Video Game Music Compilation 50 - The Cave Story Special!

Cave Story, as we all know, is a phenomenal game. I've already reviewed it before, pointing out how it prevails as the renowned game that it is despite some flaws. It's been a long time since I've looked back at it, but I'm sure in my review I praised the God-send of an OST Cave Story possesses. It's amazing, really. Pixel sure knew why he was doing when he made this OST. He was a very wide range of tones and atmospheres in the game, and the OST mimics that well. Although there are a bunch of funky and upbeat pieces to be found, this game is easily an emotional one, and, like I said, the the OST mimics this well. If you have not played Cave Story, I highly suggest you play the game, even before listening to this VGMC. If you've played the game the songs are a million times better, just like VGM always is within the context it was meant for.

Now if you're wondering why I'm not going over Moonsong and On to Grassland, I would just like to point out that I went over those aaaaaaaaall the way back in VGMC 4. So yeah. I did those.

Labyrinth Fight - Cave Story

Now before I let things get serious and emotional, let's cut loose with one of the upbeat songs I mentioned earlier. This one is pure funk. It's catchy and bold as well as happy and cute. There tends to be an awful lot going on at once but the core melodies are prominent enough so that you can focus on what's pushing all that power that the song possesses. Constructing a total "let's get things done" vibe, the layering of certain melodies is perfect. Never before in my life have I been more excited, and not only that but happy as well, to eradicate a next full of eggs and bugs. It makes the game a touch more jovial with all the stuff going on in the level at hand, with stuff just everywhere.

Living Waterway - Cave Story

Oh baby, just let the song wash over you. The chip-tune is perfect at making splash-esque noises, and it fits so well. You fell like there's water moving all around you, as busy as can be, and that's exactly the case in the level. It has so much emotion packed in each melody. It has the feeling of adventure, the feeling of relief, the feeling of mystery, and the feeling of journey. Throughout a majority of the level you're carried through water currents, and this song flows so well with that. The way certain parts are repeated almost like a broken record or the way some notes are dragged out goes so well with the level, enforcing the tone of your journey through Cave Story at this point.

Balcony - Cave Story

Calm yet serious. Relaxed yet tense. The song has a fast pace but feels slow. It's composed in a way immediately reminding me of Minecraft, probably because of one of the melodies kinda in the background. You're so close to the end of your journey by the time you hear this song, and you know it. This relative moment of silence is perfect of the atmosphere of the situation and visuals. The world above the clouds is so bright and pretty, but the road ahead of you is not. The solemn acceptance of the later fact is the basis of the tone in this piece, and it's a beautiful thing, really.

Scorching Back - Cave Story

This is bar none the most emotional song for me in the entire OST. The panic is immediate, the emotions intense and frantic, and the song oh so good. The balance between not only fast paced notes but smooth and screechy ones is superb, crafting a tone imbued with dread, pain, and fear. Seeing the damage done to a place once so familiar is devastating. Seeing the dying dragons almost brought me to tears. Being so suddenly and so casually presented with this jarring scene with this wonderfully composed noise there to help hammer home the implications of what's happened is quite the shaking experience. It's the type of feeling I hold dear with this game. Not a lot of things can come close to bringing me to tears.

Running Hell - Cave Story

You hear this and just want to keep moving. You have to keep moving. You must keep moving. You're so close. It's almost over. You have to dodge this. You have to shoot that. You have to be precise. It's almost over. You're almost there. You've almost beaten the game… The fast pace gets you on your toes, alright. The expertly crafted melodies work so well to imply that things are getting pretty damn real. You realize the epicness of begin at the very last level of the game because of this song. It layers notes and melodies so well and so right. It's passionate and the more you listen to it the more you get swept up into it. The chip-tune is done so well, and so is just about everything else for this song. It's got the right amount of stuff going on and the right level of intensity at any given moment. Perfecto.

Last Cave - Cave Story

I do have a special thing for this song. Probably because it spoke to me on a secret emotional level, or maybe because it's really good. I don't know for sure. Either way it's really good. It's energetic, powerful, and emotional. The crafty composition is fun and energetic and well as serious. It even gives off a somewhat sinister vibe, and honestly the cave this song plays in looks sinister as hell, begin all dark and full of lava. Moving through the precise jumps and shooting the precise shots necessary for this level, titled "The Last Cave", is something that seems all the more dire because of the sheer atmosphere of this song. It expresses pain and determination like a story. A good story. A Cave Story.

Last Battle - Cave Story

You can tell right off the bat about to make a home run that this is serious. The picked-up pace makes everything seem so much more intense. And the parts where the notes are loungers and the melodies are slower? Perfection. This song is like a tool to understanding just exactly the implications of your situation. You're being put to the test. You're in for a fight full of hectic frenzy and this song is the one thing that surprisingly doesn't have a whole lot going on. It's got enough, mind you, but not a crazy amount like the fight does. I really like this as the song then seems to sum up the tone of the fight. It's epic, serious, and perfectly composed. It speaks to you as you fight, helping guide your emotions throughout.

So there you have it folks:  the OST I decided to represent the beautiful VGMC 50. What a celebration, am I right? Phenomenal OST, am I right? Anyways, like I said before, if you haven't played Cave Story, give it a try. As a matter of fact I'll do something I've never done before and leave a link to my review to Cave Story for you, just to see if it's a game up your alley.

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Seeeeeeth   

Agent9   11