Why the eff wouldn’t the Kremlings have a theme park inexplicably overrun by hornets? Exactly. Boring! DKC2‘s setting is aesthetically pleasing and makes sense in the context of the game. Oh, look, here’s grassy field number three. You know how a considerable number of platform games have world maps? The problem with most of these, save for Nintendo’s titles, is that they aren’t interesting. The Kremlings are ridiculous and awesome enemies on their own, but giving them pirate garb was a perfect match. And, even today, its style holds up shockingly well. Back in the mid-’90s, DKC2 was a technological marvel. One of the major contributing factors would have to be the atmosphere. It’s a cohesive package the likes of which we rarely see. Probably because there isn’t a single reason what makes Donkey Kong Country 2 one of the best platformers is its ability to do so many things well. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about this game that keeps me coming back for more. Some people get chills when they hear the 16-bit era intro sound effects for companies like Capcom or Sega. Especially now that time has ravaged the original game, it continues to blow me away just how incredible DKC2 was - and continues to be. It was Rare’s sublime follow-up to the then-rad, and still-pretty-good Donkey Kong Country, which was another one of my favorites as a kid.
#Sparkle 2 evo ost free#
Modern, classical, fantastical, energetic, mixing tons of instruments, it’s just a great song.If I had to sum up my childhood with a single game - one that captured my imagination and consumed much of my free time for years - without hesitation, I’d choose Donkey Kong Country 2. And finally, perhaps the most grand song in the game, Solaris Phase 2, is just, this grand summation of everything I’ve been talking about. White Acropolis is maybe the most “modern” feeling song on the soundtrack, and it’s interesting how this break from the overt fantasy feel still keeps that almost dreamlike quality to the song while still being techno. Soleanna New City is a high energy modern piece that gives the feeling of progress, while also holding onto the old with flutes throughout the song.
Egg Wyvern really goes all out on the strings, while mixing techno sounds in the background, fitting for a world under Eggman’s assault. OK, so to end off, I’m going to rapid fire off some other memorable tracks. They were given a mess of ideas, and a worse game behind it, yet still managed to make a coherent and enjoyable soundtrack that really deserves a better game. Sonic 06’ is not a good game at all, but I absolutely have to give high congratulations to the people behind this soundtrack. And the weird thing is, it works! While the rest of the game absolutely does not work, the soundtrack actually manages to effectively mix these two styles, mixing some high speed energy into the dreamlike fantasy, creating this strange yet somehow delightful tone and sound. Many people could almost mistake the setting of Sonic 06’ for a Final Fantasy world, and the soundtrack tries to reconcile this strange mixture.
That’s what I’d argue this entire soundtrack is trying to do. It wouldn’t be out of place in most low tech fantasy coastal towns. I think this whole sort of style is clearly shining through the strongest in the Soleanna Castle Town theme, leaning heavily on strings, guitar, flutes, and a very kind of “seaside town” vibe going on. It does incorporate modern elements, but it tries to blend them together while still staying strong to that otherworldly and magical feel “fantasy” as a genre invokes. While it fails to execute on that idea in any way in every other aspect, Sonic 06’ is trying to be a fantasy story in a fantasy world, with royalty, grand stakes, and some fantastical sights and elements.
Sonic 06’s soundtrack is surprisingly coherent and has solid direction: it’s a fantasy. While the game itself is, infamously, a mess with glitches everywhere and no solid direction in ideas, I was wrongly thinking that would apply to the soundtrack as well. Previously, when I wrote about Sonic Heroes, I said “Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic ‘06… these games have very muddled soundtracks.” While that is absolutely true for the former two, I was remembering incorrectly for Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
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