Music to My Ears is steeling thy shovel!

One of the most interesting parts about early video game soundtracks is the composition. With only a handful of channels and so-called “instruments” to choose from, composers had to maximize their impact with strong, memorable melodies. That’s a large part of the reason why classic tracks like the Super Mario Bros. overworld music and the various themes from Tetris have had such staying power.

As retro 8-bit-style games like Mega Man 9 and 10 and Super Meat Boy, so too have chiptunes and their distinct style. Shovel Knight continues along that path with a surprisingly deep soundtrack of 48 songs.

Jake “virt” Kaufman did the vast majority of the work on Shovel Knight, but he also got a pretty cool assist from Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae on a couple cool tracks like The Explodatorium. Kaufman has contributed to increasingly big titles over the last decade and is a superstar when it comes to incorporating classic 8-bit grooves.

It will not surprise you to learn that “Main Theme” is the music from the title screen, but it’s still an appropriate track to grab your interest. In fact, there are several great tracks on the OST, from level themes to boss music.

If you’re interested in hearing more, head here to check out the full soundtrack.

(P.S.: I’m not saying that this is going to show up as a Game On series on YouTube or anything…that would be silly. Don’t be silly.)

Shovel Knight Main Theme

Music to My Ears covers soundtracks or individual songs from video games every week. You can view all posts in the series by clicking here.