Review: PixelJunk Soundtracks

In the past, finding soundtracks to games has almost always been two things: expensive and difficult. For those of us without reading comprehension of the Japanese language, finding that awesome Killer7 soundtrack has been even more difficult, even though it is totally worth it. Thankfully the people at Sony and Q-Games realize that digital delivery can mean more than just making fun little games, but releasing fun little soundtracks as well! Today I'll be looking at two recently released soundtracks for Sony's artsy PSN titles: PixelJunk Monsters and Eden.

Right out of the gate Monsters' soundtrack reminds of a traditional soundtrack release that I would expect from an import. You'll find every bit of music from the game inside its virtual case. The only thing that would have made this release more complete would have been a few sound effect tracks. While this completeness is great, I wish that I could say more about the quality of music. All of these tunes might work great within the context of the game where other sounds are layered on top, but I found myself skipping over some of the tracks in my everyday listening. The mix of natural instrumentation and high-tech production makes for interesting songs on occasion, but many of the album's 25 tracks felt very repetitive. To make things worse, many of the songs simple cut off instead of gently fading out. Small touches like this might have eased some of the rougher transitions in tone from song to song. While this isn't an album that's going to make it to your cardio playlist, fans that couldn't get enough of the game will be pleased with the package.

Eden's soundtrack might be exactly what you're looking for if that's the case. Where Monsters would use sound effects direct the player's attention, Eden used minimalist sound effects design to keep the aural spotlight on its soundtrack while creating an abstract atmosphere. The digital album presented here is a strong release from beinning to end and comes close to matching the perfectly structured soundtrack of Rez. The comparisons to the rail shooter's album don't stop there as almost all of the songs featured here groove along with percussion heavy arrangements at a mid-tempo pace. While clocking in at well over an hour, listeners are getting an bargain for quantity and quality. From poppy synth lines to moments of psychedelically enchanting ambiance, each song remains very much in spirit of the game while offering something a little different throughout the collection. My only complaint with the sounds of Eden would be that I felt there was a slightly missed opportunity with the presentation. More so than Monsters, Eden's tunes stand up as a album well until the abrupt cuts at the end of many songs. It feels especially lazy here since the rhythms of each of the songs could have been mixed together by a DJ so easily. This is almost insignificant though as by the end of my initial listing I was recommending the soundtrack to people who have never even heard of the game before.

It should be noted that Sony deserves extra big loves-n'-hugs for releasing both of these soundtracks through the Playstation Network at super cheap prices ($2.99) and DRM free. This act is either a tremendous amount of good faith on their part or a nice thank you to the fans that made each of the games a success. Either rationale is welcome and I hope that they'll continue these releases with future PSN releases.

Dive into PixelJunk Monsters: 5 out of 10
PixelJunk Eden Original Soundtrack: 9 out of 10