Light and Fun! Memory Match & Catch and Dragon Drop Original Soundtracks (Review)

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Ryan Richko who is fairly new as a composer to the video game music scene has just composed two fun brief soundtracks to the mobile games Memory Match and Catch and Dragon Drop. I absolutely adored Ryan Richko’s work on the music for Telepath Tactics which you can read about here ^[2]. Since then I have been eager to hear more, and although these two soundtracks are brief I was not disappointed.

So come read about Memory Match and Catch which is available now, and the soundtrack to Dragon Drop which is coming soon.

The soundtrack to Memory Match and Catch clocks in at close to 10 minutes and is a short listen. Soundtracks to mobile games are often short due to limited memory requirements and the key to a good mobile soundtrack is writing effective pieces that you can loop, or introduce you to a new game. If the sound doesn’t grab you right away you may be turned off playing any further.

If you watch the trailer you can see that this is a title geared to young kids, and the game is all about making learning fun. The game’s “Main Theme” features throughout the video.

Listening to the music for Memory Match and Catch it was very bright, lighthearted and engaging. The chiming bells in the main theme did reminded me a bit of a nursery but they soon fade away to a more elaborate theme giving you a sense that there is a bit more substance to the melody. Personally my favorite tracks are “Rainforest” it’s got some excellent instrumentation and some flavorful percussion. “Arctic” is my other favorite track that uses high tones giving a sense of icicles, background beats almost sound like smashing pieces of ice and it also reminded me slightly of Mike Oldfield’s Exorcist theme.

Additional music for the game (3 tracks) was composed by Joona Latti. One of track “Space” has both a spooky and sweet sound to it which I enjoyed, and “Savannah” made me want to hit the beach. You can grab this fun but short soundtrack on bandcamp for just $1.00 ^[4]. If you need a new ringtone for your phone and want something unique from your friends most of these would do just fine.

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Although the soundtrack to Dragon Drop isn’t available yet you can check it out on Ryan Richko’s website. It’s another short soundtrack created for a game funded through a successful kickstarter campaign you can read about here ^[6]. The game was designed by Squish Studios and Ryan Richko’s created a very brief score that clocks in slightly over 5 minutes. The “Boss Theme” effectively uses a blend of strings and woodwinds to create sense of a menacing threat. The “Main Theme” has a full bodied orchestral sound, although brief is a pleasure to listen to. My favorite track on the album is “Dungeon World” which features a some very nice use of the flute. You can listen to all of the tracks on Ryan Richko’s website ^[7].

If you’re curious about more of Ryan Richko’s work I recommend you listen to his award winning score to the short film Stranded which is suspenseful and thrilling and available on bandcamp for name your price ^[8].

What do you think of the music to Memory Match and Catch and Dragon Drop? How does it compare to some of your favorite mobile games?