1942: Joint Strike Features Japan’s Secret Weapon, Metal Gear! (Review)

This retro revival thing sure seems to be popular these days. Maybe we have those annoying silk screen T-shirts that they sell at Hot Topic to thank for it, but at least it does let us relive some of our favorite gaming experiences of the past. If only they could find a way to not ruin these classics in the process…

Well, 1942: Joint Strike was released a couple weeks ago, and interestingly enough, it features music by our good friends over at GEM Impact. Norihiko Hibino and the GEM team provided approximately 20 minutes of high quality electronic/orchestral music to accompany the rest of the overhauled graphics and gameplay. With only twenty minutes of music, this sounds ripe for an iTunes release, wouldn’t you say?

Hit the jump for an exclusive look at the game’s music.

So, I loaded up the original 1942 just to see what the audio was all about. What little audio there was turned out to be downright annoying by today’s standards. Rather the greet gamers with a silent menu screen as was the case on the NES, Joint Strike comes out with propellers whirring and guns blazing. Epic brass and string sections alongside militaristic percussion get the adrenaline pumping right from the get-go. One of the reasons I had to go load up the original NES title was because GEM Impact’s theme was so fitting, I had to check to make sure they hadn’t borrowed the catchy theme from the original 1942! This is great stuff.

The first stage’s music incorporates this main theme and is somewhat of a throw back to the classic NES days with a more upbeat approach. The second stage sports a powerful yet subdued sound with fewer instruments, making for a more intimate atmosphere. Elegant strings, woodwinds, and brass capture the essence of flight while xylophone adds a dash of whimsy to the mix. It provides a great listening experience that recognizes the seriousness of the subject matter while allowing players to have fun at the same time.

The third area sounds a lot like the military espionage music one would hear in a game like Metal Gear Solid, but I’m not saying it’s unoriginal by any means. The descending melody is catchy and really gets players into a stealth mode, and highly filtered synthesized accents add a unique element to the piece. The final area features fast-paced rhythmic percussion, tense strings, and a resilient brass section that tackles the melody single-handedly. It creates an aural landscape that mirrors the game’s one-man-mission theme perfectly. The game’s boss music is appropriately frantic with string stabs and energetic percussion, with the menu music creatively worked in as well.

This is definitely a small game with a big sound. I’ve heard mixed reactions regarding the game itself, but everyone seems to be impressed with the powerful score by Norihiko Hibino and GEM Impact. While the music isn’t available for purchase at this time, it seems like a perfect match for iTunes given the recent release of Capcom’s Bionic Commando Rearmed soundtrack, so we’ll keep you posted if we hear anything about this one.

Have you been enjoying the music in 1942: Joint Strike? Were you aware that GEM Impact was responsible for the game’s music?

[photo via Destructoid]