Available at: https://blackscreenrecords.com
Released to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Mediatonic’s visual novel meets investigative puzzler Murder by Numbers, this catchy and energetic soundtrack features all of Masakazu Sugimori’s compositions on a double vinyl release, created by and available from Black Screen Records.
The album really covers a lot of sonic ground and dances between genres; but always has a sense of cohesion caused not only by the warm production but the sense of melody and a musical approach that feels intrinsically Japanese.
Presented on two 180g vinyl – one purple and the other a vibrant yellow – held in a gatefold style cover and contained within anti-static sleeves (always a bonus), the cover itself shows Honor and Scout (the main protagonists) as well as a handful of other characters from the game against a background that echoes the purple colour of the vinyl within.
This is all framed as if in a section of film stock, furthering the sense that this is a narrative-driven game. I’d also like to point out the very ‘Phoenix Wright-esque’ pose sported by Honor on the cover, you KNOW that is a pose that will be familiar to players of Murder by Numbers!
Opening up the gatefold, the inside rocks a very ‘90s vibe with that shade of purple again making a reappearance as well as some shapes and styles that wouldn’t look out of place if used as a background in the Mega Drive classic Toejam and Earl. Overlaying the patterns are cut-out sketches of scenes and characters from the game.
The back of the record continues the film cell styling and lists the tracks on each side – 29 in all.