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[kicker]

I personally feel like elden ring should have had more standout tracks. Of course, my opinion doesn't really matter since it won hundreds of GOTY awards without them, but, eh

I feel like the atmospheric background tracks fit the themes well enough (the visuals of a great tree fallen from glory/an undying yet lifeless world are matched really well with the slow and sad atmoshperic music you get when you first arrive in the lands between)

But the majority of the music was forgettable outside of the main theme. Or maybe it's just me. Or maybe they did it on purpose, who knows. Anyway, I give it a 6

Here's a playlist to refresh your memory. 66 tracks, over 3 hours and I remember maybe 10 minutes of it, even though I played through those boss fights several times



What do you think?

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Do people really listen to OSTs just casually when they're not playing? I'm convinced only psychopaths do this.

 

[cireza]

Couldn't stand the overworld music. Would have been better without anything at all.

 

[Mephisto40]

Do people really listen to OSTs just casually when they're not playing? I'm convinced only psychopaths do this.

I'm convinced you would have to be a psychopath to not listen to certain game soundtracks

 

[Doctor Hades]

I can barely remember it so a 5 from me. I'm sure it was there but it must have been forgettable!

 

[Aion002]

It was fine.

Nowhere near Bloodborne or Demon's Souls, but good enough. 8 out 10.

 

[Josemayuste]

11.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I'm convinced you would have to be a psychopath to not listen to certain game soundtracks

You pull up to the club bumping FFVII?

 

[kicker]

Do people really listen to OSTs just casually when they're not playing? I'm convinced only psychopaths do this.

A lot of games have licensed, voiced tracks as part of their osts if you don't like instrumentals.

Death stranding, Hi-Fi rush, or Wasteland 3, as recent examples. All had damn good licensed music

 

[Maiden Voyage]

A lot of games have licensed, voiced tracks as part of their osts if you don't like instrumentals.

Death stranding, Hi-Fi rush, or Wasteland 3, as recent examples. All had damn good licensed music

I love instrumentals but have never heard a game OST that I actively want to listen to outside of the game.

 

[Punished Miku]

Do people really listen to OSTs just casually when they're not playing? I'm convinced only psychopaths do this.

Constantly.

 

[mxbison]

Title music was 10/10.

The rest was good but mostly forgettable to me. Overall I'd give it 7/10.

 

[nowhat]

I'm convinced you would have to be a psychopath to not listen to certain game soundtracks

You have a funny way of spelling "NieR: Automata".

(I haven't played Elden Ring so no opinion on the topic)

 

[jaysius]

Title music was 10/10.

The rest was good but mostly forgettable to me. Overall I'd give it 7/10.

Came here to post this.

 

[Punished Miku]

I can't recall any of it. Rated it a 5. And I recall game music pretty aggressively, and listen to OSTs constantly.

They usually go for minimal or ambient music in these.

 

[Spukc]

Can’t remember a single thing from it.

Need for speed heat however is still listen to on spotify.

 

[MagnesD3]

I gave it a 10 but in reality Id probably give it a 9.5 (10 might not be possible for me lol), I've listened to a ton of tracks over and over again, even using the beautiful ambient ones to relax or study since they are so calming/melancholy.

Fortissax, Mohg, Radagon/Elden Beast, Family Man and things like Limgrave, Lyndell, the Haligtree, or the Underground are some of the common ones.

Also if you cant remember the tracks I'd recommend hunting them on youtube to give them a second chance, due to the Souls Game's require alot of focus due to a challenging boss I've noticed in these game's the Boss OST can get lost in the shuffle, for ex. I absolutely love the First Vicar and Ludvig's theme from Bloodbourne but when I was fighting them I had no clue how great they were because I was too focused on survival. (Also I feel the mixing backgrounds them alot).

 

[ungalo]

8/10

I think the ambient layers and strings were really good (Limgrave, Leyndell, Farum Azula etc).

Boss theme are also very good as usual. I can recall many (Mohg, Godfrey, Godskin, Malenia, Radahn, Placidusax, Fortissax, main theme, Godrick...).

It was the best soundtrack of last year with Bayonetta 3 in my opinion.

 

[Mayar]

To be honest, this time they got a rather mediocre soundtrack.

The main musical composition, the one on the initial screen, is simply 10 out of 10. But as soon as you start the game, the bar drops very significantly.
I have 3 chars (253, 167, 191 levels), I went through this game many times, all my characters have long passed the new game plus mark, but to be honest, I can’t play a single melody in my head, so only separately pieces.
For comparison, I still have songs from Bloodborne in my head - Ludwig, Lady Maria, The First Hunter ect. And I haven't turned on this game for almost a year.
I finished New Game++ on my Faith build 2 weeks ago and I honestly can't even remember what was played against Malenia.

 

[Magic Carpet]

It wasn't a bad soundtrack but it was very repetitive. I think theres only 1 background track in each of the major areas that got used over and over.
It needed either more tracks or longer ones.
I'm giving the music a 7 as it was moody, environmental, and did not get in the way, I did not find it annoying at any point.

 

[kicker]

I love instrumentals but have never heard a game OST that I actively want to listen to outside of the game.

Is that more because you only associate them with playing their games or because they just don't seem good enough to you?
Because if it's the latter then you've either been playing some games with shitty music, or have insanely high standards for what you listen to

 

[Maiden Voyage]

mm. Is that more because you only associate them with playing their games or because they just don't seem good enough to you?
Because if it's the latter then you've either been playing some games with shitty music, or have insanely high standards for what you listen to

I am incredibly picky when it comes to music. Ludovico Einaudio is probably my gold standard for more classical/instrumental type sounds.

 

[kicker]

It wasn't a bad soundtrack but it was very repetitive. I think theres only 1 background track in each of the major areas that got used over and over.
It needed either more tracks or longer ones.
I'm giving the music a 7 as it was moody, environmental, and did not get in the way, I did not find it annoying at any point.

The game has 67 individual tracks and half of them are over 3 minutes long, with most of those being 4 to 5 minutes each.
I don't think more tracks was the issue, I just think they were really uninspired producing it

 

[existensmaximum]

The game had music? I don't even remember so I guess it didn't make a big impression. Now some of the tunes from Dark Souls are stuck in my brain though...

 

[calistan]

I rate it instantly forgettable /10

 

[Saber]

I would give between 8~9.

No music in this game is terrible and neither keep me away from this game. Music in games nowadays are so annoying that I put turn off the music.

 

[Flabagast]

4/10, utterly mediocre and forgettable

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

Agree with the general consensus that Bloodborne and Demon's Souls (2009!) have the best Souls soundtracks. Elden Ring's is ok, some good tracks (Mohg, the deer boss, Caelid overworld, Godfrey, the amazing main theme/Radagon's theme) but a lot of overly samey choral arrangements. They need to scale it back a bit.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Do people really listen to OSTs just casually when they're not playing? I'm convinced only psychopaths do this.

I never stopped listening to Deus Ex HR soundtrack.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

10/10. The understated/ minimalist nature of most of the tracks is what makes it so great. Similar to what makes the BotW soundtrack so great. But it’s also got it’s bombastic moments too, where needed.

 

[Buggy Loop]

I love instrumentals but have never heard a game OST that I actively want to listen to outside of the game.

What the hell, you're the psychopath!

 

[Bragr]

Almost every game people celebrate for their soundtrack only has a few songs with some catchy hooks, most game soundtracks collapse if you listen to the entire thing. Elden Ring is no exception.

It's because the music is made for use in-game, it doesn't work as stand-alone music. It's also completely normal to reuse parts of songs in multiple songs, so half the soundtrack sounds the same.

I listen to a decent amount of game soundtracks, but I can't even recall the last time I liked a full album. It's always like 50 tracks, jumbled together, and once in a while when you find a decent track you have 12 shitty tracks in a row. It's not made for normal listening.

I almost find the older stuff, like Killer Instinct or something, to be better, because they focus on smaller catchier tracks.

Orchestrated game soundtracks are generally terrible. That includes Final Fantasy and the like.

There are a few exceptions, but fans of video game music have the worst music taste in the world.

 

[FluffShake]

Sekiro, Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 soundtracks obliterate it.

 

[AJUMP23]

It was great when I was playing. In context it was a 10. I don't listen to game soundtracks outside of the game.

 

[nkarafo]

There's a soundtrack?

99% of the game is silence. The boss battles are your typical choir concert bore. Nothing memorable, nothing to listen in the train.

I prefer melodies, catchy tunes and memorable songs.

2/10.

Though i don't complain. Not all games need good soundtracks. Silence fits well in Soulsborne.

 

[kicker]

most game soundtracks collapse if you listen to the entire thing. Elden Ring is no exception.

That's because most videogame osts are variations on a theme. Stretch it out to 50 songs and yeah, you end up with what we usually get. If you look at the thread most people are comparing it to other games and saying it is notably forgettable or even worse than other games in the same franchise even. Basically, even if the average good game ost has 4 or 5 decent tracks, elden ring being so forgettable that only one track is remembered by most is odd.

It's because the music is made for use in-game, it doesn't work as stand-alone music. It's also completely normal to reuse parts of songs in multiple songs, so half the soundtrack sounds the same.

Fair, but like I mentioned in an earlier post, a lot of games use licensed tracks, but even with original scores like the main theme in elden ring, part of the enjoyment comes from connecting the okay-for-video-game-music-but-average-for-regular-music music with the memory of the game..

I listen to a decent amount of game soundtracks, but I can't even recall the last time I liked a full album. It's always like 50 tracks, jumbled together, and once in a while when you find a decent track you have 12 shitty tracks in a row. It's not made for normal listening.

Then rate it a 3 or 2 out of 10. Even If in your opinion, every game ost has a maximum rating of 5 out of 10 based on them being blown out variations of a theme, we can still notice when one is particularly forgettable or shit compared to the others, and celebarate the ones that do have a few memorable tracks, right?

I almost find the older stuff, like Killer Instinct or something, to be better, because they focus on smaller catchier tracks.
Orchestrated game soundtracks are generally terrible. That includes Final Fantasy and the like.

nah, terrible is an exaggeration. In my opinion, they aren't 'find out who this artist is immediately' good, they're individual 'add to a large random instrumental playlist' good.

There are a few exceptions, but fans of video game music have the worst music taste in the world.

Absurd generalization. The 50 tracks in a game OST are not particularly worse than the 20 or 30 in the average movie, tv show or stageplay. Nobody here solely listens to, or even overwhelmingly listens to video game music. You listen to the ones that stick out enough while you're playing. That's what we're comparing elden ring against.

Do you think people are comparing chiptunes to grammy winning albums or something like that?

 

[manfestival]

Honestly, the music was entirely forgettable. What I heard when I did hear it was pretty standard fare. Eventually got sick of the opening area violin thing that was always there.

 

[DaciaJC]

There are several strong, memorable boss themes, and a few decent ambient overworld themes (Limgrave's especially); but so much of the soundtrack feels like little more than filler. The tracks that play in the underworld areas like Siofra River, for instance, are so nondescript and tedious that I would rather there was no music at all. Compare to the OSTs for Bloodborne or Dark Souls III, where the great majority of the tracks are enjoyable for casual listening even outside of the game, and it's clear that Elden Ring's pales in comparison.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

99% of the game is silence

 

[lame gag1990]

As with a lot of games these days, my vote is 'forgettable background noise out of 10'.

 

[64bitmodels]

forgettable and boring OST most of the time, but 6/10 because the title theme and bosses have great music

 

[kvltus lvlzvs]

You pull up to the club bumping FFVII?

I pull up to the gym bumping Art of Rally, mate

 

[ungalo]

I don't get the criticism. Dark Souls 3 is just full epic choirs all the way, i think Elden Ring brings more variety to the table even in this kind of themes. You can associate each theme with each boss pretty well and not everything is just here to be grandiloquent, it's usually deeper than that.

I also saw Sekiro mentioned and i have a hard time understanding how someone would think that Sekiro has more unforgettable themes than Elden Ring lol.

 

[Gaiff]

Some absolute bangers but terrible sound mixing. The soundtrack during boss battles is too quiet and you barely hear it. After downloading the OST on Apple Music, I've discovered some incredible songs that I didn't realize I had listen to. These include but aren't limited to:

Starscourge Radahn, Morgott the Omen King, Maliketh the Black Blade, Dragonlord Placidusax, Old Warriors, and Lichdragon Fortissax.

 

[KrazyKrelian]

You pull up to the club bumping FFVII?

Do you only listen to music while in transit to nightclubs?

Personally I have started listening to VGM frequently when working out and it's pretty great. The right OST at the right time can really help me power through when it gets hard or boring.

 

[Filben]

Only the title music is memorable. The rest is good and atmospheric but nothing extraordinary.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Do you only listen to music while in transit to nightclubs?

Personally I have started listening to VGM frequently when working out and it's pretty great. The right OST at the right time can really help me power through when it gets hard or boring.

That's my secret, I am always on my way to club, even if it's just in my mind.

 

[skneogaf]

It's absolutely incredible!

The song "the final battle by tsukasa saitoh"

Makes me hard!

 

[Flutta]

Not their best but still good.

BB and DS3 is their best ones imo.

 

[Paltheos]

Boring and underwhelming, respectively for boss battles and exploration. I remember a couple boss tracks whereas most other Fromsoft titles have a better batting average. The exploration tracks seemed to be constantly screaming in my ear - "We're playing it safe because you'll be hearing this for hours!" which was lame af. I usually don't like minimalist soundtracks but you can do them and make them work - Breath of the Wild's a good example, as is anything by Jeremy Soule (although The Elder Scrolls OSTs are more atmospheric but I think they're in similar ballparks).

I honestly don't know what to rate it because usually this type of sound design isn't worth considering in my mind, bar the aforementioned, standout exceptions. I don't know. 3? 4? A few good tracks but it was so in my face about how quiet the fields were instead of actually quiet which might have been better that I kinda resented the game for it.

Just for some perspective, in general I prefer my video games with loud OSTs in the foreground.