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Stylish Apocalypse

After trashing the predecessor Earth 2140 in my review due to its bizarrely bad soundtrack, giving only 1.5 stars, one might think that this trend would repeat itself with the direct successor, Earth 2150. That is not the case. Firstly, because I really enjoyed playing Earth 2150 back then. After all, it was a 3D strategy game with, for the time, good graphics including day-night cycles (which could even be strategically utilized), a huge tech tree, combinable units, and a cool post-apocalyptic setting. Nostalgia is therefore a big factor in this review.

Secondly, because now composer Maciej Pawłowski holds the creative reins. He does something mindblowing by delivering a 'real' score, unlike the first installment of the series. For those who don't understand this statement, I recommend checking out my Music Review of Earth 2140 – it's worth it. The music of Earth 2150 is refreshingly coherent, futuristic, and captures the spirit of survival on Earth excellently. Additionally, the factions are pleasantly distinct from each other in their instrumentation.

Unlike the predecessor, in 2150 there are not just the two rivaling factions, the tank-loving Eurasian Dynasty (ED) and the United Civilized States (UCS) with their mech walkers. Now, the female world joins the fray with chromed hover vehicles. As it turns out, there are no space Nazis on the moon, but rather the matriarchal Luna Corporation, where Y chromosomes have no say. But before we surrender to the question of which would be more frightening – moon Nazis or space Karens – let's get back to the music.

As implied above, Pawłowski gives each of the three parties pleasantly different motifs and soundscapes that blend together into a very enjoyable overall composition. The score is fairly simple in structure: first, there's the mediocre main theme "Earth 2150", followed by the faction themes, though these are just the somewhat unexciting sounds from the selection screen. Finally, the actual pieces begin, divided among the factions ED, LC, and UCS. Each faction has three day and night themes, four "War" tracks, as well as a song for "Ambience" and "Stats", amounting to a respectable total of about 40 tracks.

It should be noted here that this is the score for the base game. Whether the addons The Moon Project and Lost Souls were provided with their own pieces, I could decipher in my research. From the OST sold bundled with the Earth 2150 Trilogy on Steam , one should probably stay away, judging from the reviews. Because aside from relabeled old tracks from the OST, the techno trap seems to snap shut again, similar to what happened with Earth 2140 . In other words: if you love your ears, don't put that in your shopping cart.

With this warning issued, nothing stands in our way to finally unearth this truly wonderful soundtrack. Overall, Pawłowski masterfully manages to marry the real-time strategy genre grippingly with the (post-)apocalyptic sci-fi setting of the Earth brand. The music creates a rough, unfriendly atmosphere, signaling the bitter struggle of rivals, the torn nature, and destruction. Yet each faction possesses a trace of heroism and pathos befitting totalitarian superpowers. This is best heard in the "Stats" tracks that play after the end of a game.

The Eurasian Dynasty, composed of the former Eastern Bloc states like Russia, the Middle East, and Asia (not surprisingly), sounds more traditional, established, or rustic. Here, powerful drums and strings dominate, making tracks like "Eurasian Dynasty Day 1" and "Eurasian Dynasty Day 2" sound military-like and reminiscent of Silent Storm . At the same time, "Eurasian Dynasty Day 3" with its bright chimes and the use of electric guitar proclaims Asian-inspired imperial violence, which we know from Command & Conquer: Generals , for example.

In contrast, the "Night" tracks are more subdued, creating suspense, which is slightly countered by the use of synths in "Eurasian Dynasty Night 3". On the other hand, the "War" tracks predictably unleash chaos: classical orchestral drama takes the forefront, reminiscent of composers like Tchaikovsky or Wagner. In "Eurasian Dynasty War 1", the violins sound like an angry swarm of hornets, accompanied by operatic mood from the brass. "Eurasian Dynasty War 2" drives us forward with its strict drum rhythm like slaves on a galley. And finally, "Eurasian Dynasty War 3" and "Eurasian Dynasty War 4" depict full chaos in a wild cacophony, illustrating the confusion of battle.

Let's continue chronologically with the Luna Corporation. They bring their space-faring approach both gameplay-wise and acoustically down to the green planet. Consequently, the pieces in LC contain sci-fi tones, reminiscent of Mass Effect like in "Luna Corporation Theme". However, other tricks are also used, creating images of a barren and deserted lunar surface in our minds: "Luna Corporation Ambience" sounds almost funerary through the interplay of bells and rattling synths. On the other hand, "Luna Corporation Day 1" and "Luna Corporation Day 2" use beats that evoke associations with sonar or pressure waves, while also possessing an elevated beauty through the use of strings, evoking memories of games like the later Anno-parts or Star Trek: New Worlds.

As for the "Night" tracks, there's less happening as was to be expected, although "Luna Corporation Night 1" vaguely reminds me of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun . Ultimately, these moments of tranquility are contrasted by the combat tracks, all of which are driving and dramatic, albeit with the exception of "Luna Corporation War 4," which somewhat lacks the space character. Instead, like the tracks of the Eurasian Dynasty, they lean more towards the classical. Nonetheless, they sound good overall, though it feels somewhat uninspired, i.e. the use of swelling strings in "Luna Corporation War 2".

Moving on to the United Civilized States, which, contrary to what the name suggests, are no less barbaric and warlike than their Eastern and extraterrestrial counterparts. In fact, musically speaking – at least in terms of the day themes – the UCS is more akin to the thriller genre. E.g. in "United Civilized States Day 1," the familiar sequence 'Dies Irae' is heard, which is also used in many film scores and originally used in medieval choral music for funerals. Here, it is played through a French horn reminiscent of the film The Shining . This is followed by a mechanical rhythm, as if an unstoppable machine has been set in motion – dark and ominous.

This sense of danger continues in "United Civilized States Day 2," where powerful beats roll over like the shockwaves of a fracking tower. The whole thing is accompanied by creaking guitar riffs before the dissonances of the strings join in – wonderful! "United Civilized States Day 3," with its intro of bongos transitioning into a rock piece, falls somewhat short again. The mixture of suspense and melancholy continues in the night tracks, which could easily be taken from Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos . The picture is complete, as expected, by the "War" tracks, dominated by rock and techno, reminiscent of old action games like No One Lives Forever or TimeSplitters . And then, unfortunately, the score is already over, which is hardly surprising given the average track length of 1.5 minutes.

Insgesamt bekommt man hier mehr geboten, als es zunächst den Anschein erwecken mag: Die einigermaßen trennscharfe Unterscheidung der Fraktionen sorgt für angenehme Variation, die klare Abgrenzung der Track-Kategorien macht derweil das Aufspüren von Favoriten leichter. Ebenso werten die Inkorporation und Intonation bekannter, klassischer Motive und Orchestrierungen den Score für ein solides, aber nicht überragendes Spiel, weiter auf. Von mir bekommt der OST zu Earth 2150  daher eine klare Empfehlung und stellt in meiner Wahrnehmung eines dieser seltenen Highlights dar, die wohl nur einer winzigen Gruppe von Spielerinnen und Spielern überhaupt bekannt ist.

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Nostalgia warning

The rating of the individual tracks is purely subjective and clearly colored by my own experience with the game. You can find out more in the article About Nostalgia.

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Earth 2150	Maciej Pawłowski	3
02	ED Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	2
03	LC Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	3
04	UCS Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	2
05	Eurasian Dynasty Ambience	Maciej Pawłowski	1
06	Eurasian Dynasty Day 1	Maciej Pawłowski	4
07	Eurasian Dynasty Day 2	Maciej Pawłowski	5
08	Eurasian Dynasty Day 3	Maciej Pawłowski	4
09	Eurasian Dynasty Night 1	Maciej Pawłowski	3
10	Eurasian Dynasty Night 2	Maciej Pawłowski	2
11	Eurasian Dynasty Night 3	Maciej Pawłowski	3
12	Eurasian Dynasty Stats	Maciej Pawłowski	2
13	Eurasian Dynasty War 1	Maciej Pawłowski	5
14	Eurasian Dynasty War 2	Maciej Pawłowski	5
15	Eurasian Dynasty War 3	Maciej Pawłowski	5
16	Eurasian Dynasty War 4	Maciej Pawłowski	4
17	Luna Corporation Ambience	Maciej Pawłowski	2
18	Luna Corporation Day 1	Maciej Pawłowski	4
19	Luna Corporation Day 2	Maciej Pawłowski	5
20	Luna Corporation Day 3	Maciej Pawłowski	3
21	Luna Corporation Night 1	Maciej Pawłowski	3
22	Luna Corporation Night 2	Maciej Pawłowski	1
23	Luna Corporation Night 3	Maciej Pawłowski	2
24	Luna Corporation Stats	Maciej Pawłowski	2
25	Luna Corporation War 1	Maciej Pawłowski	5
26	Luna Corporation War 2	Maciej Pawłowski	5
27	Luna Corporation War 3	Maciej Pawłowski	5
28	Luna Corporation War 4	Maciej Pawłowski	4
29	United Civilized States Day 1	Maciej Pawłowski	4
30	United Civilized States Day 2	Maciej Pawłowski	4
31	United Civilized States Day 3	Maciej Pawłowski	3
32	United Civilized States Night 1	Maciej Pawłowski	3
33	United Civilized States Night 2	Maciej Pawłowski	1
34	United Civilized States Night 3	Maciej Pawłowski	2
35	United Civilized States Stats	Maciej Pawłowski	2
36	United Civilized States War 1	Maciej Pawłowski	5
37	United Civilized States War 2	Maciej Pawłowski	5
38	United Civilized States War 3	Maciej Pawłowski	5
39	United Civilized States War 4	Maciej Pawłowski	4
40	United Civilized States War 5	Maciej Pawłowski	4