Notorious BGM – The Best Game Music of July 2016

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Games Pokémon
Games Pokémon

Welcome to Fandom’s totally subjective list of the best video game music of the month! Let’s face it, there are a lot of games out there with great soundtracks that slip through the cracks. That’s still gonna happen, but we’re here to make sure it happens a little less!

July is a bit of dry spot for games releases, too soon for the holiday rush, too late to avoid the E3 hype train, it seems a lot of devs and publishers chose this as the month to burn all that unused vacation time. Fortunately, this means a lot of smaller titles can get the attention they otherwise wouldn’t. We’ve dug up some of our fave tunes from games both big and small this month for your perusal. Enjoy!

Furi

“Wisdom of Rage”
Waveshaper

One of July’s free PS+ games (in the U.S. at least), Furi is a neat boss battle game that mashes up hack and slash action with a hint of bullet hell. The soundtrack also features some of the regulars from the Hotline Miami soundtracks, so expect more synths than Yellow Magic Orchestra’s garage.

Hyper Light Drifter

“The Sentients”
Disasterpiece

Hyper Light Drifter may have come out for PC several months ago, but we’re using the console release this month to make up for letting this one slip under our radar. Diasterpiece’s OST for this one is a lot more atmospheric and ambient than most game music, but the fuzzy washes of sound give it a dreamy quality that’s hard not to love.

I Am Setsuna

“End’s Journey”
Tomoki Miyoshi

Square Enix’s throwback JRPG is an old school experience filled with all the high melodrama and emotion you’d expect. It’s further amplified by Tomoki Miyoshi’s delicate piano soundtrack, perfect for the game’s snowy world.

Necropolis

“Surprise Attack”
Jon Everist

Commonly described as a Dark Souls roguelike, Necropolis’ procedurally generated dark dungeons require some moody tunes. Fortunately Jon Everist, hot off his work on the Shadowrun tactical RPGs, has provided a solid set of songs that set the mood without being overbearing.

Monster Hunter Generations

“Pokke Village Theme”
Reo Uratani

The Monster Hunter series has always had good music, blending traditional sounding JRPG tunes with more tribalistic sounds; imagine Fred Flintstone playing a xylophone with a bone while Nobuo Uematsu does his thing. The monsters’ themes are a bit more uptempo, but this relaxing village theme is our current fave.

Kentucky Route Zero – Act IV

“This world is not my home”
The Bedquilt Ramblers

Kentucky Route Zero is the closest video games have ever got to nailing down the idea of magic realism. The game’s acts are equal parts haunting, eerie, sad, muted, and fantastic, and this somber cover of Jim Reeves’ Christian folk song is a clever inversion that fits the mood perfectly.

Pokémon GO

“Vs Gym Leader”
Junichi Masuda

I don’t particularly like the music in Pokémon GO — the classic melodies sound kind of generic and flat in this version compared to their console and handheld counterparts — but since the game is such a phenomenon and this being a slow month for game releases, here it is!

Did we miss any of your favorite game music from this month’s releases? Let us know @getfandom on Twitter by using #NotoriousBGM!

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