Everyone always talks about the music in this regard, but the sound effects are so great too. The loading/picking up sound is permanently etched into my mind.
Everything from 11bit Studios, most notably "Frostpunk" and "This War of Mine". Also the Anno-Series. Hard to beat Civilization if you include title themes though.
civ 6 has the best sounstrack in the series during gameplay. I love how every nation has its own tune, and you can hear the mixture of it in the atomic era.
Was going to say the same, the soundtrack to Frostpunk is what made that game so powerful to play, I still remember my first fight for New London when I listen to The City Must Survive
Eve Online, all of their hi-sec soundtracks and audio are immersive as fuck and reaaaally adds value to the gameplay experience, A+ efforts for a game about spreadsheets and dots in space.
Playing P5R currently im biased towards it's soundtrack. It's ABSOLUTE bangers, i will run out of adjectives if i had to describe how good it is anyway.
FFXIV have a loooooot of stems i really love in cutscenes that sets the mood besides the famous titles.
Kudos for Morrowind, last time i played a run of it was Summer 2008 but i can still hear some of the BGMs in the back of my head right now.
I was looking to see if anyone would mention Eve Online. I listen to that soundtrack endlessly, especially when driving, and don't actually play Eve :)
I frequently listen to the soundtrack on Spotify with my girlfriend, who has never played it. It’s hard to explain to her why End Times is such a challenging and emotional song to hear.
I think my favorites are Giant’s Deep, Timber Hearth and Final Voyage. What an amazing soundtrack.
For me it’s more melancholy than dread. I often dropped what I was doing and just watched when the music started. Sad, but also peaceful in a way. Even more so because you’re often in a hurry, but once the music begins there’s no point in continuing a lot of the time, unless you’re you were just about to find something new.
Honestly, the music and set up of that entire DLC opening is pretty awesome. Getting out there, seeing it, heading to it, falling into the water and [the music starts](https://youtu.be/LS-TwLP5v8k)
Base game music is also good. Not sure if what OP wants as not dynamic like BOTW or something, but it's a great musical score and well done.
Their soundtracks are always memorable and fit so well with what they're trying to do, they always manage to have at least one great story moment which highlights the music too. Honestly think they owe a lot of their success as an indie studio to Bastion's soundtrack.
I'm actually a big fan of the song that the muse and musician sing together. Each one has their own version that feels so different, and then that contrast/harmony works so well for the story. Yeah, they do a great job with that kind of thing.
Final Fantasy 8. I know the story is criticized for being too serious and too broad, but the soundtrack is Nobuo Uematsu’s opus in my opinion.
Even if I subtract the level of nostalgia filter I’m probably hearing it through, the songs stand on their own in terms of beauty. There’s just something beautiful about Balamb Garden playing for the first time, or after all the action and drama of battle and arriving at Fisherman’s Horizon and hearing such a beautiful composition play as you experience your first moment of peace in hours of gameplay.
Nobuo Uematsu is top tier, up there with Jeremy Soule.
> I know the story is criticized for being too serious and too broad
I have never seen anything close to this specific criticism, and I have seen a lot
But yeah, the OST is great
I just replayed all these a couple months ago and had the same realization. Also I never realized as a kid that Diddy's Kong Quest is way harder than the other 2. Especially if you go for 100% (or 102% I think?) completion, my god is it that hard.
It's been a while since I 102/103%-ed the last 2. I think I did it on an emulator with save states, I really should do it on the console at some point like I did with #1.
Still waiting for a new DKC game with the Kremlings as the baddies! Although I did enjoy Tropical Freeze.
Breath of the Wild, if only for all of the insane intricacies they put into to making it react to the player and the environment. It can be the center of your focus and gradually turn into a near invisible accompaniment to the experience. So great
WoW's soundtrack just got better and better every expansion until Legion. And there are still choice picks from Legion. BfA was pretty great overall for music with Arkenstone seemingly taking the Brower spot. Shadowlands was mostly forgettable. No idea about Dragonflight.
Honestly, for me it's Horizon Zero Dawn. (I haven't played Forbidden West yet, but I'd say it's safe to assume that one as well)
Guerilla Games really did a number on that experience - the soundtrack is so ridiculously fitting that I'm impressed when I turn it off - the game feels slightly empty without it.
Yes, I agree with Riven so much.
The ‘Temple’ track was always my favourite and sometimes I’ll just randomly listen to it. It’s got just the right amount of eeriness, mystery and wonder to it.
Outer Wilds
Tracking each traveller by their individual part in the full song, zooming out and playing it all, the end.
Just shivers everytime I hear it to this day
Good sound design: Funnily enough Battlefield 5 is probably the most immersive soundscape I've heard ever.
The best soundtrack is Homeworld 1/2 or more recently, Furi or Miami Hotline.
Nier automata & Persona 5, Both have some of the best soundtracks, also the games like genshin and arknights got a massive library of banger soundtracks
Zone of the Enders 1&2
Deaths stranding
Nier Automata
Xenoblades 2&3
Final Fantasy 14(especially shadowbringers and endwalker themes playing on cutscenes and boss fights. dear lord the goosebumps this game has given me)
Ryan Karazija, the musician behind Low Roar, the majority of the music in Death Stranding, passed recently, late last year. His music fits the scenery of Death Stranding so well. I just re-started the game last night (never finished) and the soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful.
World of Warcraft. There is just such an incredible combination of ambiance, weather effects, and music that really sets the perfect mood. I could spend all day just sitting in a tavern in WoW. The sounds make it feel alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Ic9feSwcg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwMic-KXQlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oeo2VCCtUZQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFbCofgwdXo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1cYzvLwaII
Mario games. I was going to say Minecraft or Skyrim, or many of the Nintendo like Zelda, but everyone knows Mario and the soundtracks. If you think in your head of the first 6 notes, you will already be in their world. Iconic, ear-worming, unforgettable.
Sea of Thieves. Not only the pirate themed stuff. But they had a employee pass away a few years ago... so they designed a game mission around him that so full of emotion driven by a beautiful song at the end.
[https://youtu.be/IW9PlPTErKE](https://youtu.be/IW9PlPTErKE)
Path of Exile soundtrack was so spooky in some places that I recorded the tracks and used them for the neighborhood haunted house my wife and I made for the local kids, lol.
Yeah, PoE is a game with best soundtracks imo. The one soundtrack you might have used is "Cavern of Anger" That soundtrack has those spooky vibes. I mean really, music composer of PoE did his work perfectly. He is actually one of a reasons why I started writing music for games. So underrated.
Minecraft has good music now, but the newer stuff they added just doesn't hit the same way it used to. I think the older music just had an understated quality that made it really special.
Yeah I agree with you. Old Minecraft music hits different, it's simple but powerful at the same time. C418' music is the reason why Minecraft feels nostalgic to all of us. He is a legend...
Could be recency bias but The Last of Us soundtrack fucks me up every time I hear it. “The Choice” is such a devastating but beautiful track. I feel like you don’t get to hear a lot of guitar in game music.
In terms of *immersive*, I would have to say Journey.
Austin Wintory worked very closely with the team and the whole soundtrack is dynamic and will shift slightly to fit the actions you are doing and how you progress through the game.
Also, considering the team didn't want the game to feel related to any specific world culture or mythology, the soundtrack is doing a great job at taking inspiration from literally all over the world, while still sounding completely unique.
Alternatively, maybe not the most obvious choice, but Homeworld has some great tunes to it. Most battle themes sound Arabic/nomadic in nature, which fits with the whole exodus theme, and most importantly, Adagio for Strings as the main theme...
Oh gosh there's so many. Darktide for all it's faults has such a good soundtrack.
I still hear StarCraft music in my head sometimes.
Titan Souls is amazing. No one else will mention that one
Doom and doom 2.
I know it's a very divisive game, but HL Alyx has phenomenal sound. It makes you feel less like you're playing a game, and more that you're wearing it. The presence is unreal.
And I absolutely agree about Hunt.
This War of Mine is a great contender, but I gotta say Life is Strange as well. The music makes it feel like you're watching a TV show, where you are free to explore things at your own pace, and make decisions like you wouldn't be able to with a real TV show.
I love the soundtrack a lot
Beyond a shadow of a doubt Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has the most immersive soundtrack, made with entirely medieval instruments, breaking the norm of their usual orchestrated compositions, fairy tale feelings fits the look and style of the game visually and even more so expresses the feelings of the storyline and the characters, monsters, goblins, and everything else better than I have ever heard before.
A pure masterpiece.
Pokèmon Super Mistery Dungeon
Has several memorable ost and an incredible and inspiring sound design.
Another title I'm really attached is Monkey Island 3, I love how ambience sound work so well with music.
There is one specific moment in final fantasy x that will probably forever take the cake for me. The game has a stellar sound track and a really up beat battle theme. At a particularly sad point of the game after a cutscene you gain control and enter battles but the music is unbroken, the normal battle theme doesn't play and you can just feel it.
I think everyone will post something different based on their emotional experience. Especially dynamic soundtracks took the cake for me, Ocarina of Time and the "thread music" when you're fighting. Freespace 2 and their dynamic music system that always seemed to fit the narrative and desperation of fighting a superior enemy. Later Mods of the same game - Blue Planet - War in Heaven. They actually just used promotional music CDs from X Ray Dog and Immediate Music but it worked great in unison with the story.
So generally, make sure your music knows what's going on and really fits the narrative as well as the area you're in. Echoy caves, small rooms.
Also an important mention for really good general sound design and the trope "the devs thought of everything" is Deep rock Galactic. An incredibly well crafted game with a stunning soundtrack and sound design. Enemies telegraphing via sound in an otherwise dark cavern. You know what is about to hit you based on the sound alone. When your buddy tells you on discord to reload your flamethrower because THEY could hear the clicking sound at the end of your current magazine/canister, then you know the devs really did think of everything.
Wow, thanks for sharing your thoughts on dynamic soundtracks and sound design in video games! I totally agree with you, the Ocarina of Time and Freespace 2 soundtracks were definitely memorable and added a lot to the immersion. I also never heard of Deep Rock Galactic, but from what you've said it sounds like it has a fantastic sound design.
Not necessarily the soundtrack, but the audio of the game. Five Nights at Freddy's achieved a lot of immersion with Foxy's banging on the door or the crinkling of the vent metal in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 or even the breathing and footsteps in Five Nights at Freddy's 4. Five Nights at Freddy's excelled in horror sound design.
Hotline Miami series, The Last of Us, RDR2, and Hollow Knight are all equally as amazing when it comes to a soundtrack that fits and immerses you in the situation.
There is no game with the “most” immersive soundtrack or one that does it the best. It is completely based on the mood a game is trying to create and how well the soundtrack compliments that.
Games that do just that are countless. I personally enjoy Assassins Creed 1 OST. Every soundtrack in the game perfectly captures the settings and mystery of it’s world. Listen to “City of Jerusalem” by Jesper Kyd
Silent Hill games as well and for the same reason. You know a game has a killer soundtrack when you stop playing and just listen as you soak in the atmosphere.
The ultimate no. 1 has to be Transport Tycoon. The soundtrack is some nice and cozy jazz and it fits perfectly with the theme of the game. Especially when watching the steam engines you get this really nice historical feel.
Morrowind has been my favorite for a long time. Anything by Jeremy Soule, really. Also, and it's not talked about much anymore, but I would put the original Dark Cloud in my top 5 game soundtracks.
I really think Nier Replicant (I’m sure automata does too but i haven’t played it enough to give an accurate statement). Replicant changed the way I viewed games and the soundtrack was very emotive.
I also think the souls series has very immersive music but it’s much more subtle. Bosses have very unique themes (most of the time) and without some of them, particularly in Bloodborne, the game world would not feel as beautifully dark as it is
**Luftrausers** does absolute magic with what little they work with. I'd make a strong case it's not an arcade shooter so much as a dynamic music generator that keeps changing based on screen events.
It takes a \~C grade shooter and elevates it to something grand. It makes me nostalgic for how the old XWing/Tie Fighter games used to have that mixing MIDI score.
Metro Series
Hotline Miami Series
Witcher 3
Final Fantasy XV
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Boss Battle Tracks are lit as hell)
General Sound Design defintily: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The Developers used binaural audio to simulate beeing metaly ill and thats just nuts.
Emperor: Battle for Dune, especially Harkonnen sound tracks.
I mean you can't really go wrong with this trio.
Jarrid Mendelson, David Arkenstone, Frank Klepacki
With so many people mentioning a bunch of RPGs I feel like I need to point out that the oldschool traditional Sierra city builders all had immersive music too; Pharaoh, Master of Olympus, Emperor.
Going back to less niche genres: Nier Automata through the whole game, Genshin Impact in at least half the locations (Stormterror's Lair, Enkanomiya, the Chasm, and Sumeru overall the music is sublime), Hellish Quart.
In particular the whole Simone (opera singer) boss fight in Nier Automata and Signora boss fight in Genshin are both masterfully interwoven between story, gameplay and cutscenes.
If you like games with great music definitely give a try to all of those (and don't believe in the Genshin hate, you can complete the whole game without spending a cent)
Endless space 2. This is not very popular game, I love it though. But the soundtrack is insanely well done and this is the best soundtrack for a game I have ever heard
Braid has an amazing soundtrack - Gives me a chill when I hear the opening theme.
Also have a special place in my heart for the music from Privateer, great blade runner vibes.
My gaming sound design orgasms in chronological order:
First Baldur's Gate (the main menu music was the shit) also polish version had a full translation made by the witcher guys before witcher became a thing with top polish actors that is still considered as one of the best polish game dubs)
Second one was cool too... but didnt hit me as hard.
then first Gothic
then battlefield 3
then mass effect series
then journey
W3
and doom
and TLOU
and recently Tarkov (altho Hunt is awesome as well)
world of warcraft, mass effect, witcher 3, dragon age origins. i'm also tempted to say elden ring and skyrim but i didn't find their music as memorable as the other four i mentioned, despite playing both 100+ hours. kyne's peace is awesome tho.
To be *really* immersive, the soundtrack would have to be diegetic, wouldn't it? That narrows the options quite a bit. I think the answer to your question might end up being something like Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row, where the primary music source is car radios.
Einhander OST released in 1998. You literally feel like you are being chased after by flying cyber police, or feel the "machine beat" as you are freeing prisoners from a train convoy that transforms into a sick ass boss. Sweet!
Witcher 3
Frostpunk
Morrowind
And 'cause I did not see it in the comments, Red Dead Redemption 2, the Unshaken and That's the Way It Is moments are effing chef's kiss, imo!
I'm not sure if this counts since it's like the inverse of immersion, but Five Nights at Freddy's 2...
It has pretty much 1 song and it just serves to provide ambience; However, just THINKING about that song sucks my imagination back into playing the game
Kinda like Tetris-effect on command, or something
Hotline Miami Series
Everyone always talks about the music in this regard, but the sound effects are so great too. The loading/picking up sound is permanently etched into my mind.
1,000,000%
The music is half the reason i play the every now and then. Weird that I have the OST but without the game is not te same thing.
I can't believe they put sun araw's horse steppin in a video game. That blew my mind
I love listening to the soundtrack on my way to work!
GTA Vice City
I see. A man of culture as well
Fever, 1-OH-5! 💕
Everything from 11bit Studios, most notably "Frostpunk" and "This War of Mine". Also the Anno-Series. Hard to beat Civilization if you include title themes though.
Frostpunk, damn. The soundtrack made me feel cold even in the dead of summer.
When the violin section in The City Must Survive kicks in....
civ 6 has the best sounstrack in the series during gameplay. I love how every nation has its own tune, and you can hear the mixture of it in the atomic era.
Was going to say the same, the soundtrack to Frostpunk is what made that game so powerful to play, I still remember my first fight for New London when I listen to The City Must Survive
Eve Online, all of their hi-sec soundtracks and audio are immersive as fuck and reaaaally adds value to the gameplay experience, A+ efforts for a game about spreadsheets and dots in space. Playing P5R currently im biased towards it's soundtrack. It's ABSOLUTE bangers, i will run out of adjectives if i had to describe how good it is anyway. FFXIV have a loooooot of stems i really love in cutscenes that sets the mood besides the famous titles. Kudos for Morrowind, last time i played a run of it was Summer 2008 but i can still hear some of the BGMs in the back of my head right now.
I was looking to see if anyone would mention Eve Online. I listen to that soundtrack endlessly, especially when driving, and don't actually play Eve :)
Funny, I'm a pretty active EVE player but I always mute the music.
Outer wilds
The end-of-loop sound still gives me dread. And the atmospheric soundtracks while exploring the Nomai ruins and the Sun Station are just amazing.
I frequently listen to the soundtrack on Spotify with my girlfriend, who has never played it. It’s hard to explain to her why End Times is such a challenging and emotional song to hear. I think my favorites are Giant’s Deep, Timber Hearth and Final Voyage. What an amazing soundtrack.
The most insane thing about End Times is the 2 seconds of silence before the music even starts. It's unreal just how unnerving it is.
For me it’s more melancholy than dread. I often dropped what I was doing and just watched when the music started. Sad, but also peaceful in a way. Even more so because you’re often in a hurry, but once the music begins there’s no point in continuing a lot of the time, unless you’re you were just about to find something new.
That was the answer I wanted to give. Amazing soundtrack.
Honestly, the music and set up of that entire DLC opening is pretty awesome. Getting out there, seeing it, heading to it, falling into the water and [the music starts](https://youtu.be/LS-TwLP5v8k) Base game music is also good. Not sure if what OP wants as not dynamic like BOTW or something, but it's a great musical score and well done.
Ikr, the start of the DLC is one of the most "holy shit" moment I had in gaming.
I can't believe no one's mentioned Supergiant Games yet. Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades. Some of the best sounds in gaming out there.
Their soundtracks are always memorable and fit so well with what they're trying to do, they always manage to have at least one great story moment which highlights the music too. Honestly think they owe a lot of their success as an indie studio to Bastion's soundtrack.
I'm actually a big fan of the song that the muse and musician sing together. Each one has their own version that feels so different, and then that contrast/harmony works so well for the story. Yeah, they do a great job with that kind of thing.
*Ico*. The game used ambient sounds in most parts- but this makes the few sections that do have music more impactful.
Oh! You were there!
Indeed! I've seen the island bathe in the sun's bright rays!
Nier automata,doom series, Hollow Knight everything about it felt right in those moments/environments. It's like the soundtrack itself tells a story
Nier does it so well. you just get sucked into the world. I think Genshin Impact soundtrack makes you fall in love to its world as well.
I came in here to say Hollow Knight!
Definitely the Doom series and Nier for me. Also Hotline soundtrack.
Final Fantasy 8. I know the story is criticized for being too serious and too broad, but the soundtrack is Nobuo Uematsu’s opus in my opinion. Even if I subtract the level of nostalgia filter I’m probably hearing it through, the songs stand on their own in terms of beauty. There’s just something beautiful about Balamb Garden playing for the first time, or after all the action and drama of battle and arriving at Fisherman’s Horizon and hearing such a beautiful composition play as you experience your first moment of peace in hours of gameplay. Nobuo Uematsu is top tier, up there with Jeremy Soule.
"Final Fantasy VIII - Eyes on Me" is still my all time favourite
> I know the story is criticized for being too serious and too broad I have never seen anything close to this specific criticism, and I have seen a lot But yeah, the OST is great
Rain world has the best sound design in any game imo
TES3: Morrowind. The soundtrack felt familiar yet alien at the same time, which was a match for the alien environment of the island.
Donkey Kong Country
Aquatic Ambience is my jam.
Diddy's Kong Quest for me. edit OMG I JUST FIGURED OUT IT SOUNDS LIKE "CONQUEST"!
I just replayed all these a couple months ago and had the same realization. Also I never realized as a kid that Diddy's Kong Quest is way harder than the other 2. Especially if you go for 100% (or 102% I think?) completion, my god is it that hard.
It's been a while since I 102/103%-ed the last 2. I think I did it on an emulator with save states, I really should do it on the console at some point like I did with #1. Still waiting for a new DKC game with the Kremlings as the baddies! Although I did enjoy Tropical Freeze.
Breath of the Wild, if only for all of the insane intricacies they put into to making it react to the player and the environment. It can be the center of your focus and gradually turn into a near invisible accompaniment to the experience. So great
Undertale
Chronotrigger
Witcher 3, World of Warcraft
Witcher 3’s soundtrack perfectly matched the story.
WoW's soundtrack just got better and better every expansion until Legion. And there are still choice picks from Legion. BfA was pretty great overall for music with Arkenstone seemingly taking the Brower spot. Shadowlands was mostly forgettable. No idea about Dragonflight.
My friend and I used to play chess to the soundtrack of Warcraft. It lends such an atmosphere..
Celeste - don’t know if it entirely fits “immersive” (more so atmospheric), just needed it mentioned
Skyrim and generaly Bethesda games have always top tier soundtracks
I'm not much of a single player gamer, but I find The Talos Principle's soundtrack absolutely amazing. Really kept me in the zone the whole time
Honestly, for me it's Horizon Zero Dawn. (I haven't played Forbidden West yet, but I'd say it's safe to assume that one as well) Guerilla Games really did a number on that experience - the soundtrack is so ridiculously fitting that I'm impressed when I turn it off - the game feels slightly empty without it.
The Riven soundtrack is so very atmospheric and creepy, it's a true masterpiece. And the Ori and The Will of the Wisps soundtrack is truly amazing.
Yes, I agree with Riven so much. The ‘Temple’ track was always my favourite and sometimes I’ll just randomly listen to it. It’s got just the right amount of eeriness, mystery and wonder to it.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Fallout 3 radio
I don’t want to set the woooooorld onnnn fire
Risk of Rain
Immersive as in you feel like you're there? **Stardew Valley** Best at elevating the game experience? **Chrono Trigger**
The Neverhood
Everybody hrrrrrrrnnnn
Half life! Not because of the quality of the sound, but because of how recognizable and unique the sounds are.
Same with Portal
Silent Hill 2 - the soundtrack is amazing by itself, and the way it and the sound design are woven into the game is just perfect
Outer Wilds Tracking each traveller by their individual part in the full song, zooming out and playing it all, the end. Just shivers everytime I hear it to this day
And the music at the end of each loop... Happy cake day!
The Ori series (Blind forest & Will of the Wisps). The sound design & music in both games are magical.
Good sound design: Funnily enough Battlefield 5 is probably the most immersive soundscape I've heard ever. The best soundtrack is Homeworld 1/2 or more recently, Furi or Miami Hotline.
oh yeah, batfield ! not just 5 , bf1 is awesome too sound-wise
"Kharak is burning. Everything is burning." \[Agnus Dei intensifies\] The voice acting was top notch as well.
Valve games such as Half-Life and Portal
I can easy imagine the opening and ending notes to the meet the team videos.
Hunt Showdown - every cracking branch causes panic and fear.
Nier automata & Persona 5, Both have some of the best soundtracks, also the games like genshin and arknights got a massive library of banger soundtracks
Zone of the Enders 1&2 Deaths stranding Nier Automata Xenoblades 2&3 Final Fantasy 14(especially shadowbringers and endwalker themes playing on cutscenes and boss fights. dear lord the goosebumps this game has given me)
Heh I still pop the bonus disc that came with the LE Zone of the Enders, Beyond the Bounds will always rock my socks off.
Was waiting on someone to mention Death Stranding. It’s one hell of a soundscape.
Ryan Karazija, the musician behind Low Roar, the majority of the music in Death Stranding, passed recently, late last year. His music fits the scenery of Death Stranding so well. I just re-started the game last night (never finished) and the soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful.
Halo:warthog theme
I would say that the portal 1 soundtrack is pretty immersive
Return of the Obra Dinn
World of Warcraft. There is just such an incredible combination of ambiance, weather effects, and music that really sets the perfect mood. I could spend all day just sitting in a tavern in WoW. The sounds make it feel alive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Ic9feSwcg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwMic-KXQlY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oeo2VCCtUZQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFbCofgwdXo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1cYzvLwaII
Mario games. I was going to say Minecraft or Skyrim, or many of the Nintendo like Zelda, but everyone knows Mario and the soundtracks. If you think in your head of the first 6 notes, you will already be in their world. Iconic, ear-worming, unforgettable.
Sea of Thieves. Not only the pirate themed stuff. But they had a employee pass away a few years ago... so they designed a game mission around him that so full of emotion driven by a beautiful song at the end. [https://youtu.be/IW9PlPTErKE](https://youtu.be/IW9PlPTErKE)
Last of us, battlefield, doom and dying light 1-2
The Settlers on the Amiga
Zelda Breath of the Wild
darkest dungeon, doom, skyrim
Mechanicus
The Darktide soundtrack is equally pretty awesome also. Just the soundtrack though, sadly.
That's a soundtrack that is good on its own, but amazing in the context of the game. Definitely one of the more effective ones I have heard.
Hollow Knight. I'll never forget the moment I entered Greenpath for the first time
I agree. That moment is one of those that really stick with you long after you finish the game
Zelda BOTW, Stellaris, Valheim <3
Disco Elysium.
Super Metroid and Bloodborne soundtracks do it for me, immersion-wise.
Minecraft, Skyrim, WoW, Path of Exile...
Path of Exile soundtrack was so spooky in some places that I recorded the tracks and used them for the neighborhood haunted house my wife and I made for the local kids, lol.
Yeah, PoE is a game with best soundtracks imo. The one soundtrack you might have used is "Cavern of Anger" That soundtrack has those spooky vibes. I mean really, music composer of PoE did his work perfectly. He is actually one of a reasons why I started writing music for games. So underrated.
> Minecraft Random sounds to surprise you is quite the opposite of immersive.
Minecraft has good music now, but the newer stuff they added just doesn't hit the same way it used to. I think the older music just had an understated quality that made it really special.
Yeah I agree with you. Old Minecraft music hits different, it's simple but powerful at the same time. C418' music is the reason why Minecraft feels nostalgic to all of us. He is a legend...
Could be recency bias but The Last of Us soundtrack fucks me up every time I hear it. “The Choice” is such a devastating but beautiful track. I feel like you don’t get to hear a lot of guitar in game music.
In terms of *immersive*, I would have to say Journey. Austin Wintory worked very closely with the team and the whole soundtrack is dynamic and will shift slightly to fit the actions you are doing and how you progress through the game. Also, considering the team didn't want the game to feel related to any specific world culture or mythology, the soundtrack is doing a great job at taking inspiration from literally all over the world, while still sounding completely unique. Alternatively, maybe not the most obvious choice, but Homeworld has some great tunes to it. Most battle themes sound Arabic/nomadic in nature, which fits with the whole exodus theme, and most importantly, Adagio for Strings as the main theme...
Touhou no question. You can't find any other game OST what remixed that many times as touhou. And belive there is a good reason for that.
Risk of rain 2
I could get lost in the music for The Long Dark for hours when I play
Satisfactiry or mgrr
Oh gosh there's so many. Darktide for all it's faults has such a good soundtrack. I still hear StarCraft music in my head sometimes. Titan Souls is amazing. No one else will mention that one Doom and doom 2.
I'm pretty sure I've had the Terran tracks from StarCraft running in the back of my head since 1998
I know it's a very divisive game, but HL Alyx has phenomenal sound. It makes you feel less like you're playing a game, and more that you're wearing it. The presence is unreal. And I absolutely agree about Hunt.
While the Bayonetta series isn’t exactly immersive, it has the most fitting music out of any games that I’ve ever played
This War of Mine is a great contender, but I gotta say Life is Strange as well. The music makes it feel like you're watching a TV show, where you are free to explore things at your own pace, and make decisions like you wouldn't be able to with a real TV show. I love the soundtrack a lot
Beyond a shadow of a doubt Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has the most immersive soundtrack, made with entirely medieval instruments, breaking the norm of their usual orchestrated compositions, fairy tale feelings fits the look and style of the game visually and even more so expresses the feelings of the storyline and the characters, monsters, goblins, and everything else better than I have ever heard before. A pure masterpiece.
Pokèmon Super Mistery Dungeon Has several memorable ost and an incredible and inspiring sound design. Another title I'm really attached is Monkey Island 3, I love how ambience sound work so well with music.
Man I love all of the mystery dungeon games. Since the remake I've been hoping they release more of them.
Thumper
Caves of Qud
To the Moon Stardew Valley World of Warcraft, specifically thinking of Wrath or Pandaria music
Morrowind
For me it’s Guild Wars.
There is one specific moment in final fantasy x that will probably forever take the cake for me. The game has a stellar sound track and a really up beat battle theme. At a particularly sad point of the game after a cutscene you gain control and enter battles but the music is unbroken, the normal battle theme doesn't play and you can just feel it.
Hollow knight and genshin impact definitely have some of my favorite soundtracks
All the Michael McCann Deus Ex stuff.
Chrono Cross
Doom
Metroid Prime.
World of warcraft blood elves or draenie sound tracks
Stray
I think everyone will post something different based on their emotional experience. Especially dynamic soundtracks took the cake for me, Ocarina of Time and the "thread music" when you're fighting. Freespace 2 and their dynamic music system that always seemed to fit the narrative and desperation of fighting a superior enemy. Later Mods of the same game - Blue Planet - War in Heaven. They actually just used promotional music CDs from X Ray Dog and Immediate Music but it worked great in unison with the story. So generally, make sure your music knows what's going on and really fits the narrative as well as the area you're in. Echoy caves, small rooms. Also an important mention for really good general sound design and the trope "the devs thought of everything" is Deep rock Galactic. An incredibly well crafted game with a stunning soundtrack and sound design. Enemies telegraphing via sound in an otherwise dark cavern. You know what is about to hit you based on the sound alone. When your buddy tells you on discord to reload your flamethrower because THEY could hear the clicking sound at the end of your current magazine/canister, then you know the devs really did think of everything.
Wow, thanks for sharing your thoughts on dynamic soundtracks and sound design in video games! I totally agree with you, the Ocarina of Time and Freespace 2 soundtracks were definitely memorable and added a lot to the immersion. I also never heard of Deep Rock Galactic, but from what you've said it sounds like it has a fantastic sound design.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Katana ZERO, especially songs Blue Room & Panoramic Feelings. Amazing feeling while you listen to these two.
Not necessarily the soundtrack, but the audio of the game. Five Nights at Freddy's achieved a lot of immersion with Foxy's banging on the door or the crinkling of the vent metal in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 or even the breathing and footsteps in Five Nights at Freddy's 4. Five Nights at Freddy's excelled in horror sound design.
Hotline Miami series, The Last of Us, RDR2, and Hollow Knight are all equally as amazing when it comes to a soundtrack that fits and immerses you in the situation.
Deus Ex 1
There is no game with the “most” immersive soundtrack or one that does it the best. It is completely based on the mood a game is trying to create and how well the soundtrack compliments that. Games that do just that are countless. I personally enjoy Assassins Creed 1 OST. Every soundtrack in the game perfectly captures the settings and mystery of it’s world. Listen to “City of Jerusalem” by Jesper Kyd Silent Hill games as well and for the same reason. You know a game has a killer soundtrack when you stop playing and just listen as you soak in the atmosphere.
Vice City Vice City stories
Metro Exodus is one of the game that impressed me 👍
The ultimate no. 1 has to be Transport Tycoon. The soundtrack is some nice and cozy jazz and it fits perfectly with the theme of the game. Especially when watching the steam engines you get this really nice historical feel.
TBH I vote for Ico
Devil may cry Metal gear rising revengence Doom
I'm gonna go with hades and SC2 Terrain music.
Morrowind has been my favorite for a long time. Anything by Jeremy Soule, really. Also, and it's not talked about much anymore, but I would put the original Dark Cloud in my top 5 game soundtracks.
Gta vice city
Shadow of the Colossus and Witcher 3
Ark 10000%
Atilla total war (Underated soundtrack IMO)
I really think Nier Replicant (I’m sure automata does too but i haven’t played it enough to give an accurate statement). Replicant changed the way I viewed games and the soundtrack was very emotive. I also think the souls series has very immersive music but it’s much more subtle. Bosses have very unique themes (most of the time) and without some of them, particularly in Bloodborne, the game world would not feel as beautifully dark as it is
**Luftrausers** does absolute magic with what little they work with. I'd make a strong case it's not an arcade shooter so much as a dynamic music generator that keeps changing based on screen events. It takes a \~C grade shooter and elevates it to something grand. It makes me nostalgic for how the old XWing/Tie Fighter games used to have that mixing MIDI score.
Are we talking ambient music?
Sound design and soundtrack are two different things. As far as immersive soundtrack, The Last of Us.
callisto protocol had the best sound design of 2022 imo. really helped w immersion
Waterworld for the SNES
Metro Series Hotline Miami Series Witcher 3 Final Fantasy XV Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Boss Battle Tracks are lit as hell) General Sound Design defintily: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The Developers used binaural audio to simulate beeing metaly ill and thats just nuts.
Burning Rangers (Sega Saturn)
Emperor: Battle for Dune, especially Harkonnen sound tracks. I mean you can't really go wrong with this trio. Jarrid Mendelson, David Arkenstone, Frank Klepacki
With so many people mentioning a bunch of RPGs I feel like I need to point out that the oldschool traditional Sierra city builders all had immersive music too; Pharaoh, Master of Olympus, Emperor. Going back to less niche genres: Nier Automata through the whole game, Genshin Impact in at least half the locations (Stormterror's Lair, Enkanomiya, the Chasm, and Sumeru overall the music is sublime), Hellish Quart. In particular the whole Simone (opera singer) boss fight in Nier Automata and Signora boss fight in Genshin are both masterfully interwoven between story, gameplay and cutscenes. If you like games with great music definitely give a try to all of those (and don't believe in the Genshin hate, you can complete the whole game without spending a cent)
Endless space 2. This is not very popular game, I love it though. But the soundtrack is insanely well done and this is the best soundtrack for a game I have ever heard
Braid has an amazing soundtrack - Gives me a chill when I hear the opening theme. Also have a special place in my heart for the music from Privateer, great blade runner vibes.
Joust!
Skyrim
Thief 1 and 2
Dark Souls 1 & 3
For me, Skyrim
FFXIV is the only game I've ever really cared much about the soundtrack of.
INSIDE from Playdead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUsK-7q3j-I (disregard the message at the beginning, I don't know why it's there).
Cyberpunk 2077 and minecraft
I really like The Witcher 1 soundtrack
Surprised i don't see Journey being mentioned here.
I love rimworlds soundtrack
My gaming sound design orgasms in chronological order: First Baldur's Gate (the main menu music was the shit) also polish version had a full translation made by the witcher guys before witcher became a thing with top polish actors that is still considered as one of the best polish game dubs) Second one was cool too... but didnt hit me as hard. then first Gothic then battlefield 3 then mass effect series then journey W3 and doom and TLOU and recently Tarkov (altho Hunt is awesome as well)
outer wilds and celeste
INFRA The whole game is about an atmospheric experience and they nailed it on sound.
From games, Castlevania series, Resident Evil 1-4, Dragons Dogma, the classic God of War games
I think the soundtrack to Castlevania Lords of Shadow is so underrated. It was so on point, and drew me in right from the get go. Beautiful.
Legend of Zelda. I still can remember perfectly most of the soundtracks 25 years ago after my first playthrough!
world of warcraft, mass effect, witcher 3, dragon age origins. i'm also tempted to say elden ring and skyrim but i didn't find their music as memorable as the other four i mentioned, despite playing both 100+ hours. kyne's peace is awesome tho.
Panzer Dragoon
Brutal legend. It’s the whole point
Flower
Easily GTA Vice City or San Andreas
To be *really* immersive, the soundtrack would have to be diegetic, wouldn't it? That narrows the options quite a bit. I think the answer to your question might end up being something like Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row, where the primary music source is car radios.
Hollow Knight Celeste Persona 5
Einhander OST released in 1998. You literally feel like you are being chased after by flying cyber police, or feel the "machine beat" as you are freeing prisoners from a train convoy that transforms into a sick ass boss. Sweet!
Witcher 3 Frostpunk Morrowind And 'cause I did not see it in the comments, Red Dead Redemption 2, the Unshaken and That's the Way It Is moments are effing chef's kiss, imo!
Ori and the will of the wisps and ori are the blind forests
I'm not sure if this counts since it's like the inverse of immersion, but Five Nights at Freddy's 2... It has pretty much 1 song and it just serves to provide ambience; However, just THINKING about that song sucks my imagination back into playing the game Kinda like Tetris-effect on command, or something
I believe no one has ever came close to World of Warcraft. For single player games I like GRIS immersion a lot.
I love Civ VI for this. The evolution of the region-specific folk music through the ages captures the narrative of any given playthrough beautifully.
The Messenger