Trauma Center -New Blood- Original Soundtrack
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Album Title: Trauma Center -New Blood- Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Index Music |
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| Catalog No.: NECA-30221 |
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| Release Date: February 27, 2008 |
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| Purchase: Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
The Wii’s Trauma Center: New Blood, known in Japan as Caduceus: New Blood, was more expansive than its DS predecessors in a number of respects. Its soundtrack, in particular, was bigger and bolder due to the flexibility offered by the console. Relative newcomer Atsushi Kitajoh took the lead role, while Kenichi Tsuchiya returned to supplement the score. Unlike its predecessors, the soundtrack for the title was released at the same time as the game.
Body
Atsushi Kitajoh builds on the series’ moody sound with the opening theme. The blend of aseptic electronic beats with warm piano lines provides a surgical twist on the Atlus sound. What’s more, there are more than enough rhythms and melodies to compel listeners and make them come back for a second listen. Various tracks build on this theme with different moods and palettes. They range from the meditative “Prologue”, with its subdued guitar licks, to the more cinematic “The Tale of Two Doctors” and “Stigma”, with their ambiguous unresolved progressions, and, of course, “Ending”, with its more liberated development. The ‘piano plus beats’ combo also makes a return in “Surgery”, “Surgical Knowledge”, and “Awakening”. Inspired by trance music, these tracks will be too simple and formulaic to appeal to those looking for something novel. Nevertheless, they’re groovy and catchy enough to still be highly accessible.
Liberated by the technological capacity of the Wii, Kitajoh and Tsuchiya tend to offer bigger, richer pieces than those on the DS instalments. “Team Caduceus” is particularly delightful with its punchy lyrical approach and big band stylings. Secondary melodies such as these help to keep listeners entertained in a score filled with main theme arrangements. Other jazz-influenced tracks such as “Valerie” and “Show Time” add some flair to an often metronomic score and, while entirely synthetic, they’re a step-up in quality from the DS’ score. The rock influences of tracks such as the main theme arrangement “The Physician’s Battle” also add edge to the game. While such tracks are not as dense as those on Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2, they do bring variety to the in-game and album experience. The way epic choral chants and piercing guitar riffs is integrated into the climactic “Awakening” is also enjoyable.
As with past titles in the series, there are numerous event tracks scattered among the more substantial themes. For better or worse, all the clichés of event scoring emerge here. Dark tracks such as “State of Emergency”, “Tension”, and “The Truth” tend to focus on dissonant orchestral motifs or murky electronic beats, while more intimate pieces such as “Sorrow”, “Tragedy”, and “Grief” predictably focus on strings, piano, and flute. Naturally, gothic organ and chorus come out during the final couple of tracks here too. While such tracks recycle past approaches, they’re generally composed and produced in a competent way. In addition to serving their in-game purposes, most are substantial and intricate enough to still be rewarding on a stand-alone basis. There are only a few real stinkers, for example “Gloomy” and “Shiver”.
Summary
The soundtrack for Trauma Center: New Blood certainly suits a surgical simulation game. What’s more, there are enough catchy tracks and emotional soundscapes for the soundtrack to appeal on a stand-alone basis. However, Kitajoh and Tsuchiya’s themes are rarely innovative — they merely build on the approach of Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the gameplay themes and relying on scoring clichés for the event themes. In addition to being quite predictable, the soundtrack is also let down by an abundance of short tracks. Overall, cautiously recommended for those who played the game.
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Posted on August 1, 2012 by Chris Greening. Last modified on August 1, 2012.
About the Author
Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!
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