Summary
Clair Obscurhas taken the gaming world by storm, captivating players of all kindswith its satisfying combat, unique storytelling, and gorgeous visuals that stand out against the crowd. The game has very few flaws, if any, and one of the biggest compliments the game has received is related to the soundtrack and how every song perfectly captures the essence of the moment and the emotion of the scene.
From heartfelt piano tracks to up-tempo electronic beats, the game has a pretty diverse selection of music that covers a wide variety of genres and styles, which all perfectly blend into the gameplay without ever feeling out of place. With so many great songs, it is hard to pick a favorite from the list ,but there are certainly some that are more memorable both for their moment in the narrative and the individual song itself.
8Lumière
In The Dark There Is Light
A song that’s stuck in everyone’s head, Lumière is a song that plays at many points throughout the game and has a few different versions that each give their own unique feel to the lyrics, yet retain all the same beauty. It is a self-referential song thatincludes several characterslike Renoir and Gustave, as well as repeating the title of the game over and over.
The game is, in essence, all about painting, and to have a song like this play within the first 10 minutes of the game indicates to the player how significant and important art and creation are to the world and narrative. The song also isn’t afraid to speak of the battle between light and dark, something that the title of the game itself directly references, and explicitly states that Renoir plays a much bigger role in the story than is initially apparent.
7Alicia
The First Sound In The Entire Game
When loading up the game, the first thing that greets players aside from the logo is this haunting track that starts the game off with subtle hints for what is to come. The title of the song itself, Alicia, introduces players to a character that they won’t meet for many hours, adding a sense of foreshadowing that is perfectly paralleled by the emotion of the song.
But what’s even more interesting about the song is that the language being sung is made up. It borrows from a bit of French, Italian, and other languages across the globe, and only certain words can be picked out at first glance, but clever players have quickly gotten to work deciphering what it could mean, and the revelations that come from the very first song players hear are beyond mindblowing.
6Lost Voice
Emotional Beyond Belief
Expedition 33isn’t exactly the most uplifting game in the world.The entire universe hinges onwhat is effectively a yearly culling that continues to tick forward with no end in sight. So when the game offers a bright and colorful opening and quickly whisks it away with a deeply sad and almost terrifying scene, the song that plays with it perfectly captures the moment on screen.
Once again, like many songs in the soundtrack, the title is also a reference that becomes clearer later on, which directly ties into what happens when the song plays. Also, gameplay and cutscenes aside, the song is simply beautiful, with a gorgeous violin score that echoes long after the scene ends and allows the moment to linger in the player’s mind on more than just the visuals.
5Flying Waters - Goblu
A Completely Different Genre
With so many painful ballads and emotional piano pieces, it was a complete surprise when, all of a sudden, not too far into the game, the soundtrack throws a complete curveball at the player and plays what can only be described as an upbeat dance track in the midst of a battle. Players will have to do a double-take when it comes on, as it comes out of nowhere and is a very welcome surprise to help them get through one of the first main obstacles in the early game.
There are certainly a few other tracks that break up the cycle of violin and piano, but Goblu’s theme stands out in a big way and demonstrates that art and beauty can come in all shapes and forms. It also plays into the more light-hearted aspects of the game, like the Gestral village, which shows that even in a bleak world of pain and suffering, people can still have some good fun.
4Until You’re Gone - World Map
High Intensity Music For High Action Gameplay
No fight scene is complete without a killer score to keep the tempo high, andwhen traversing the worldand engaging in some intense fights, whenever this song comes on, players know the battle is already won. It’s a much faster, less emotional track that puts a much bigger emphasis on the drums and plays out more like aDark Soulsboss theme than the music for a regular enemy.
When using skills and taking out a group of enemies at the same time as listening to this insane song, when attacks sync up and when enemies fall in time with the beat, the feeling of satisfaction is hard to beat and outside of a few standout boss tracks that really elevate the musical experience, Until You’re Gone is still one of the best fight songs in the whole game.
3In Lumière’s Name
Something A Little Bit More Silly
Throughout players' journey across the lands, they will encounter several of these strange and pretty damn creepy mimes that put up a good fight and can be quite troublesome to take down. The reward for fighting them comes in two forms: a funny and silly soundtrack and a nice French-inspired outfit for each of the characters, even with their very own baguettes.
It has a traditional French feel to the tune and adds a nice beat to keep the action feeling responsive, yet still less serious than the main encounters. The mimes themselves are a hilarious inclusion into the game, so giving them their very own music to go with their bombastic appearance is a nice way of making the fights stand out even more than they already do.
2Aux Lendemains Non Écrits
What A Way To Send Off The Story
After the story ends and the final moments play out,players are gifted with one last piece of artthat brings more than a few tears to their eyes. It is a simply stunning track that accompanies the ending to one of gaming’s biggest hits in recent times and truly sends the game off with grace and perfection, without pushing too far, and keeps things as simple as they need to be.
It is hard enough to go through the entire story and not feel those emotions come on, but in the final scenes, the emotional aspect is dialed to 11, and the story finds itself in a nice tidy bow that brings everything together whilst still offering a few questions when the credits roll. Even without the scene playing, the song alone is enough to make anyone cry and shows the power and talent of the musicians behind one of the best OSTs in all of gaming.
1Une Vie À T’aimer/peindre/rêver
A Confrontation Of Epic Proportions
Renoir is quite the villain when it comes to opposing the expedition, and what better way to elevate him to that status than with his own set of powerful and awesome songs that really show off his power through raw musical perfection. Each fight in this game is pure cinema, so having a backing track to accompany some of the more intense moments makes them feel all the more impactful.
Each of the songs represents a different aspect of his nature. The titles speak of a life of love, painting, and dreaming, all of which are integral aspects to the narrative and the construction of the world. To have such amazing songs that play out for long periods of time during nail-biting fights really shows the new bar thatClair Obscurhas set for video games to come after.
