AntharioN Soundtrack Review

• Name: AntharioN Official Soundtrack
• Label: Orphic Software
• Composer(s): Eric J. Gallardo
• Number of Tracks: 25

As you know, I'm a big sucker for game soundtracks so usually if there's an option (and it's not too expensive) I'll pre-order games that come with the soundtrack included or, in the case of AntharioN, pledge at the level that comes with a soundtrack as a reward.

So just over a month ago, the soundtrack was finally delivered to those that pledged at a high enough level via a Dropbox link which I'll no doubt lose amongst the thousands of emails in my inbox (why couldn't they tie it to a Humble Bundle account or something?). Anyway, I managed to download the zip of 25 128Kbps MP3s (check if there are more formats) and was astounded by what I heard.

Obviously, half of the tracks I've already listened to while playing the game but never without some background noises so this was the first time I could just focus solely on the music. The soundtrack consists of all the music you'll hear in the game (or at least I believe that's the case, as I haven't quite finished the game yet) which is a mix of exploration and combat music, which is further divided into music that plays while travelling in a dungeon and music that plays while travelling out in the open.

I'm usually not a big fan of combat music on game soundtracks as they tend to be either pretty repetitive or lacking in any coherent melody, so it's probably just as well that there are only a few combat tracks on the AntharioN soundtrack, however exceptions to the rule include Raider's Folly since it reminds me of the music from Arcanum's classic string-quartet soundtrack and War Horn of the Raiders, since I always get a laugh when this brave, epic, heroic music plays while you're dispatching crabs and seagulls.

The rest of the soundtrack seems to be heavily inspired by Jeremy Soule's work on the Elder Scrolls games and to me that's a good thing. The Main Roads, Grand Vistas, Serene Scenery, The Sun Always Rises and Well Travelled are all epic, majestic themes where you'll usually hear a lot of violins and horns. The soundtrack also has some tracks that demonstrates Eric J. Gallardo isn't a one trick pony with the angelic, peaceful Below, the beautiful, exotic, Middle Eastern-influenced No Light, and the lovely clarinet in Visions of Home.

Score – 8/10

AntharioN's official soundtrack wouldn't feel out of place in a AAA title so it's truly amazing to find such high quality music in an indie game. The soundtrack is definitely instrumental (no pun intended) in immersing you into the world of Antharion but it also works well as a standalone high fantasy music album.

Now the bad news: I don't think you're able to acquire this soundtrack yet unless you were a Kickstarter backer! I've scoured the interwebs and while Orphic Software (the developer of AntharioN) has hinted that Eric J. Gallardo may be releasing the album on his own, it's been over a month now and nothing has happened. Fingers crossed he does indeed start selling the album but be sure to check out his Facebook page for updates in the meantime!

LINKS:
[ Eric J. Gallardo's Facebook Page ]
[ Eric J. Gallardo's SoundCloud Page ]