BAR OASIS: Ultra Sexy Times From Korea (Review)

We mentioned the iPhone/iPod Touch app BAR OASIS a few weeks back. For those who are too lazy to go check that post, it’s basically a touch and tilt story-based adventure about mixing drinks. Aside from it looking great and being an incredible deal at $0.99, it also features some amazing music composed by Mr. Nauts from Korea.

What we have here is more than 35 minutes of original music with some high production values, which is pretty amazing for a downloadable title for mobile devices. There’s everything here from upbeat jazz themes to emotional cues to ultra sexy tracks that are definitely not safe for work!

Did that last one catch your attention? Read more in our review of the BAR OASIS soundtrack after the jump.

Let’s start with “Main Theme,” which greets you with a lovely contemporary jazz melody that’s passed off between piano, acoustic guitar, sax, and even a harmonica. It’s catchy, it’s smooth, and it’s a great example of the quality that is found elsewhere on the soundtrack. This memorable melody is later reprised in “Indiaholic,” which takes a more pop-oriented approach compared to the original’s jazz roots.

Next, “Uptown Boy” is another uppity jazz theme with a nice bounce to it, reminding of me Jeff Beal’s original theme song for the Monk series. It even gets nice bass and percussion solos about midway through, which are nice touches. Both “Timeless” and “SECRET” cake on thick layers of reverb and add dreamy belltones for maximum grooviness while “Fill in This Black,” which is one of my favorites, is a contemplative jazz fusion piece that combines a thoughtful sax melody with rock percussion and strings. “Mojito” gets its funk on with a jumpy bass line and seductive electric piano chords, and I love the interplay between the xylophone and piano.

It’s not all fun and games, however, as there are a number of solo piano pieces featured as well. “Umbrella” takes a more sentimental approach as a subdued piano ballad that definitely sounds like rain while “Before Dawn” is a slow meandering piano piece that makes use of a lot of silence for dramatic effect. “Sadness” also makes use of this silence, coming as a very melancholy and emotional piece that will have your mood down in the dumps.

But what about those ultra sexy times I mentioned in the title of this post? The last two tracks are alternative versions of the same theme, one of which is rated G while the other is not. “Ultra Sexy (Mild Ver.)” is a very fun track, featuring a groovy synth bass along with swanky synth lines, jazz flute, electric guitar, and hand-clapping percussion. While it definitely sounds porn-like, it’s innocent enough until you take on the “Ultra Sexy (Sexy Ver.).” This is essentially the same track with added female moaning and male grunting that trigger in time with the beat, effectively turning them into percussive elements. It’s actually really funny to listen to, and quite clever, but you may alienate some of your nearby friends.

While the impressive BAR OASIS soundtrack is not currently available anywhere on the Internet, the team is planning an iTunes release in the near future. I highly recommend checking it out when that day comes, as I don’t think there’s an iPhone/iPod Touch game out there with a more impressive soundtrack. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on their iTunes plans, but in the meantime, you can hear the music in-game if you want to pick up BAR OASIS.

Would you be interested in downloading this soundtrack if it were to hit iTunes? Do you think the production values on these kinds of games is going to continue to increase in the future?