This week we are continuing our exploration of recent classics from indie games with a track from Supergiant Games' first outing: Bastion. In Case of Trouble was composed by Supergiant's in house audio and music mastermind Darren Korb who has produced similarly superb soundtracks for the company's more recent releases Transistor and Pyre. Music and sound are integral to Supergiant's expertly crafted game worlds. This appreciation for sound is on full display in Bastion, an isometric action rpg that follows a silent but deadly protagonist: 'the Kid', as he navigates his way through the myriad of dangers brought on by the apocalyptic calamity that has befallen his beloved native city of Caelondia. The Kid's journeys are narrated by the mysterious and gravely voiced Rucks an Obi Wan meets Mr. Miyagi type character flawlessly voiced by Logan Cunningham who delivers his pearls of wisdom with a kind of weather-beaten wild west flourish reminiscent of a gravely voiced Sam Eliott.
In Case of Trouble is a beautiful instrumental track that expertly blends some earthy guitar musings with a restrained approach to traditional orchestration and some compelling rhythmic patterns. The piece grows from an understated opening that introduces the acoustic guitar structures which anchor the focus of the piece. It breaks into a lively but muted ramble with the introduction of percussive rhythmic elements that fuse acoustic and electronic sounds to introduce a sense of driving purpose to the piece. All of this takes place against a backdrop of growing complexity within the strings which help punctuate the understated mood of a piece which hints at somber resignation to a perilous adventure. It's another example of genuinely great music emerging from the world of indie games and is well deserving of a place on this list.
