Year: 2009
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Ari Pulkkinen
Number of tracks: 20

★★★★★

Enchantingly moving

When Trine was released in 2009, it was like a magical glimpse into a world of platformers, action puzzles and jump'n run games that I otherwise only knew from my Gameboy in the form of games like Asterix & Obelix . Because without a console, I had never had the hands-on enjoyment of Mario, Crash Bandicoot and the like - even though I naturally tried to compensate for this deficiency by playing with friends and relatives.

Trine, with its mixture of pretty graphics, interesting puzzles and well-dosed humor, gave me a little premiere, even if the actual game was not a revolution: The story was predictably la la, the antithetical triumvirate (hence the name) of the cool thief Zoya, the dim-witted knight Pontius and the timid mage Amadeus, linked together by a magical artifact (hence the name), interchangeable. In retrospect, the latter protagonist reminds me a lot of the wizard Rincewind from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, who has equally little appetite for adventure ... coincidence?

Fortunately, like the supposed original book, the game didn't take itself too seriously - a concept that makes minor missteps more forgivable and forms the basis of my entire personality. This unpretentiousness is contrasted by a soundtrack that deliberately reaches deep into the cliché box of fantasy background music and picks such fairytale-like pieces out of it that you want to vomit rainbows - in the most positive sense.

In fact, I count the scores of the Trine-series among my favorites from the indie genre, simply because they are touching on the one hand and motivating on the other. They never reach the level of self-irony of Castle Crashers or the tear-jerking potential of Child of Light, but they enchant like the first offshoots of the SpellForce-series (Crypt of the Damned) or the Nami-track from League of Legends: Season 2.

Finnish composer Ari Pulkkinen uses everything that makes fantasy fans' hearts beat faster to create the magical, trope-like sound of the score: Violins and cellos, bowed and plucked, plus piano, flute, glockenspiel and harp. The whole thing is then cast in a web of ensemble pieces, sometimes long and drawn out, sometimes mischievous melodic tracks - you know it. And at the same time, you don't know it either, because the level of cuteness is sometimes far above what hardcore gamers usually get to hear.

Incidentally, this was also true of my piano teacher at the time, who has since sadly passed away. He was very unimpressed by my idea that we could perhaps work on something from the score (Dragon Graveyard) instead of Beethoven and his acquaintances. On the one hand, after listening to it briefly, he described it as "Mickey Mouse music", which made me both angry and sad at the time, after all I had just opened up to him about my passion, which was still fresh back then - today, of course, I can understand the criticism. On the other hand, I almost knew the piece by heart, as I had really enjoyed practicing it voluntarily beforehand. Turns out that if you do something you want to do and are not forced to, then the process can be quite fun...

Enough of that. Let's get back to the OST and its qualities. At this point, I probably don't need to mention that I like it very much for the most part, which is why it's almost easier to mention the less recommendable songs. What's the point of being stingy? Let's just do that. Because of course there are also a handful of bad apples hidden among the 20 tracks that fall somewhat short of the rest.

For me, these include Astral Academy, Waltz of the Perished and Bramblestoke Village, whose melodies come into their own better in other pieces. The minor variations (Wolvercote Catacombs, Forsaken Dungeons) also don't quite get me. With its hyperactive theme, Throne of the Lost Kings seems like a modernized version of an NES or SNES game, and Shadowthorn Thicket shows what a fantasy version of The Settlers might look like. While these representatives are still okay, Heartland Mines on the other hand, is a real lowlight that sounds like it was ripped off from the Heroes of Might and Magic-reserve and mixed with the bad part of the Torchlight-score with its echoing drums.

Now that this last hurdle has been overcome, I can finally, finally talk about the highlights. In keeping with the nature of a well-curated soundtrack, they basically tell the story of the game and take us on a beautiful musical journey. To do justice to all seven tracks, I'll do it as I did three years ago in my review of Rome: Total War - as a list:

• Academy Hallways: With its harpsichord, this track sets a royal undertone right at the beginning - makes sense, we are in a renowned magician's academy after all. But instead of retaining this sublime tenor, a plucked melody is heard that almost mischievously stomps around as if it wants to intonate children's stories around Christmas time. A little reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker (although far from its class), the track dances around before suddenly becoming aware of its academic duties again: Once again we hear the harpsichord, this time with a cello, dignified and powerful. This game of cat and mouse continues throughout the track and is simply fun to listen to.
• Dragon Graveyard: It's so simple that I can play it on the piano. A few scales in the left hand as accompaniment and a straightforward melody in the right. What is already fun on a single instrument unfolds its full potential in orchestral interplay with the strings and flutes. It is soulful, it is restrained, it is beautiful. It is Disney music and at the same time so much more.
• Crystal Caverns: Even simpler than Dragon Graveyard is probably only Crystal Caverns. This reduces the main theme to a single piano, which, supported by echoing synths, creates the feeling of the eponymous crystal grotto: clear and calm, like an underground pond whose surface is rippled only by the individual drops falling from the reflecting gemstone formations. A view between equanimity, optimism and regret, calming and decelerating. Something to simply take a deep breath.
• Ruins of the Perished: Having disappeared from the depths of the grotto, we walk light-footedly, almost skipping, through a fairytale forest. A flute shows us the way, string and plucked instruments are at our side. Super cheesy, but well-made cheese.
• Iron Forge: powerful hammer blows accompanied by flute music make it clear that we are not in a The Lord of the Rings-game. The mood is positive, the adventure ahead of us perhaps arduous, but not too much so.
• Tower of Sarek: The moment has come: final boss time. The most difficult part of the game - the escape sequence - has been burned into my memory after several attempts. Fortunately, I've already forgotten most of my displeasure with the level and can instead enjoy this adrenaline kicker, which generates a good pace despite its fantasy design. The adventure has reached its climax, now it's time to go!
• Trine: Why the main theme comes almost last chronologically, I don't know. What I can say with certainty, however, is that this theme simply fits perfectly with the rest of the score and precisely captures the mood of the series. At first, we enter to the sound of percussion before a flute melody is heard. It slowly spirals upwards, promising adventure and beauty. It ebbs away again, then begins anew, this time extended by the strings, enlarged, amplified. It never reaches the quality of The Elder Scrolls or comparable titles, but promises just as much as it can deliver: A small, contemplative story in a fantastic world, with magic, the undead and just a little bit of seriousness.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Astral Academy	Ari Pulkkinen	3
02	Academy Hallways	Ari Pulkkinen	5
03	Wolvercote Catacombs	Ari Pulkkinen	4
04	Dragon Graveyard	Ari Pulkkinen	5
05	Crystal Caverns	Ari Pulkkinen	5
06	Crypt of the Damned	Ari Pulkkinen	4
07	Forsaken Dungeons	Ari Pulkkinen	4
08	Throne of the Lost Kings	Ari Pulkkinen	4
09	Fangle Forest	Ari Pulkkinen	4
10	Shadowthorn Thicket	Ari Pulkkinen	4
11	Ruins of the Perished	Ari Pulkkinen	5
12	Waltz of the Perished	Ari Pulkkinen	3
13	Heartland Mines	Ari Pulkkinen	2
14	Bramblestoke Village	Ari Pulkkinen	3
15	Iron Forge	Ari Pulkkinen	5
16	Tower of Sarek	Ari Pulkkinen	5
17	Trine	Ari Pulkkinen	5
18	Trailer Theme	Ari Pulkkinen	4
19	Trine [Trailer Version 2008]	Ari Pulkkinen	4
20	Trine [Original Version 2008]	Ari Pulkkinen	4