NOTE: Whilst I'm using the Sound Selection cover, I'll be talking about more pieces of music than the ones included on the CD. This is mostly because after 30+ years making games, Nintendo still don't know how to release a good soundtrack CD.
Also, whilst I'll be sharing my opinions on this game throughout the review, this isn't a review of the game itself. If you want to know whether I liked the game, I did; a lot. It's great and you should buy it if you're a fan of RPGs, Zelda, open world exploration and well crafted puzzle solving and combat gameplay.
So it's finally here, the new console Zelda game! I remember writing about listening to the trailer music and feeling incredibly hyped for not just the game itself but the soundtrack too. The trailer boasted an epic score combining classic motifs with exciting new melodies on a grand orchestral scale and I for one was looking forward to hearing a Zelda soundtrack with more fantasy elements that you might expect from a game like Skyrim. In the end, we basically got half of that; a mix of old and new but sounding more like an expansion to the Skyward Sword soundtrack. Sure, that soundtrack was cute but certainly not what was advertised in the trailer.
I'm not going to sit here like some hack writer hastily shitting out a blog post about how majestic and beautiful the entire soundtrack is because truth be told, it's my second least favourite of all the console Zelda games. I didn't hate it but I was very disappointed for a variety of reasons. For starters, the main theme isn't great. It's the first piece of music you hear when you leave the Shrine Of Restoration, ready to explore the ravaged but still gorgeous land of Hyrule, and it's just In The Bleak Midwinter. Better parts of the main theme are used throughout the game for when you activate towers and such but it doesn't stand out as a memorable piece of music in the same way that, say, the Wind Waker theme does (and this is coming from someone who places the WW soundtrack as his least favourite).
Secondly, one of the big observations, the silence. When you're out and about in the wild, there is no music apart from a few notes here and there (that play Zelda's Lullaby when you speed them up). I get it, the soundtrack is meant to be the land around you; the crickets, the wind, the wild itself. It's a neat idea but having watched gameplay footage of someone exploring to silence and someone exploring to the Hyrule Field theme from Ocarina Of Time, I feel I would honestly prefer music in place. However, that's only when you're exploring the wild on foot. There's music everywhere else.
You get tame galloping music when riding a horse, mediocre battle music when encountering an enemy and various familiar themes when entering a town or settlement. Whilst opinions will differ on which of these tunes work and which don't, most fans will probably agree that the music in different territories is one of the game's highlights, particularly for fans of Ocarina Of Time (clearly a big inspiration for the game). The game succeeds in blending classic with contemporary but unfortunately, with a series as rich as The Legend Of Zelda, the new music will always be overshadowed by the old.
Take the stables; now and then, you'll encounter a friendly hostel with a remixed theme of Epona's Song and occasionally, you'll find an anthropomorphic parrot playing that exact tune on the accordion. Whilst the stable music is nice, my ear is always drawn to the tune on the accordion when Kass is playing it. You could argue that it's due to the nature of the instrument but it doesn't even sound that overpowering when you listen to it; in fact, the new music always starts first when you approach the stable and yet it's Epona's Song I want to listen to. Other examples include Zora's Domain (containing echoes of the same theme from Ocarina Of Time) and Rito Village, the latter containing my favourite new piece of music but also borrowing the melody from Dragon Roost Island on mandolin.
This is fine if you just want to please fans with nostalgia but not if you plan on creating fresh memorable music, as this game seriously lacks that in the same way newer titles such as Skyward Sword have the Skyloft theme and Ballad Of The Goddess or risk taking games that break the standard Zelda formula like Majora's Mask has Clock Town and the Song Of Healing. Maybe time will prove me wrong here but to me, the most iconic piece of music from Breath Of The Wild (the trailer music) isn't even featured in the final game.
However, despite not containing standout pieces of music, this game does contain some great tracks. Korok Forest is delightfully whimsical and perfectly matched to the environment (if you can excuse the frequent drop in frames) and the aforementioned Rito Village is a fine example of how to properly mix your score, combining string and woodwind without fault. Plus, the game doesn't just excel at peaceful music. Some of the music that plays when you attack Divine Beasts (Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris in particular) is perfect boss battle music. It's just a shame it doesn't last longer, unless you suck at the game.
Another neat feature, which is pretty much a staple of Nintendo games, is a soundtrack that changes based on your progression through the game. A town's theme will add layers containing different instruments depending on what's happening, what time it is and what you've accomplished which, more often than not, improves the original music. The best example of this is in an optional sidequest where you build a town/cult on top of a giant rock; when you recruit a new villager from one of the four main races in this game, music based around that race will be added to the town. It works as a great audio-metaphor and listening experience.
Then there are the little musical cues that pop up now and then when you cook a new dish or get a heart container. As before, some are obvious references to Zelda games (the music playing when the Sheikah Slate downloads new parts of the map being the classic treasure chest theme) and some are new (a musical sting involving a boxing bell when you clear out a nest of Bokoblins). Not much to comment on here other than some work a lot better than others, although luckily the ones that work tend to show up more so that's good.
Overall, Breath Of The Wild's soundtrack is decent. Ignoring technical limitations of the time, I'd say other Zelda soundtracks were better but this is still a fine soundtrack. Much like a tightrope walker, it treads the line between taking risks on the left and playing it safe on the right, momentarily swaying a bit too far to one of the two sides but still making it across to the other side without plummeting towards catastrophic failure at the bottom. Despite my complaints at the start of this post, I give it a 7/10. Remember, we're talking about Zelda soundtracks here and to me, a bad Zelda soundtrack can still reach 5 or 6 out of 10. Compared to other game soundtracks, this one's bloody good so a 7/10 seems fair on the universal scale.
It could've reached an 8 or 9 if the main theme was more original, the trailer music was used in the game and the horse riding/exploration music had a bit more of an adventurous feel to it, but I'll concede that last point is down to personal taste. If you liked my review of video game music, let me know in the comments/via Twitter as Yooka Laylee's coming out soon and I. am. fucking. hyped.
I. am. also. incapable. of. learning. my. lesson. about. not. getting. too. excited. about. video. game. music.
