Year: 2005
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Maciej Pawłowski
Number of tracks: 32

★★★★★

Upspaced

It's really a shame that I can't say much more to conclude the Earth-series than: finally! Because after I had embraced the predecessor, Earth 2150, Earth 2160 was a bigger disappointment for me than a game of Memory with Olaf Scholz. And yet, there were some exciting ideas here: Modular construction mode, hero units, a new alien faction, and a fresh setting on Mars all offered opportunities to keep the sci-fi brand relevant.

But despite the packaging even coming with flashing LEDs, Earth 2160 was simply forgettably bad: Poor AI, boring and detail-lacking environments, an uninspiring story, and this feeling that the wrong adjustments had been made exactly where they shouldn't. With this realization, I ventured into new territory at the time, after all, until then every game in my young life had always been better than its predecessor... a sobering experience.

Earth 2140 (1997)

Earth 2150 (2000)

Earth 2160 (2005)

Okay, the game wasn't that great, we got it. What about the soundtrack? Once again, Maciej Pawłowski was hired, who gave Earth 2150 its unmistakable mix of militaristic action and orchestral musical power. Whether due to nostalgia for one or my dislike for the other, I wanted to like the soundtrack of Earth 2160 less than that of its predecessor... and was proven wrong. Pawłowski demonstrates a great deal of care with his composition, as the score represents a successful evolution of the Earth-formula.

Just as in the game, musically, we move away from the green planet and into the depths of space – or the atmosphere-poor surface of Mars. Instead of 'grounded' music, the OST offers us much more often space atmosphere akin to Star Trek and Star Wars. This is manifested in the common sci-fi tropes like long reverberating tones that suggest vastness, perhaps even infinity. For example, the Aliens and Ambient-tracks sound mysterious, fueled by a selection of strings and lonely flutes that pleasantly alternate between a sense of wonder and nostalgia.

Overall, the OST positions itself much more strongly in the realm of contemplation and, compared to its predecessor, even allows us space to breathe despite the vacuum. For someone like me who greatly enjoyed the brute force of Earth 2150 , this reduces the density of top ratings somewhat. And the fact that the War-tracks sound more like Horror meets Warhammer doesn't help. Conversely, pieces like Ambient 05 or Day 02particularly excite me, as their dramatic nature evokes memories of the predecessor. And with the UCS-tracks, at least a bit of classical feeling has made it into the OST.

At the same time, the composer introduces new instruments such as church bells (ED Theme), a ticking clock (Day 04), or even shrill vocals (LC Fraction), adding new sound facets to the known. This provides enough material to serve as a small differentiator from OSTs like that of Star Trek: Armada II , but occasionally also evokes associations with clichéd fantasy scores. Personally, I don't mind that instead of being on the surface of the red planet, we could sometimes find ourselves in a magical forest from Kingdoms of Amalur ; however, purists might find this rather off-putting.

The dramatic space arias End Credits (Live Your Life) and Must Be Strong with their Keep-Going spirit are new approaches and won't be for everyone – personally, I can enjoy them, as long as I don't pay attention to the lyrics... like with many pop songs. Generally, I was positively surprised after listening to the score again. Pawłowski simply manages to give this lousy piece of software something resembling an identity and almost makes it appealing. While I can conscientiously advise against the latter, I would like to simultaneously recommend the OST. Anyone in the mood for a bit of an Aliens-feeling and Star Trek-allure will feel right at home here.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Must Be Strong	Maciej Pawłowski	5
02	Aliens Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	3
03	Aliens Fraction	Maciej Pawłowski	3
04	Ambient 01	Maciej Pawłowski	2
05	Ambient 02	Maciej Pawłowski	1
06	Ambient 03	Maciej Pawłowski	3
07	Ambient 04	Maciej Pawłowski	2
08	Ambient 05	Maciej Pawłowski	5
09	ED Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	5
10	ED Fraction	Maciej Pawłowski	5
11	Day 01	Maciej Pawłowski	4
12	Day 02	Maciej Pawłowski	5
13	Day 03	Maciej Pawłowski	3
14	Day 04	Maciej Pawłowski	4
15	Day 05	Maciej Pawłowski	4
16	Day 06	Maciej Pawłowski	4
17	Defeat Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	2
18	LC Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	5
19	LC Fraction	Maciej Pawłowski	4
20	UCS Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	4
21	UCS Fraction	Maciej Pawłowski	3
22	Victory Theme	Maciej Pawłowski	4
23	War 1	Maciej Pawłowski	4
24	War 2	Maciej Pawłowski	4
25	War 3	Maciej Pawłowski	3
26	War 4	Maciej Pawłowski	4
27	War 5	Maciej Pawłowski	4
28	War 6	Maciej Pawłowski	3
29	War 7	Maciej Pawłowski	5
30	War 8	Maciej Pawłowski	4
31	War 9	Maciej Pawłowski	4
32	End Credits (Live Your Life)	Maciej Pawłowski	5