Hello all! Welcome back to Play It By Ear, a weekly column where every Friday I discuss my thoughts on a different video game’s soundtrack.
You can see the list of upcoming games and their corresponding playlists here. I will try to focus on lesser-known games or games whose soundtracks I feel can be a bit overlooked, but some of the bigger games may sneak their way in.
Today’s Game: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Suggested By: Josh Ortiz
Release Date: March 29, 2005
Platform: Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Windows, Nintendo DS, N-Gage, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Milan
Composers: Amon Tobin and Jesper Kyd
Other Works by Same Composer:
- Amon Tobin – The Italian Job film soundtrack (2003), Infamous OST (2009), Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction OST (2010) (with Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielson), Orphan Black main theme (2013)
- Jesper Kyd – Assassin’s Creed series OST, Borderlands series OST, Darksiders II OST (2012)
Availability: YouTube
*I didn’t realize it until shortly before I went to publish this review, but I believe this playlist consists entirely of Amon Tobin’s music. Jesper Kyd mainly composed for the cutscenes, and so he had fewer songs overall from what I understand. Sorry for the oversight. There were multiple different playlists to try and choose from, and this one seemed to best match the ‘PC Full Rip’ listing on the wiki here.
Number of Songs: 20
Approximate Total Time: 2 hours 34 minutes
Played the Game? No.
What Kind of Game Is This? Chaos Theory is the third game in the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series of action stealth games. (Despite the name, Tom Clancy had little involvement in the actual development of the series.) The game follows series protagonist Sam Fisher, an agent for the fictional ‘Third Echelon’ black-ops branch of the NSA, as he attempts to stop a brewing war between Japan and North Korea. Chaos Theory ended up being highly acclaimed for its balance of story and gameplay as well as for the manner it which it refines the stealth mechanics of its predecessors (which were at times criticized for their excruciating difficulty) and adds interesting new mechanics (including the addition of a feature that measures how much noise Sam is making during missions).
Top Songs or Songs of Note (in Track Order):
Typically I like to highlight six to eight songs here, but due to the length of the songs on this OST I will instead only be discussing four of them.
Lighthouse
The first song on the OST, this one feels like it would be right at home in a thriller or spy film – fitting, given the game’s subject matter. It starts out seeming quite stripped back, but as it moves along there are increasingly added flourishes – like the drums and percussion in the last third – that keep it interesting and unique.
Bank Part 1
The repeating hook on this one is quite short, but also very catchy. The varied instruments and choir that occasionally get layered in help to prevent it from getting too repetitive.
Battery Part 1
The droning strings and voice in the first half give it a really haunting feel, and then the brass kicks in and changes the entire tone.
Kokubo Sosho Part 1
At times almost noir-like, at times almost jazzy with the bass, this one feels mysterious in the best possible way. A definite favorite of mine from the OST.
Honorable Mentions: Cargo Ship Part 2, Penthouse Part 1, Displace Part 2, Hokkaido Part 2, Training
Overall Thoughts: When I was preparing to listen to this soundtrack for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I haven’t played any major stealth or black ops games before. How would I know how it compares, style-wise? I needn’t have worried – this game’s soundtrack is excellent in general – but it did prompt me to read a bit about the background. Amon Tobin, a Brazilian electronic musician, composed most of the music for the game while Jesper Kyd composed for the cut scene cinematics. Thus, as mentioned previously, most (or maybe even all?) of the songs on this playlist were made by Tobin. The music that Tobin composed for the game was adaptive, with the instrumentation and melodies changing based on what is happening in the game. That is partially why the tracks on this playlist are so long – they incorporate all the various components that are layered in as events take place. Ubisoft was enamored with the music he produced for the game, to the point that they actually released a CD of a condensed version of the soundtrack a few months before the game itself was released.
It’s easy to see why Ubisoft was such a fan of Tobin’s work here. There is a very immersive quality to the tracks. Every time you listen it feels like you discover more and more of the various layers and intricacies, and it really serves to pull you in. The overall sound is largely atmospheric and at times understated – not a lot of big bombastic boss or level themes here – but they hold onto your interest through the unique instrument choices and the way each track progresses over time. The incorporation of electronic elements, the strong use of bass and percussion throughout, it all adds up to something a lot more unique than it may otherwise seem on the surface. As I mentioned with ‘Lighthouse’, Chaos Theory’s soundtrack would not be out of place in a good spy film, which is absolutely fitting. Tobin did great work here, and I’m glad that I gave this OST a shot.
Bonus Prompts:
- Do you agree or disagree with my assessment of the soundtrack?
- Are there any tracks, that I mentioned or didn’t mention, that you would like to further discuss?
- What game soundtracks have you been listening to recently? What’s been grabbing your attention?
- Are there any game soundtracks that you would like me to cover in the future?
And there we have it! Thanks so much for reading and listening to this soundtrack with me.
Last Week: Dynamite Headdy
Next Week: Potionomics