A Favorite Battle Theme /// Music Monday #95

Today we have your regularly scheduled Music Monday post!

Our song for today just so happens to be . . .

"Boss Battle" from SteamWorld Heist

Composed by Image & Form

I've talked some about the SteamWorld series, mostly in my post I did about my top ten 3DS games of 2020. It's a steampunk series about robots in various settings, from the Western deserts to outer space, even to medieval lands! I haven't played all of the games yet (I've finished Dig and Heist, and am now working on Tower Defense), but my favorite so far has to be Heist. Come on, what's there not to love about hand-picking a team of space pirates to invade enemy ships and engage in turn-based shootouts? Might sound crazy written out, but it works really well.

One of the best things about the game is, of course, its soundtrack--which is probably obvious knowing me and the fact that I'm talking about a video game in a music-related post series. If you see anyone talking about the score, it always is about the part that the band Steam Powered Giraffe played in it. Considering that their vibe is a steampunk one, it makes sense that they'd eventually collab with the developers at Image & Form Games. And while their songs are good, no one says anything about the actual score. I couldn't even find the name of this game's actual composer.

What makes the soundtrack great is that it does exactly what it needs to: provide the perfect backdrop to a heist mission, which means you're getting some intense pieces of music when battles start happening, which they do frequently. Each of the three worlds has a unique song for its combat, fitting the tone of the enemy you're facing. It never gets bombastic or crazy, but it fits the heist tone so well.

Then there's the boss battle theme, which plays on three separate occasions in the game. While it worked for each one, it was especially good for the final foe. It's become what I would probably consider one of my favorite video game boss battle tracks. I can't put my finger on exactly what makes it land so perfectly for me. Maybe it's because of the constant drumbeat that never lets up. Maybe it's because of that tune (can't tell if it's guitar or something electronic or what) that keeps cropping up and reminds me of the Divergent OST. Whatever the case, I absolutely love this song and the tone it created during the final moments of the game, which was so much fun. If you own a 3DS, a PC, a Switch, a Wii U, a Mac, a Linux, a PS4, a PS Vita, an Xbox One, an iOS phone, or even a hecking Stadia, you have no excuse to not pick up this game. It's a real gem that's offered at a really solid price and supports a fantastic indie development team to keep making wonderful projects.

Well, there's my rave for the day! What're your thoughts on the music? Have you ever played any of the SteamWorld titles?