Feel the Chill /// Music Monday #39

I dunno about you, but I think there's too much good music for winter-themed video game worlds/stages. It's really hard to choose what I all want to showcase, but today's will definitely make your body temperature at the mere sound of the song . . . maybe.

We'll be listening to . . .

"Ice Ruins" from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Composed by Ryo Nagamatsu

Within the first few seconds of this song, you're already feeling chilly. There's something frosty about the instruments. It's kinda weird how it works. Some tracks I listen to make me want to shiver. Maybe it's because I know the music is involved with snow, but I tend to think it's because of the music itself. Just close your eyes and listen for a moment.

Now, the title obviously gives away that ice is involved, and I've said it myself. But what if I hadn't? What would you be imagining right now? I'm willing to bet that most of you would be thinking of something chilly, or snowy weather. That, my friends, is a sign of a great composer.

See, music in video games, while playing a similar role to movie soundtracks, does differ a bit. Because in some games, such as the source for this track, this music will be playing in an area where there's not really many "distractions," per se. Think of it this way: let's pretend this song is in a movie. You're gonna have people talking, stuff happening on screen, yada yada. The music will contribute to the atmosphere and help make it a really great scene that gets you immersed.

But when I'm playing video games (especially on my 2DS XL, when I've got my headphones), it's almost as if the immersion goes deeper. Because you control the character, you're that much more involved. And the Ice Ruins in A Link Between Worlds is a temple, so you'll have less dialogue and more puzzle-solving and monster-fighting. In the game, the music's establishment of a cold environment is that much higher, because of you being lost deeper in the media.

All that's to say that Nintendo nailed this track. The instruments have a chilly aura about them that adds to the temple's setting, a barren temple of slippery floors and crunching snow. While the sound effects of Link running over ice and snow adds to the atmosphere, the music is most dominant, and because it succeeds, so does the temple.

Well, that was my nerd rant for the day. What did you guys think of the song? Have you played the Ice Ruins section, or even this game at all? Are there any games with good wintery music that you'd recommend?