When I travel outside of New York City (games typically sell at terrible rates over here), I often have a big event where me and whoever I’m out of state with raid video game stores that sell old games for cheap prices (NES carts for like 2 bucks for example).  No joke, I usually come out with like 15 – 20 games and a bill of 100 bucks or less — not bad at all.

It was during one of these raids that I picked up Blood Omen : Legacy of Kain, first in a series that I’ve heard much about, but never had time to play.  I decided to play through the entire game one day, a feat for those accustomed to the relatively short loading screens of today.  You had to load for everything : screen changes, access to menus, loading the memory card window so you can save, fuck I hated it at first, but then I settled into the atmosphere and great music provided by the game.

Essentially a Zelda type adventure in a darker universe, Kain can learn attack spells, transformation abilities and even use a decent arsenal of weapons.  There is a lot of blood flying around the screen because drinking blood functions as healing for Kain.  Some of the themes and environments encountered are just plain creepy, and I always feel bad drinking the blood of those poor guys and girls chained up on the walls just so I might make survive a couple more rooms.  But enough reminiscing about the game, I’m here to talk music.

I gotta admit, Kain can be an asshole, but not without reason.  I would probably be a dick to everyone too if I got jumped and brutally murdered within minutes of starting my adventure too.  This track playing in the wilderness outside Kain’s crypt uses a more exotic instrumentation for a medieval style forest.  A staple in the fantasy game genre, here the forest seems a lot more distant and unwelcoming.  It’s also pretty relaxing too, so this track works out on multiple levels. Continue reading →