The end of the year usually brings a lot of work. Too many articles to write, too many games to do well. And one of the most fun every year is our countdown to the best game song of the year. We’ll see what we consider the top ten soundtracks to grace a PlayStation console in 2020.
Okay, so we’ve been cheating since the beginning, but here the scores in question are good for the same reason. We all know what Star Wars sound like; we’ve heard it a thousand times. So, how do you develop this formula? This is the question to which these composers had the answers. Gordy Haab provides us with a brilliant central theme for Squadrons that is used throughout the score. Meanwhile, Wilbert Roget II and Cris Velasco delivered a bunch of brilliant new tunes to Vader Immortal. For something with such a defined sound, we have a lot of new songs for Star Wars this year.
Many of the news we have heard about Cyberpunk 2077 today are not exactly positive. It has been one gaffe after another since the title was released. While it’s pretty safe to assume that the title will end up looking like the game that CD Projekt RED promised fans, an area that is already spectacular is music. Featuring a brilliant original soundtrack from a group of composers, Cyerbpunk 2077 also features a large number of tracks from fictional groups. They even include contributions from artists such as Grimes and Manage the jewelry.
A bizarre and totally unique experience from Thunder Lotus Games, Spiritfarer sees you transport the dead to the next plane of existence, and the game has the Perfect soundtrack for such a task. A moving and often heartbreaking experience, the music is able to match the game’s incredible writing, blow by blow. Max LL returns after scoring two previous Thunder Lotus titles, Sundered and Jotun. The Spiritfarer score represents a new level, with this infinitely touching and meditative score for one of the most curious titles of the year.
The PS5 pack-in game from Sony’s newest mascot, Astro’s Playroom, is probably the most contagious soundtrack on this list. Both able to get into the head, as well as playing with the game’s strengths, Kenny Young’s score for this walkthrough in PlayStation history is magnificent. While music does an excellent job of providing each game world with its own unique sound, Jungle GPU governs the perch, with a brilliant track inspired by the record that will never leave your head after listening to it.
With an unparalleled dedication to authenticity, Cuphead has one of the most memorable and unique aesthetics a game has ever had. So it’s no surprise that the music is as magnetic as the game itself. Studio MDHR’s huge success took a little longer to reach PlayStation players, but both the game and Kristoffer Madigan’s insane jazz / ragtime music were worth the wait.
Perhaps the biggest surprise when assembling this list, the complete remake of the first Mafia title has a surprisingly incredible score. Although the original title already has a great soundtrack, composer Jesse Harlin somehow manages to take things to an absurd level, offering one of the most filmic soundtracks we’ve experienced in a game in a long time.
Music is a powerful tool to set the tone for games. And perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the surrealist masterpiece of Cardboard Computer. The impossible places, the mysteries full of unrest, the alarmingly mundane places. All of this is largely defined by Ben Babbitt’s music. Between Babbitt, as well as collaborators The Bedquilt Ramblers and the band from the Junebug game, there is a huge mix of sounds. This allows the game to stand out on several fronts, offering beautiful versions of traditional folk numbers, impressive environmental tracks that are more texture than music and even some surprisingly excellent synthpop.
The first of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic titles has one of the highest game scores of all time, a very difficult act to follow. Fortunately, composer Gustavo Santaolalla and newcomer Mac Quayle were more than up to the task. Although the addition of a new voice to the sound direction makes it a little more irregular than the first game, The Last of Us: Part II still has an incredible score. Both composers seem to focus on different areas of the game, which allows for a much wider sound landscape than the first title had.
Sucker Punch’s open world samurai game is quite an experience. With such an incredible dedication to his vision, the game stands out in almost everything he tried. Incredibly beautiful, the game is one of the most beautiful games on the PS4, period. One of those keys to capture that vision comes from music. A beautiful, impressive and unique soundtrack, Ghost of Tsushima offers a soundscape that we don’t hear often in games, and composers Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi do this perfectly.
The number of times this composer has appeared on our lists is impressive, but that’s just How nice Austin Wintory’s music is. With a versatile set of tools and an impressive array of divergent sounds to his name, Wintory once again turns the book on what to expect from him. Joining the Giant Squid once again – after making an incredible track for ABZÛ – we can hear a greater emphasis on percussion and, in a surprising and unique way, in guttural singing. The Pathless soundtrack is very different from anything we’ve heard before, and the music for fighting the final boss is unbelievable.
And, of course, it goes without saying that this is just a slice of all the amazing soundtracks released this year, so, to name a few final scores worth mentioning, here are just a few of the final cuts that were made for the list: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Demon’s Souls, Persona 5 Royal, Doom Eternal, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Bugsnax, Hunt: Showdown, and the list goes on and on …
What did you think of music for games this year? Do you agree with our choices? Which ones would you have preferred to see in the cut? Let us know in the comments, unless it’s about NieR: Automata again. We’ve heard that one.