Game info: website
Listening: Bandcamp
Info
Here’s a very small soundtrack for a Playdate game I just learned existed last night, a score attack game about flying around with a helicopter pack and chopping enemies with it. It’s another game by Sad Folks Interactive, who made Poisoned Daggers in the same year, though the soundtrack for Chopter Copter only got released in 2024 when the game got included in the official Playdate catalog.
The game has a stout three pieces of music: a four+ minute loop by Jacob J. Ritz (who was also the artist and game designer) that presumably plays during gameplay, and then two additional pieces by Zan-zan-zawa-veia that I can’t determine the usage of with 100% certainty because there aren’t any videos of the game online but are probably for like the main menu and high score screen, something like that. Naturally for a monochromatic pixel game the music is a bit chippy, with ZZZV’s being in a pretty typical DOS-ish FM style for them and Ritz’s sounding a bit more like a sampled tracker tune. Ritz’s piece is a fun prog rock tune, though I definitely prefer ZZZV getting up to their usual dark funk shenanigans; I always love the evocative way their music in this style feels like it should be accompanying you as you explore an otherworldly dungeon, equal parts moody and chill without getting especially menacing or oppressive.
UPDATE: Sergio Cornaga let me know that I was correct-ish about my guesses for how the pieces are used in-game: “Caladrius” is indeed the main menu theme, “Kite Flights and Wars of Fancy” is indeed the gameplay music, and “Vague Recollection” is the game over music. Thanks!
Recommended track:
- “Vague Recollection” (Zan-zan-zawa-veia) starts off with a real buzzy lead at 0:12 that sounds like a dying Commodore 64
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