A Soundtrack By Any Other Name: Dustforce OST (Review)

Composer Lifeformed (real name Terence Lee) released the soundtrack for indie platforming hit Dustforce with its own album title “Fastfall.” “Dustforce OST” is the album’s sub-title. So we have an artist under an alias releasing a soundtrack with its own name. Kind of confusing, I know.

Naming convention aside, this 18-track Wunderland of an album is currently headlining alongside the other albums in Game Music Bundle 3. It’s about time we talk about it.

(Also, if you’re reading this after the bundle is over, you can pick up the soundtrack individually here, currently priced at $4.)

After the jump, we’ll take a close look at what makes this soundtrack so charming. Hint: naming convention remains part of the charm, though that’s certainly not the central focus.

So, more about the names, before we get to the music. They were going for clever, and they succeeded. Right off the bat we get names like “9-bit Expedition” and “Fifty FPS Forest” — references to old and new gaming jargon, and unexpected numerical choices (who talks about 50 FPS?), pretty rad. Then we have “Upside Down Stalagmite” (wouldn’t that be a stalactite?), “Sepia Tone Laboratory” (just sounds awesome, might also be a track name on an Atelier soundtrack), “Electric Relic” (half-rhyming tongue-twister), and “Frozen Hot Sauce.” I love these track titles.

As for the music itself: it’s very low-key and serves as great BGM. Not just for the game, but for real house chores! I listened to this while doing laundry, dishes, and yes, even dusting. It helped make the time pass in such a way that I had no desire to stop my activity or bemoan the sorry state of my current living space (hint: it’s messy).

One thing this soundtrack definitely has going for it: consistent earworm action. Not much for sing-able melodies, but plenty of dance-pop goodness. To this end, I recommend tracks like “9-Bit Expedition,” “It’s Not Supposed To Be Snowing,” “Swimming While it Rains” (pitched percussion, you can never go wrong!), and “Light Pollution” (disco-orchestra party!). These songs are all quite good, and catchy, even if they are absent a strong melody.

The exception to the rule is the final track, “Dream Salvage.” A piano solo piece, running just shy of 3 minutes, this song has a very clear and memorable melody. Also, a special note to Lifeformed: if you release the transcription of this on PDF, I’ll make a YouTube of me attempting to play it. If you can stomach a novice butchering your masterpiece, it might be worth it for the humor and/or sincerity of the attempt.

So that’s Dustforce. Or, its soundtrack, rather. Now I have one more reason to get around to beating this delightful indie game. And Terence, per your mini-bio on bandcamp, when you say “I like to make things,” all I can say in reply is “please continue to make things.” I’ll be waiting. And dusting.