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Skylanders: Swap Force
Composed by Lorne Balfe
Activision (2013)
Rating:
5/10
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More soundclips below provided by AmazonMp3
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“Like the music for
the previous two releases, SWAP FORCE is endlessly playful but it is
a score that is heavily restricted by the nature of the SKYLANDERS
games.”
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The Limit's The Skies
Review by Richard Buxton
The ACTIVISION money train rolls ever onwards with the release of
SKYLANDERS: SWAP FORCE - the third in the phenomenally successful SPYRO
THE DRAGON reboot series -and with it comes LORNE BALFE’S third score
release of the series. For those who find themselves outside the
video-gaming loop, or those without children who happen to be clinically
addicted to the Pokemon inspired collecting-based franchise, SKYLANDERS is
a combination of video game visuals and physical toys that are connected
through the use of near field communication, which sees those toys you
purchase transported on to the screen and controlled by the players.
Ultimately, SKYLANDERS is yet another gimmick with the sole aim of
emptying the wallets of parents the world over, and to publisher
Activision and the various development studios’ credit it’s one that is
working tremendously well.
Having scored both SPYRO’S ADVENTURE and GIANTS, LORNE BALFE has returned
for the third installment, SWAP FORCE. Like the music for the previous two
releases, SWAP FORCE is endlessly playful but it is a score that is
heavily restricted by the nature of the SKYLANDERS games. Like countless
platformers before it, SWAP FORCE takes the player through various themed
levels, and with each level comes differing musical thematic ideas. The
style of gameplay within the platforming genre demands an open
ended-musical structure, allowing the compositions to move along with the
gameplay fittingly, despite a lack of rigid scripting within each level.
This means that BALFE’S score rarely drops out, instead maintaining a
consistent level of exuberance. Whilst suitable for the game itself, the
score quickly becomes monotonous despite a noticeable restructuring on
disc.
The configuration of each track is virtually the same, beginning with a
bare minimum of layers, so as to introduce the chosen instrumentation, and
a brief unveiling of the cue’s central theme, before a host of instruments
enter the fore, leading into a climactic, arpeggio-laden performance of
the theme with the entire musical arsenal in play. This tends to work
better in some cases than others. When the theme is a relatively strong
one, its structure is effective in creating anticipation for the finale.
The main theme here, “The SWAP Force” (1) succeeds in following this
blueprint successfully and without outstaying its welcome, bringing with
it an exciting variation on the main theme as a climax. “A New Chieftess”
(15) follows stuctural suit with its infectiously upbeat dance, as does
“Farewell Baron” (8). This structure is hardly a new concept in video game
music, it’s just that when it’s done well it becomes much less noticeable.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for many of the cues in SWAP FORCE.
Much of the score, unlike the aforementioned cues, lacks the thematic
strength and identity to last beyond an initial playthrough. Like GIANTS
and SPYRO’S ADVENTURE before it, SWAP FORCE is made up of cues that are
very generic, something that is not helped by the frequently abrasive
electronics. The brass is often particularly guilty of sounding at odds
with the rest of the instrumentation, making for a grating experience at
times, as in “Motherly Mayhem” (16). Again, the brass heard towards the
end of “Hidden Adventures”, a slow-paced variation of the main SWAP FORCE
theme, (17) is similarly intrusive in the build towards the finale.
For those who found the previous two score releases to their tastes, SWAP
FORCE is inevitably an easy recommendation. Otherwise, SWAP FORCE is a
fitting accompaniment to the game, but its generally mediocre themes and
overwhelming sweetness might be a little too much to digest; not that it
matters much to ACTIVISION’S bank statements though.
Rating:
5/10
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Track |
Track Title |
Track Time |
Rating |
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1 |
The SWAP Force |
2:12 |
**** |
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2 |
Braving
Mount
Cloudbreak |
3:11 |
*** |
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3 |
Canopy
Climb |
2:35 |
*** |
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4 |
Welcome
to
Woodburrow |
2:48 |
** |
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5 |
Rescue
the
Chieftess |
2:21 |
** |
| 6 |
Ride of Evil Glumshanks |
1:33 |
*** |
| 7 |
Iron Jaw Gulch |
2:14 |
*** |
| 8 |
Farewell Baron |
2:35 |
**** |
| 9 |
Suriving Motleyville |
4:00 |
** |
| 10 |
Dangerous Coils |
2:07 |
*** |
| 11 |
Serpent's Peak |
2:27 |
*** |
| 12 |
Frozen Galleries |
2:51 |
*** |
| 13 |
Fraser's Frosted Festival |
2:125 |
*** |
| 14 |
Fires of Fantasm Forest |
1:50 |
*** |
| 15 |
A New Chieftess |
1:39 |
**** |
| 16 |
Motherly Mayhem |
2:19 |
*** |
| 16 |
Hidden Adventures |
3:35 |
** |
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Total Running Time (approx) |
43 minutes |
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