The Sims Medieval Collector’s Edition Soundtrack
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Album Title: The Sims Medieval Collector’s Edition Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Electronic Arts |
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| Catalog No.: N/A |
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| Release Date: March 25, 2011 |
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| Purchase: Buy Used Copy |
Overview
In 2011, Electronic Arts surprised consumers by taking The Sims back to the Middle Ages. To support this historic setting, the game’s developers shifted the music for the title from light jazz tunes to mellow renaissance imitations. Classically-trained composer and film score veteran John Debney handled the score for the title in his second game score to date. The collector’s edition of the game featured a 53 minute soundtrack, complementing a condensed digital release.
Body
“Main Theme” is the impressive centrepiece of Debney’s score for The Sims: Medieval. Blending traditional instrumentation with orchestral performances, the track impresses with its production values and suitably sets the tone. While somewhat generic, the melody draws listeners into the experience and the diverse contrasts during the development maintain attention. In particular, the shifts from intimate woodwind solos to bombastic orchestral tuttis give a personal feel yet epic scope. Having a filmic quality throughout, the track is actually highly reminiscent of Debney’s work on Cutthroat Island, but with some individualistic touches. The “Quest Theme” elaborates further on this cinematic quest and would not sound out of place on Conan the Barbarian.
The soundtrack is dominated by light-hearted pastiches written with traditional ensembles. “The Throne Room” is a competent imitation of a Baroque minuet for string quartet and harpsichord continuo. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but it’s pleasant and fitting. Used to portray general life in The Sims: Medieval, the four “General CAS” tunes are more influenced by traditional folk music. Featuring traditional woodwind improvisations above simple drones, these tracks have quite an authentic sound and prove quite whistleable too. The four “General” themes meanwhile blend the folk and courtroom influence together to provide some encompassing background music for the game. “General 2” is especially enjoyable with its mellow blends of lutes and violins.
Perhaps the most remarkable tracks on The Sims: Medieval are those that use vocals. After providing some of the more emotional moments of the main theme, the chorus is featured a capella on “Jacoban Church”; the soprano resonates with the other voices in this chorale to emphasise the celestial nature of the location. “Peteran Church”, on the other hand, features a boy soprano against simple renaissance accompaniment. Both are rather simple, but draw listeners in with their exquisite timbres and heartfelt melodies. A very different style of orchestra and choral writing is featured in “Wizard’s Tower”, where Debney blends influences of Bach with Elfman to portray a magical location. It’s another track that is both contextually effective and satisfying on a stand-alone level.
There are also 23 cues featured at the start of the soundtrack to represent a range of in-game events. Whether laughing, crying, sneaking, or celebrating victory, Debney represents the actions and moods of The Sims well while retaining the authentic instrumentation. As competent as these tracks are, they are generally too short to be of stand-alone interest, each closing at the 45 second mark. They’re ideally for representing transient happenings in the game, but aren’t anything special musically. It is likely that these tracks will remain an exclusive to the collector’s edition soundtrack, and for good reason.
Summary
On this score, John Debney successfully portrays the historic setting of The Sims: Medieval with pastiches of traditional courtroom, sacred, and folk music. The tracks are often worthy of stand-alone listening too with their memorable melodies and lovely stylings. Keep in mind though that, while elegant and competent, the music tends to be simple and derivative. In addition, there is relatively little variation in mood in contrast to Debney’s earlier game score Lair and most of the first part of the soundtrack can be skipped. Nevertheless, those looking for pleasant if unremarkable pastiches will find this soundtrack worthwhile in either its digital or physical editions.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
3.5
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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