Owlboy is a lush 2D open-world adventure game that has been a labor of love by D-Pad Studio for the past eight years. While pixelart was a fresh stylistic choice for indie developers back in 2008, Owlboy retains its wow factor thanks to its high-bit sprites and detailed backdrops. Looking at the game, it’s no surprise it took a team of five nearly a decade to complete and it’s finally launching November 1st on Steam.
The soundtrack, however, is one aspect of the game that hasn’t been covered in the years of dev blog updates and preview builds, until now. Composer Jonathan Geer (Neon Chrome and Cook, Serve, Delicious) has released a sampler soundtrack on Bandcamp with three preview tracks and an interesting purchase model. Read more and check out the music inside.
The preview includes the main theme, a battle track and the daytime version of an overworld theme. Performed by a small orchestra of woodwinds and strings with piano accompaniment, the songs have that flighty feel with just a hint of melancholy that always instills goosebumps in me.
The sampler album, comprised of 16 tracks, is available now for $3 and includes a 50% discount on the full $10 album. As Geer explains it “you’re basically pre-ordering the full soundtrack [for $3] and getting a 20% discount”. So if you act now the sampler and full album will cost $8 instead of $10. Not only will the full album include more tracks but Geer promises to update it with unused music after the game’s release that won’t be included in the sampler.
It’s an unconventional (and somewhat confusing) offer but it does give listeners plenty of choice: sample tracks for free, a full album right now for $3 or an extended soundtrack to dig into after the game’s release. What do you think about Owlboy, its music or the purchase options? Let us know in the comments below.
Tags: D-Pad Studio, Game Music, Indie Game, Jonathan Geer, News, Owlboy, Soundtracks
