Originally published April 5, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
With the resurgence of vinyl, and many classic game soundtracks seeing a re-release on the format, the Flickering Myth writers look back at some of their favourites; next up is Kirsty Capes with Life Is Strange…
The first time I was struck by the genius of the Life Is Strange soundtrack was when I started episode two, and in the opening scene I heard the opening bars of Alt-J’s “Something Good”. The familiarity of the song struck me. Why was a game from French developers, set in a coastal town in the Pacific Northwest, using a British indie band in its soundtrack? After that, I paid much closer attention to Life Is Strange’s song choices, and found myself consciously registering what the music was doing to reflect the stylistic tone and art of the gameplay.
Life Is Strange is a five-episode telltale-style choice-based drama game, which follows the protagonist Max, through her awkward reintroduction into her hometown, Arcadia Bay, after an extended period away. Max discovers that she has the power to rewind time, and a series of butterfly effect-style events unfold as Max navigates the isolated setting to try and stop a giant tornado ripping Arcadia Bay from the surface of the planet, all the while thwarting multiple attempts of fate to kill her best friend Chloe.
The soundtrack to Life Is Strange is not what one would expect from a tense drama game which utilises plenty of action and suspense to tell its story. Instead, it focuses on Max’s personal journey as an awkward teen, something of an outcast, an introvert in a high school atmosphere of cliques, drugs and bullies. The score is composed by Jonathon Morali, frontman of French indie band Syd Matters, and both Morali and the band are featured frequently on the tracklist alongside other British indie favourites like Foals and American indie rock bands Local Natives and Bright Eyes. The appeal of Life Is Strange is not so much about it being a game, but rather a compelling story. Its accurate depiction of teenage girlhood, and those feelings of alienation, isolation and claustrophobia are emotions that most young people experience in high school. Max navigates relationships, themes of mental illness and depression, being an outcast and popularity against the background of sprawling mountainous forests and suburban neighborhoods in gorgeously lit October evenings. It’s only natural that a moody, self-reflective and introspective soundtrack reflects her own narrative, her state of mind and surroundings accurately.
When talking about the use of music in Life Is Strange, it’s important to mention the unique stylistic approach to the setting of the game. Co-game directors Raoul Barbet and Michel Koch cited The Walking Dead, The Catcher in the Rye and Gone Home as influences on the design of the game, and this is heavily reflected in the set design. DONTNOD actually put together this awesome video diary of how developers used hand-painting and new methodology to manipulate light and create a unique atmospheric tone. The wistful, nostalgic feel of the art style in the game is wholeheartedly complemented by a soundtrack full of soft acoustic melodies, and hauntingly beautiful vocals. There are a few threads from Morali’s score, which are pulled through the entirety of the game, all five episodes, to tie the thematics together neatly, but as the story progresses and themes become darker the soundtrack reflects this through moodier, more introspective lyrics and songs, without sacrificing the tonal integrity of the game. DONTNOD and Square Enix have recently released several “Moment of Calm” videos on the Life Is Strange YouTube page, which showcase exactly how perfectly this balance between visual aesthetics and sound has been struck:
The soundtrack doesn’t just act an accompaniment to the gameplay, either. The story interacts with the music in ways which other games of a similar genre fail to do. At one point, Max’s radio plays a José Gonzales track, and the player is able to have Max pick up her guitar and play along to the music. In episode five, as shit begins to hit the fan as a result of Max’s time travelling antics, “To All of You” by Syd Matters, is reversed to indicate that time is moving backwards. The fact that the reversed music sounds just as beautiful and melodic as it is when played forward, is a testament to the thought and feeling that has gone into handpicking these songs.
Life Is Strange is a great game in its own merit, and has proven so with overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam and international acclaim among critics. It’s a testament to the soundtrack that the game was nominated for a Golden Joystick Award for Best Audio, and on 1st April developers announced, in keeping with the nostalgia / hipster tonality of the design, that the soundtrack would be released on cassette tape. Life Is Strange’s soundtrack takes it from a great game to something that is timeless, and something that is definitely going to go down as one of the all-time greats in storytelling gaming.
Kirsty Capes
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
