doom<\/i>,\u00a0Wolfenstein: The New Light<\/i>).<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Cyberpunk 2077\u00a0<\/i>soundtrack also features appearances by international DJ, Nina Kraviz and the Swedish band, Refused, who fused Electronic sounds with Punk Rock on their iconic 1998 album\u00a0The Shape of Punk to Come<\/i>. Refused actually appears in\u00a0Cyberpunk 2077<\/i>\u00a0as a fictional band called ‘Samurai’.<\/p>\n

The game\u2019s soundtrack got us thinking about Artlist artists whose music would be great for cyberpunk games. So, if you\u2019re looking for some cyberpunk-ready tunes, whether for your own listening pleasure or because you\u2019re a game designer in need of some music, check out our new curated, \u2018Cyberpunk Collection<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

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We were inspired by several cyberpunk video game soundtracks of the distant and recent past when assembling these tracks. Check out some of our favorites below:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Final Fantasy VII (1997)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Few video games have the pedigree and fan allegiance of\u00a0Final Fantasy<\/i>. While the game series is mostly known as fantasy, the 7th entry is very cyberpunk. Released in 1997,\u00a0Final Fantasy VII\u00a0<\/i>follows a mercenary named Cloud Strife, who becomes a member of an eco-terrorist organization fighting a corporation using the planet for energy\u2014an idea\u00a0The Matrix\u00a0<\/i>would explore a few years later.<\/p>\n

\"Final<\/p>\n

Final Fantasy<\/i>\u2019s longtime composer, Nobuo Uematsu, returned for\u00a0VII<\/i>. What\u2019s interesting about Uematsu\u2019s work on\u00a0Final Fantasy VII<\/i>\u00a0is the release on Sony Playstation, a console that gave him 16 music tracks to produce (by contrast, Super Nintendo only afforded him eight tracks for his music.) As a result, Uematsu decided to give\u00a0Final Fantasy VII\u00a0<\/i>a soundtrack befitting a film score, and it shows.<\/p>\n

In the years since, Uematsu\u2019s work on the game has become iconic. To this day,\u00a0FF VII<\/i>\u00a0is frequently performed live by symphony orchestras.<\/p>\n

Deus Ex (2001)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Released in 2001,\u00a0Deus Ex\u00a0<\/i>capitalized on The Wachowskis\u2019\u00a0The Matrix\u00a0<\/i>trilogy, which breathed new life into the cyberpunk subgenre. The 1st entry in the series set the table for the game\u2019s cyberpunk world.<\/p>\n

Each entry takes place on a future Earth that has become, like any good cyberpunk story, dystopian. Unlike most stories of the genre,\u00a0Deus Ex\u00a0<\/i>incorporates conspiracy theories and secret societies into its neon-lit world of cybernetically enhanced superhumans.<\/p>\n

\"Deus<\/p>\n

Composers Alexander Brandon, Michiel van den Bos and Dan Gardopee gave\u00a0Deux Ex\u00a0<\/i>a decidedly Cinematic soundtrack. It\u2019s very Electronic but also sounds quite Orchestral. Musically, the soundtrack also has echoes of the 1980s Electronic music composer, Jan Hammer (Miami Vice<\/i>). It also features some nods to Vangelis\u2019 composing work on\u00a0Blade Runner<\/i>, as well as the Electronic dance music of the late 1990s and early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Mirror\u2019s Edge (2008)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s get right to the point:\u00a0Mirror\u2019s Edge\u00a0<\/i>is a beautiful game. Most cyberpunk films and games take place at night amidst giant skyscrapers and advanced neon advertisements. Released in 2008,\u00a0Mirror\u2019s Edge\u00a0<\/i>flips the script.<\/p>\n

As expected of any cyberpunk game, the futuristic skyscrapers in\u00a0Mirror\u2019s Edge<\/i>\u00a0are there, but they are seen in luminous daylight. And the character, Faith Connors, isn\u2019t your typical cyberpunk character either. She\u2019s an acrobatic parkour courier who carries messages across the city, all while dodging government surveillance.<\/p>\n

\"Mirror's<\/p>\n

For\u00a0ME<\/i>\u2019s original soundtrack, DICE and Electronic Arts enlisted the musical talents of Solar Fields & Lisa Miskovsky. A Swedish Electronic music producer, Solar Fields\u2019 work on\u00a0Mirror\u2019s Edge,\u00a0<\/i>is highly atmospheric and immersive. But unlike some of the other composers on this list, Solar Fields doesn\u2019t just take his cues from film composers. His music also evokes the work of Electronic music producers exploring the frontiers of texture and rhythm.<\/p>\n\t\t

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Blade Runner (1997)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What list of cyberpunk video games would be complete without adapting the subgenre’s original film,\u00a0Blade Runner<\/i>? There have been many bad video game adaptations of films, but\u00a0Blade Runner\u00a0<\/i>is not one of them.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s a point-and-click video game,\u00a0Blade Runner\u00a0<\/i>gives players a deeper look into the movie\u2019s fictional world.<\/p>\n

\"Blade<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the film\u2019s original soundtrack\u2019s IP rights could not be obtained for the video game adaptation. So, Westwood Studios tasked their in-house composer, Frank Klepacki, to create tracks in the style of Vangelis\u2019 iconic score.<\/p>\n

This decision could have gone horribly wrong, but Klepacki\u2019s ear for Vangelis style is notable. When he wasn\u2019t recreating Vangelis\u2019 synthesized tones and melodies, Klepacki made some otherwise solid music for a mid-90s video game. One big exception is the track ‘Gothic Club 3,’ which is a horrendous attempt at heavy metal. He then redeems himself on tracks like ‘Solitude’ and ‘Blues,’ which build on Vangelis\u2019 moody ambience.<\/p>\n

Watch Dogs (2014)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When Ubisoft\u2019s video game\u00a0Watch Dogs\u00a0<\/i>was released back in 2014, it tapped into the hacking culture of the early 2010s and the NSA\u2019s controversial electronic surveillance programs, leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden. In that sense,\u00a0It\u00a0isn\u2019t pure cyberpunk, but the genre\u2019s imprint is indeed found in the video game. A murder mystery and revenge techno-thriller,\u00a0Watch Dogs<\/i>\u00a0follows grey hat hacker, Aiden Pearce as he hacks smartphones, other devices and communications infrastructure to get revenge for his niece’s death.<\/p>\n

Ubisoft recruited musician, producer and film music supervisor, Brian Reitzell, to helm the game soundtrack. A former member of the L.A. punk band, Redd Kross, Reitzell is probably best known for his work as music supervisor for Sofia Coppolla on the\u00a0Lost in Translation\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0Bling Ring\u00a0<\/i>soundtracks, but he also composed the music for the video game,\u00a0Red Faction: Armageddon<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"Watch<\/p>\n

Reitzell\u2019s\u00a0Watch Dogs<\/i>\u00a0score is musically and instrumentally eclectic. Early on, he took musical cues from Electronic music pioneer, Tangerine Dream\u2019s early albums\u00a0Phaedra\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Zeit<\/em>. But as Reitzell\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0Minnesota Public Radio back in 2014, the\u00a0Watch Dogs<\/em>\u00a0soundtrack\u2019s style and sound palette grew to include cello, Guitars, and real Percussion instruments.<\/p>\n

Shadowrun: Dragonfall (2014)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Widely regarded as the strongest entry in the\u00a0Shadowrun<\/i>\u00a0series,\u00a0Dragonfall\u00a0<\/i>is a mixture of the cyberpunk and urban fantasy genres. Set in an anarchist Flux State in Berlin (where else, really?), the characters include cybernetically enhanced humans, as well as elves and trolls. Being a hybrid,\u00a0Shadowrun: Dragonfall<\/i>\u00a0mixes tropes of cyberpunk, like evil tech corporations, with the fantasy genre\u2019s love of magic.<\/p>\n