Oscar Araujo

Editorial, Featured, Game Music

Original Soundcast Special – Castlevania (with VGMO)

October 31, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Original Soundcast Special – Castlevania (with VGMO) Share this

We have a special team-up between OSV and VGMO for the return of the podcast! (One that will likely continue moving forward.) To celebrate the Halloween season, I talk with their Oliver Jia and go into a complete nerd-out about all things Castlevania!

Special thanks to the VGMO crew for allowing me in on the podcast, and for their editing and mastering. You can check out the podcast notes here – VGMO Podcast Episode 6: Castlevania

You can also download the episode on their iTunes to listen on the go!
Game Music

MercurySteam and Oscar Araujo Reunite for Raiders of the Broken Planet

October 17, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | 1 Comment Share this

Oscar Araujo, best known as the man behind the most memorable part of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — the music — is returning to the video game scene again for Raiders of the Broken Planet. Araujo is reuniting with MercurySteam, the developers of Lords of Shadow for the asymmetrical 4-vs-1 sci-fi adventure game that’s currently in closed Beta testing.

“I feel very comfortable working with my friends at MercurySteam once again and I’m so excited by this world of adventure they are creating in Raiders of the Broken Planet”, remarked Oscar. “It’s really making me approach my work in a new way. My hope is that the game’s music will bring a stylish sense of adventure to the game.”

A “stylish sense of adventure” is how I’d describe the game’s main theme preview track above. The song sets the theme on acoustic guitar, builds it up with electric punch and breaks it back down for a sweeping ride in just a few moments’ time.

Are you looking forward to Raiders of the Broken Planet or a new score from Araujo? Let us know in the comments below.
Editorial, Game Music

Game Soundtracks for Your Soul – Castlevania 30th Anniversary Edition

October 1, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | 3 Comments Share this

This past Monday was the 30th anniversary of Castlevania, a franchise that has been a cornerstone of video gaming for so many of us since our childhoods. On September 26th, 1986, Akumajo Dracula, or Demon Castle Dracula as it translates, was released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan, and the legendary feud between the Belmont clan and Count Dracula was born.

For me, Castlevania was not only an indulgence of my childhood love of vampire stories and movie monsters, but the music of the series became the baseline for which I rated so many game soundtracks through my life. Granted, I loved my Sonic the Hedgehog and Golden Axe as a Genesis kid, but the soundtracks from the Castlevania series stuck with me, and impacted a lot of how I perceived game music from childhood to adult hood. If I played it at 8 or 28, the series soundtracks are hands down my favorite of any game franchise.

Thus, in a bit of self-indulgence and as a tribute to 30 years of whip-cracking, wall meat-finding, vampire-slaying goodness, I’ve made a list of my favorite music from each game in Castlevania‘s lifetime; from the very first game all the way through to Lords of Shadow. (I’m omitting the Pachislot games as they’re basically all re-used music and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate since I never played it) Granted, OSV has covered the music of Castlevania several times before, but consider this a brief perusing through of the history of the franchise’s music in all its iterations.

Be ye warned; here there be fangirling.

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Featured, Game Music, Reviews

Dracula’s Dirge – Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 OST (Review)

March 4, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | 5 Comments Share this

Castlevania has gone through the gauntlet of interpretations and variations throughout its near-30 year tenure, and its music has always been a huge part of that diversity. From the upbeat catchy 8-bit bleeps of the NES titles to the haunting atmosphere of Super Castlevania 4; from the pop-oriented tunes of Rondo of Blood/Dracula X to the orchestral and symphonic tones used in Symphony of the Night and Lament of Innocence. To say the series had a menagerie of different styles of music would be an understatement, but somehow the music always seemed to work for the game it was composed for.

The first Lords of Shadow game took a different approach with its style of music. Mercurysteam and director Dave Cox had put Oscar Araujo (Animated film Ed Cid) at the helm of incorporating a different kind of soundtrack for the different kind of Castlevania game they were making. As Jayson summed up in his review of the first game’s soundtrack, the new direction being taken was fresh and some tracks were interesting, but in the end it was too big a departure from previous series titles to make it feel like it was really a Castlevania game and was instead simply its own stand-alone Lords of Shadow soundtrack. Indeed, it was a subject of much debate in the Castlevania fan community whether the music of the game helped or hindered its attempt at being both a Castlevania title and also its own creature. The sub-series’ interquel, Mirror of Fate, didn’t do much to quell the arguments.

With this kind of contention as well as Mercurysteam’s assurance that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 would have many of the shortcomings of the first game tweaked, does this third game in the series manage to capture the old feel of past Castlevanias? Or does it again fall short of its potential?

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Game Music, Reviews

It’s Raining Bloody Tears: Castlevania Lords of Shadow Soundtrack (Review)

October 11, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 15 Comments Share this

Well, okay, I’m certainly trying to be a little over the top with the title. Castlevania is one of the most beloved franchises in gaming, and I’m with a lot of other longtime fans in not being overly thrilled with the new direction introduced by Lords of Shadows. The game is more cinematic, more story-driven, and more epic than any previous title in the series, and the music provided by Spanish composer Oscar Araujo falls right in line with these changes.

That’s not to say this is a bad soundtrack, however. Those who pick up the Limited Edition version of the game will be treated to an impressive listening experience, and playing through the game, I’ve found the music to be very appropriate for the most part. I do, however, have some issues with it the score (and the game itself), but you’ll have to read on to find out what those issues are!

Check out our review of the Lords of Shadow soundtrack after the jump! (more…)