Enter 2014 and the release of today’s version of Strider. The gameplay retains a lot of the original’s charm and truly brings out the feeling of yesteryear that I feel is only rivaled by the Bionic Commando remake a few years back. Digging back to the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, these games have made great updates in not only visuals, but also in retaining the feel from the originals’ audio elements.
The Strider Soundtrack is no different, and in fact is a grand achievement by composer Michael John Mollo. Not only are the sounds modern and brilliant in quality, but more importantly, the tracks absolutely have the heart of the original at their cores. In fact, some of the tracks are remixed and with the others, you wouldn’t know that they were not.
The Strider Soundtrack is composed of 20 tracks with most right around the 2-minute mark each. Each has a mix between electric and techno with Chinese musical undertones, but the pace and tone changes just enough to not feel overly repetitive. What really stands out about this non-vocal soundtrack to me is that it can easily be listened to on repeat or shuffle without realizing you’ve had it on for hours. For those of you who like background music while your work, for example, the Strider Soundtrack is something that won’t likely wear on you and, in my opinion, may even make you work a bit faster due to the fast-paced nature. Anyone who typically likes game soundtracks or sci-fi themes will almost certainly enjoy the Strider Soundtrack.
Check out the excellent interview that I came across with composer Michael John Mollo within the link below.
