💿 Sable Original Soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast | Vinyl Review 💿 @Jbrekkie #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

Sony Music Masterworks / Dead Oceans

Nominated at the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 for best audio, Japanese Breakfast (Michelle Zauner) has created a soundtrack that captures the stark, expansive atmosphere of the game on which it was based – Shedworks’ 2021 hit, Sable. The soundtrack is in turn soaring, beautiful, thoughtful, and introspective as the thirty-two tracks unfold their audio narrative.

When I first received Sable for review, I had only heard of Japanese Breakfast in name only, and so had no preconceptions of the style or approach they would bring to a video game soundtrack, with the Wikipedia description of their genre as ‘alternative pop’ leaving a lot of room for interpretation.

Opting against listening to any of their music from outside of this soundtrack, I dived straight in* and the dreamy, atmospheric and often hypnotic sounds quickly won my heart.

🌼💀 Dread X Collection 5 PC Gameplay "Get Ya Flowers In The Well & Run Like HELL!" 💀🌼 @DreadXP_ #GameDev #IndieGames

Dread X Collection 5 is a horror anthology in the Dread X Collection series.

Featuring 12 new games from up-and-comers along with veterans, all wrapped up in an old, run-down party venue that may be hiding more than it's letting on...

😱 Source of Madness Xbox Series X Review 6/10 "A 'Nearly' Game" 😱 @CarryCastle #IndieGames #GameDev

It's happened again. 

Anything with 'Lovecraft' in the description is summarily thrown my way by the GamesFreezer gods, so this landed in my inbox before I'd even heard of it. 

Source of Madness is a roguelike action platformer, wherein the best traditions of the genre, each run is designed to teach you more about the game before your next attempt. 

The Lovecraft connection comes in through atmosphere, tentacled monsters and the odd reference to Cthulhu or Azathoth here and there.