Bullet Girls 1 & 2 Soundtrack
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Album Title: Bullet Girls 1 & 2 Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Sweep Record |
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| Catalog No.: SRIN-1140 |
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| Release Date: May 14, 2016 |
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| Purchase: Buy at CD Japan |
Overview
The Bullet Girls 1 & 2 Soundtrack released by Supersweep contains the music for the two action shooter games from developer Shade by the same names. Composed by Masanori Hikichi with opening tunes for each game composed by Keita Tanaka, how does the end product turn out?
Body
The opening theme for Bullet Girls, “Faith,” is a pop rock vocal that sports a catchy melody and features plenty of synth incorporation. The vocalist might not be for everyone, but the tune itself is quite memorable. In addition, there is also an off-vocal version featured on the soundtrack. “Easy Mission” is one of the catchier tunes on the album, featuring a bubbly synth base and a great melody. The bubbly tunes continue with “Clubroom -School Store-” and its synth and plucked strings progression and its playful atmosphere, as well as “Interrogation Crash Course,” featuring some quirky elements and clownish sound. “Result” is also quite catchy with its upbeat synth/pop sound that really helps carry the piano melody. It’s one of my favorite tunes on the first game’s soundtrack. “Hard Mission,” in contrast to “Easy Mission,” is much more dramatic in sound and is a largely orchestral based tune with an electronic beat that is used to help establish a tempo. This sound is also found in “Strategy Map Screen,” with its militaristic percussion and brass, but comes off as sounding fairly generic.
Another major portion of the soundtrack is the conversation music. “Conversation Screen 1” is a playful synth tune with a somewhat tropical vibe and a lighthearted and fairly memorable melody while “Conversation Screen 2” is a synth tune with a bit of an R&B flavor that features a nice ethereality to it as well. “Conversation Screen 3” is a keyboard driven tune with a melancholy and pensive sound while “Conversation Screen 4” is a piano and keyboard driven piece with a very warm tone and beautiful melody. This tune is also featured in the “Staff Roll,” albeit with a more pop inspired sound. Lastly, “Conversation Screen 5” is a quirky piece but one that also comes across as fairly uninteresting as well.
Opening the soundtrack for Bullet Girls 2 is “One’s Bullet,” a pop rock vocal that is a bit more rock oriented compared to “Faith” and features a fun melody. As with “Faith,” this tune also sports an off vocal rendition. There are a variety of battle themes on this soundtrack as well. “Battle 1” is an upbeat synth tune with a fun melody while “Battle 2” is more trance-like in style with a beautiful ethereal melody. A bit more dramatic in tone is “Battle 3” with its slower tone, but it still manages to keep a dance-y electronic vibe to it. Less melodic is “Battle 4,” which is much more rhythmic in approach. There’s plenty of bass guitar and percussion and it has a jazzy tone to it on the whole. While it isn’t as melodic, it is one of the highlights for me. “Battle 5,” on the other hand, is much more upbeat with a catchy melody and a synth/piano driven focus. “Boss Battle” is dramatic, but upbeat, and features a blend of orchestra and electronic tones. It’s a bit pop-like in flavor and features some interesting percussion.
In terms of other miscellaneous tunes, “Hard Mission,” follows in the footsteps of the first game’s title of the same name, but is much less interesting overall. Speaking of following in the footsteps, “Results” is quite similar to the first games, but it is a fantastic tune nonetheless. “Strategy Screen 1” is a generic military style orchestral theme while “Strategy Screen 2” is similar to “Strategy Screen 1” but a bit more intense. The five conversation tunes for this soundtrack are all from the first game, but in much shorter duration. “Staff Roll” is quite different compared to the first game’s featuring a much more bubblier synth sound and an extremely catchy melody. It’s another highlight of the album for sure.
Summary
The Bullet Girls 1 & 2 Soundtrack isn’t one that is going to win the hearts of everyone, but it does feature a nice mix of pop inspired tunes, electronic tunes, and more orchestral based tunes. While a bit superficial on the whole, the tracks that stand out do so thanks to their catchy and memorable melodies. For those who enjoyed the music while playing these games, this soundtrack comes recommended. For those on the fence, check out the Soundcloud preview above and decide from there.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on August 1, 2016 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on August 1, 2016.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
