Introducing Top Score – May 2025 Edition
Forget the golden age, this is platinum age for video game music. Whether it’s a triple-A blockbuster or smaller indie title, the quality of music has become amazingly consistent. That doesn’t mean it all sounds the same, of course. For every dramatic orchestral score there’s a synth-heavy soundtrack driving the action. The common thread is that developers now put significant resources into their games’ music and the results are usually stellar.
Top Score is a new monthly feature that will highlight some of the best, most innovative or more interesting game music from recent releases, and maybe some must-listen classics, too. The only criteria is that the music needs to be available in some form outside the game. All of the music covered can be found on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
Towerborne, Austin Wintory, Composer
Starting with scores to indie games like Flow and Journey, Austin Wintory’s trajectory to becoming one of the busiest and most respected composers in the game industry has been remarkable. His catalogue is amazingly diverse, including such games as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Abzu, Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Eternal Strands. He’s definitely not afraid to take his creativity in non-traditional directions. Case in point: Stray Gods, a unique hybrid of video game and musical theatre. Wintory is a film composer as well, and a tireless advocate for upcoming game composers and industry musicians.
Austin Wintory teamed up with developer Stoic in 2014 for the first Banner Saga games and the relationship grew into a fruitful creative partnership that resulted into music for two additional Banner Saga games and most recently, the 2D action-RPG Towerborne.
Why You Should Listen
Wintory’s score for the first Banner Saga game was unique in largely focusing on woodwinds and brass instead of strings. For Towerborne, the composer has almost entirely eliminated percussion, though there are still kettledrums aplenty. This is a challenging creative choice. One of the main ways composers generate excitement in action games is through the heavy use of rhythmic percussion. Just listen to the score for Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, for example.
Instead of pounding taiko drums and other percussion, Austin Wintory generates excitement and momentum through the use of ever-shifting orchestral colors and especially, counterpoint. For the non music majors, counterpoint is a technical term that means there are multiple, simultaneous layers of rhythm. The interplay of melodies and rhythms in Towerborne result in action cues that simultaneously feature contemporary harmonies and traditionally classical textures. Wintory adds color with the subtle use of world instruments and choral elements, and many of the cues are based around dances like waltzes or a very-much-not-grim fandango.
Austin Wintory’s music for Towerborne is extremely effective in the context of the game and as an outside listening experience. Most importantly, it fulfils its primary mission of bringing Towerborne’s colorful fantasy world to life.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Lorien Testard, Composer
In contrast to Austin Wintory’s deep catalogue of game and media music, French composer and guitar player Lorien Testard is making his debut with his score for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Found by the game’s developers via Soundcloud, Testard’s music has been widely praised as one of the remarkable game’s most effective elements. There are already hundreds of covers and performances of Testard’s music from the game on YouTube, TikTok and elsewhere. Clearly, both musicians and casual listeners are connecting with the soundtrack.
Why You Should Listen
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Towerborne are both action RPGs but they are dissimilar in just about every way, as is their music. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s narrative is deeply melancholic, occasionally spiritual, drenched with emotion and at times, playful. As a result, an effective musical score needs to be equally varied and nimble.
French music has a reputation for embracing all those adjectives, so Testard’s approach is a natural fit. Focusing on intimate collections of strings, choral voices and solo piano, the soundtrack highlights the talents of singer Alice Duport-Percier. But the music isn’t all quiet, slow and sad. The game has a considerable amount of turn-based combat, so Testard amps up the action cues by pairing synths, electric guitar and drums with driving string textures.
While the soundtracks for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Towerborne couldn’t sound less similar, they share one important characteristic: both hold up to stand-alone listening. Now, some argue that this is a bad thing, because it means that the music is so strong that there’s a danger it overshadows the action or story. But I think the reality is that great music makes a good game even better. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Towerborne are excellent games, and their musical elements are a significant element of their success.
Still Worth a Listen: Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Jessica Curry, composer
2015’s Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture was an adventure game/walking simulator by the developer The Chinese Room. It took place in a haunted version of rural England, where everyone has literally disappeared, leaving behind ghostly memories. The game was a mixed success, but the score by Jessica Curry was a remarkably beautiful blend of choir and orchestra, sounding at times both ancient and new. A sense of sadness and mystery pervade every moment of the music.
Thank you for keeping it locked on COGconnected.
- For amazing videos, head over to our YouTube page HERE.
- Follow us on Twitter HERE.
- Our Facebook page HERE.
- Our Instagram page HERE.
- Listen to our podcast on Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
- If you are a fan of cosplay, check out more of our cosplay features HERE
