Assassin’s Creed IV -Black Flag- Original Game Soundtrack
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Album Title: Assassin’s Creed IV -Black Flag- Original Game Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Ubisoft |
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| Catalog No.: N/A |
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| Release Date: October 24, 2013 |
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| Purchase: Download at iTunes |
Overview
One of my favorite aspects of the Assassin’s Creed series is the streaks of historical accuracy that run through the games: from the identities of the assassination targets to the historic landmarks of Jerusalem in the Crusades, Florence during the Italian Renaissance, or the Boston in the time of the American Revolution. The music is no exception. Jesper Kyd followed by Lorne Balfe composed the majority of music in the games leading up to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. I was surprised when I heard Ubisoft announce that Brian Tyler was going to take over for the fourth game in the series. Tyler has made a huge name for himself in film scores, most notably with The Fast and the Furious series, but has only gravitated over to composing for video games in the past few years. I was was hoping to see him continue the tradition of Kyd and Balfe in combining temporal motifs with more modern sounds, an appropriate technique in a game so precariously balanced between historical drama and science fiction. I was not disappointed.
Body
From the opening “Main Theme” of the title menu, Tyler utilizes coarse strings, both arco and pizzicato, to create a simultaneously dark yet swashbuckling melody. Set in a gigue metre, the theme quickly becomes more frenetic and percussive as it continues. The piece sets the tone of both the game and the soundtrack, capturing the pirate setting while not being too clichéd. The second track, “Pyrates Beware” is no different: heavy percussion, rough strings, and a lyrical melody get your blood rushing as you defend your ship against enemy fire on the high seas of the Caribbean. The score continues like this and it sounds, for lack of a better word, piratey (think Pirates of the Caribbean, not nineteenth century symphonic pirates) The modern twists on the tracks don’t bother me. In fact, I see them as being particularly appropriate as the player switches between the Animus and the Caribbean, as the writers, and Tyler, constantly leave reminders that the pirate world is not the only one in the game.
Some of my favorite tracks include “Stealing a Brig,” which is a particularly effective track in its self-explanatory context, “In This World or the One Below”, which refreshingly presents the melody on the bass (an instrument I don’t think gets used enough), and “Fare Thee Well”, which has received a lot of attention for its softer and more resonant tone. I would probably rank “I’ll Be With You” as my favourite because of the climactic development; it’s more varied than many of the other tracks in the score, beginning softly and building up to a wild finale, set off by an eerie scale in the high strings. This track runs for a stunning six minutes and is a true cinematic epic. The production values of all of these tracks is impressive, with Tyler personally mixing solo instrument performances with convincing orchestral samples.
My one complaint would be the consistency of the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather listen to this score than some of the more ambient pieces of the original Assassin’s Creed, but in a world where everything is always life-and-death, dramatic, and fast-paced, the occasional pause in the constant movement is incredibly refreshing. To have more frequent breaks would be even more welcome. I can only describe so many tracks before I seriously start to repeat myself, and after the entire hour-and-a-half soundtrack, the tracks do begin to blend together, even though there is no individual track I actively dislike. It becomes easy to miss the point where one track ends and another begins. Because of this, I would rank this soundtrack second in the series after the more varied Renaissance melodies of Assassin’s Creed II.
Summary
Overall, Tyler has made a wonderful contribution to the Assassin’s Creed series and has stayed true to the traditions of his predecessors. The soundtrack adds to the experience of the game, and while perhaps becoming a little tedious out of context due to its long playtime, makes an excellent addition to the well-designed Caribbean setting of Black Flag. The full 101 minute soundtrack is available to download for 12 USD from iTunes now. A 74 minute physical soundtrack containing the major highlights is also available with the collector’s edition of the game in US regions.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on May 23, 2014 by Emily McMillan. Last modified on June 2, 2014.
About the Author
Emily McMillan A native and lifelong Texan, I currently work in software education while contributing news, reviews, and interviews to VGMO on the side. I love the feeling that comes with the discovery of a brand new soundtrack, and always look forward to the next rekindling of that excitement. Outside of VGMO, I enjoy playing piano, listening to classical music and film scores, and trying to go unnoticed in any stealth RPG I can find.
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