By Joseph Walter
Inspired by this most recent cycle, I though maybe I'd discuss some of my favorite "shmup" tracks for this week's Soundcheck, hence the whole "Soundcheck Spectacular" thing.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, nor is it in any kind of ranked order: it's simply a handful of some of my favorite song selections, both new and old.
That said, you won't find the aforementioned "Captain Lancer," anything from Sol Divide, nor Raiden II's "Repeated Tragedy" on this list (I've already featured "Lancer," Sol Divide got its own article, and "Repeated Tragedy" has its own "Soundcheck"). You also won't find anything from Raiden V... because, yeah, I still don't really know how to even attempt to articulate its majesty. Hopefully one day soon, though.
Heck, maybe doing this Soundcheck will give me enough of a boost to finally attempt that colossal undertaking. We shall see...
Anyway, without further ado, let's get into my eight picks!
Caladrius Blaze (Switch/PS4): "Uncanny Playground" (Listen!)
Made by the same folks who brought us Raiden V, Caladrius is an excellent shmup (aside from its weird, pervy "shame break" system, which you can blissfully turn off) and, although it has a different composer, it gives us a soundtrack that's almost at the same level as Raiden V.
Where V's music is thematic, orchestral and dramatic, Caladrius goes hard in the more traditional hot-blooded, high-energy and high-action direction, with wailing guitar melodies that are the perfect accompaniment for the frenzy of the rapid-fire, screen-filing magic spells and unendingly intense battles.
It was hard to pick just one song from this wild soundtrack, so I went with the first level's theme, "Uncanny Playground" (although my gut tells me I should've chosen the "Cantata Wildduran" boss theme.)
Anyway, "Uncanny Playground" is a perfect example of what you're getting into musically with Caladrius Blaze: slightly baroque, medieval elements mixed with a rampaging, melodic guitar and a bit of choir.
It's a fascinating combination that demands head banging while destroying countless, magically-empowered fantasy tanks and warships. And giant mechanical knights. And dragons. And so much more.
Stinger (NES): "Stage Theme" (Listen!)
I remember Summers long ago, sitting with him in his screen porch, with a minuscule TV and playing Stinger to the best of our abilities, despite not really grasping any of the mechanics beyond moving and shooting. It's such a surreal game, too, with unsettling and bizarre visuals, so you can imagine how it made our child-sized minds overflow with imagination. Take the first level, for example: you fly over a decidedly dreary-looking town, complete with churches and graveyards (kind of a weird detail, honestly.)
Your ships dropped bombs, and sometimes they'd hit stuff on the ground, revealing items and power-ups. One of them was a skull. We adamantly believed (and I kind of still do) that if you collected the skull, your ship was destined to die. Regardless of how well you were playing, something fateful would occur, and you would lose a life. Period.
How such a concept could be programmed into a game is beyond comprehension, but when you're a kid and don't know any better, it may as well have been true.
Funnily enough, that weirdly macabre superstition, along with the oddly dreary landscape of the opening level, are right in tune with the music.
What sticks out the most about the "Main Stage" theme isn't the generally jovial tone, but the distinctly sad and forlorn moments. In fact, I'd argue that these elements are the real core/heart of the song.
Beneath its chipper veneer, there's an underlying sense of melancholy. That gloomy undertone, and those wistful, sad sequences, are what stuck with me throughout the years. From the moment I heard this song for the very time, it struck an emotional chord within me, and burrowed itself deep into my heart.
Even as I got older, and Stinger started to become a fuzzy, dreamlike memory, the feeling this song gave me was something I never forgot. There was just something about it that felt so... real.
Even when I play Stinger today, I still feel it.
Life Force (NES): "Power Of Anger" (Listen!)
Section Z (NES): "Title Theme" (Listen!)
I remember the moment I put this in my old Nintendo and heard this song for the first time. Totally captivated, I stood in silence, listening to this piece in its entirety before actually pressing start.
It's cool, catchy, vaguely patriotic and stirs some serious kinds of fucking feelings in me, particularly the wonderfully dynamic and emotional sequence which starts at :13, and especially the moment around :27 or :28.
Brings a tear to my eye, it does.
Stardust Galaxy Warriors (Switch): "Water World" (Listen!)
There's just something oddly nostalgic about this song that grabs a hold of some weird, lost corner of my heart. And the bit from 1:45 to 2:07? Spectacular, especially when it's perfectly timed with your character respawning (and it usually is, at least for me.)
Even when flying around as mechs with customizable load outs gets tiresome, you won't get tired of this song. I know I haven't.
Lords of Thunder (DUO/SEGA CD): "Wildon" (Listen!)
As heard in the hammy, yet impossibly enthralling narration, you take on the role of the LEGENDARY KNIGHT, DURAN, who dons the SACRED ARMORS of his ancestor, DRAC, in order to save the medieval fantasy world of MISTRAL from the resurrected GOD OF EVIL, DEORIC and his DARK GENERALS.
You'll get your ass kicked as much as you do the ass kicking, but the ultimate ass-kicker is the incredible metal soundtrack, the best of which is embodied in the piece known as "Wildon."
The second this track starts, you'll immediately understand. The crunch of the guitar, the power of the percussion, and even the overall acoustics of the sound exude the essence of awesome.
And then the harmonies start.
My God, the harmonies.
And there are even guitar solos. Guitar solos in a song that is basically already a guitar solo.
The song just gets wilder and wilder (fitting for "Wildon," heh) as it goes on, eventually reaching a level of complexity and quality that solidifies "Wildon" as the apotheosis of the entire concept of "bad-ass."
1943 - The Battle of Midway (NES): "Mission Theme 01" (Listen!)
It ensnares you with its dramatic opening notes, building tension before transitioning into a the desperate, militaristic theme that acts as the core of the piece. I also love that, along with the expected drama and tension, it takes the time to fit in a little bit of whimsy and the joy of flight, before sweeping right back into the thrills of the main idea.
There are probably some other great pieces in this soundtrack (like the excellent and emotional "Mission Theme 02") but I've never gotten far enough to hear it all. Even so, "Mission Theme 01" is what I associate most with 1943, hence its inclusion on this list.
ESP Ra.De. (ARC/Switch): "Desperate School" (Listen!)
We only played it briefly (which will be rectified upon our next meeting), but even that fleeting experience was enough for me to know that I had to include "Desperate School" on this list.
It's just... so fucking cool. It is the manifestation of "cool." The heavy synths, satisfying progressions and overall energy just come together with this gut punch of coolness.
I wish I could be more descriptive and articulate, but you'll understand what I mean once you listen to it. Trust me.