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GoNintendo Thought: I'm a bit worried about Streets of Rage 4's soundtrack

Tuning in
by rawmeatcowboy
04 March 2020
GN Version 5.0

Remember when I used to do 'End of Day' thoughts on GoNintendo? Well they're back starting today! They're just not 'End of Day' anymore, as there is no end to the day when it comes to GoNintendo! The work rolls on, but I'll be doing one-a-weekday features from here on out. Just click the 'Features' tag to see them all from here on out!

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There are thousands of games that offer up excellent soundtracks. Countless tunes that stick in your head for years and years to come. With that said, everyone has games/franchises that they hold a little bit higher than others when it comes to music. The soundtracks that blew you away when you first heard them, and still have the same impact to this day. For me, without a doubt, the Streets of Rage franchise falls into that category.

I'm an insanely huge fan of Streets of Rage in general. I have extremely vivid memories of playing the original when it launched, and it just felt like something special. Sure, there had been plenty of beat'em-ups released by this point, but Streets of Rage felt different. The game had a really gritty, unique vibe to it. It felt like the city was alive, thanks to the settings, character designs, and definitely the music. It made for an unforgettable experience from my childhood, which ended up being trumped by the sequel.

Streets of Rage 2 is definitely in my top 10 favorite games of all-time. Everything that Streets of Rage did, Streets of Rage 2 does better. The game looks better, plays better, has more level variety, and the soundtrack is insane. There's not a bad track in the entire experience. Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima really showed off their talents with Streets of Rage 2's soundtrack, creating one of the most memorable audio experiences gaming has seen.

Streets of Rage 3 is where things fall off for me personally. The game is still an absolute blast to play, but the soundtrack just doesn't do it for me. The thing is, I can still respect what was being done. Both Koshiro and Kawashima were heavily influenced by the techno and trance scene when creating the game's soundtrack, and they employed all sorts of experimental sound creation methods when composing. The result is a soundtrack that is unmistakably a product of what was popular at the time, but with a hugely experimental element. I've listened to the soundtrack countless times since the game came out, and while I have some favorites and others have grown on me, by and large, I consider it to be the weakest.

That leads us to Streets of Rage 4. Whether looking at the tunes from 1 and 2, or the unique tracks from 3, there's no denying that music is hugely important to the Streets of Rage franchise. Music is at the core of the experience, and in my opinion, Streets of Rage 4 has to do the same if it wants to nail the SoR vibe. The composing team on Streets of Rage 4 consists of s Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima, along with Yoko Shimomura, Hideki Naganuma, and Keiji Yamagishi. While it's an all-star team, I unfortunately have been left quite a bit worried by what I've heard so far.

The track above is the perfect example of what I mean. First, let's start with the positive. I do believe the track has some of the Streets of Rage vibe to it. It's hard to put that quality into words, but there's definitely something there that speaks to my Streets of Rage sensibilities. That said, the tune seems to lean more towards the experimental, disjointed efforts of the third entry in the franchise. I don't dislike it...but I'm not too crazy about it either. It's not something I'd be ranting/raving about 20+ years after hearing it, that's for sure.

More on the positive side of things is the track placing in the most recent character reveal trailer. I don't know the composer on this track, but it's definitely giving me the right kind of vibe. It's got a heavy beat to it, and there's something about the main melody that is both catchy, yet a bit sad. Again, that's something I get from a few of the tunes in Streets of Rage 1 and 2. Tunes that make you feel like a bad-ass when you're playing, but also show you the gravity of the situation. The dark, evil side of the town you're trying to save.

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. This is a track that has the high-paced energy I expect from Streets of Rage. The only problem is...there's not enough of it! What I hear I like, but there's certainly more going on with the tune that won't be heard until the game releases. It's a promising track, but I think it's a tad to early to call it a success.

This tune is definitely a call-back to the original series, as there are riffs in there that directly pull from classic tunes. I've got nothing against call-backs in video game music, so this is absolutely fine by me. One or two remixes or references to classic tracks can really work wonders and feed into nostalgia, but loading up the soundtrack with revamped classic tunes would be a disappointment in my opinion.

This gameplay video worries me when it comes to audio. Again, I don't know who's doing the composing here, but this sounds like someone was trying to closely mimic the Streets of Rage soundtrack, but doesn't quite get the heart of the tunes. The multiple songs in this video feel like shallow impressions of the tracks I love. Mechanically similar, but lacking in the feeling and vibe.

Finally, we have another mixed bag here. The track that plays for the main part of this stage is good. I'd even say it's really good. A bit dirty, a nice beat, and something that fits the on-screen action well. Then we transition into a dojo, and the music just loses me. Again, I just get a rather generic feeling for the location, and it doesn't feel like it pushes the action forward.

As you can tell, I don't dislike all the tracks I've heard so far, but I'm not blown away either. There are a couple tunes that I'm really eager to hear more from, and others that leave me a bit disappointed. Now here's the most important thing. For all we know, none of these tracks are final. They may completely transform between now and when the game releases. That said, it does sound like the tracks included are at least somewhat representative of what we'll get in the final game.

That's my two cents on the Streets of Rage 4 soundtrack, but I'd love to know what you think. Do you like the tracks you've heard so far, or are you more on my side of the fence? Leave a comment and let me know!