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While listening to the Gunhouse [2] soundtrack that Disasterpeace released the other day I got to digging around his Bandcamp catalog. Way down the list is a free “UST [3]” (Unofficial Soundtrack) that he released in May of 2010 featuring his contributions to the cancelled Bonk reboot, Brink of Extinction [4]. I totally missed this album back then but I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Bonk and his ill-fated return.
Long in development, Hudson Soft was planning the reboot for Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 until being bought out by Konami in 2011. Shelved alongside other Hudson Soft properties, Brink of Extinction received the final nail in the coffin after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The game revolves around an impending global catastrophe and no one wanted to look insensitive by releasing the game alongside a real world tragedy.
Disasterpeace’s contributions amount to a mere 15 minutes of music but it’s all worth a listen. “The Original Spelunkers” and “Primeval Tangle” both have layers of airy atmosphere that feel way more mature than the dino-butting action they would have accompanied. Despite being an unreleased game, the album does a good job of walking you through each area as you might imagine playing them. That’s probably as close as most of us will ever get to laying hands on Brink of Extinction.
Let us know what you think and if you know of any other soundtracks from unreleased games, leave a comment. I’m interested in gathering some of them up for a future post.