Year: 2019
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Ian Chen
Number of tracks: 19

★★★★★

Authentically Asian

If, three years after the start of the Fantastic Beasts-series, a game with a very similar title is released, malicious tongues could claim that an attempt is being made to exploit unsuspecting customers. But let's not be so judgmental, as the 4X game Fantastic Creatures falls more into the 'niche' category and seems like the dedicated project of a very small team primarily looking to entertain. So, who cares?

Nevertheless, I must confess that I was disappointed when I came across the album and initially thought I was getting high-quality Potter-music. Following my maxim that even the most insignificant game can have a good score, I gave it a chance... and was not disappointed! In fact, I have quite a bit of praise for the OST, as it manages to convince almost consistently!

The 19 tracks were composed by the Taiwanese Ian Chen, and they all bear the mark of Chinese musical culture. For someone who had previously only worked on an even more insignificant game - so insignificant that I couldn't even find out the name - the result is more than worth listening to. In fact, it was so noteworthy that it was nominated for the Game Audio Network Guild Award (G.A.N.G. Award) in 2019. Although Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwon at the time, Chen came out ahead at the 18th Independent Music Award.

For someone like me, who has neither studied music nor received training in classical Chinese orchestration, there are only empty phrases like 'beautiful,' 'relaxing,' and 'soothing' to describe the album. Like an acoustic Zen garden, many of the tracks have an almost meditative pull. Whether it's "Genesis," with its pan flutes evoking memories of the Avatar: The Last Airbender-series, or "Base of Fire," with its driving drums and flutes reminiscent of Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom , which both propel and are propelled by it. Here, I'll let the composer speak briefly for himself:

“Harmony or Destruction” reflects a key point in the game, where the player must choose to either use the newly acquired power from the Axe of Pangu to exterminate all the other Deities, or restore balance to the world using technological advancements and diplomatic approaches. The track starts with a foreboding horn line coupled with a Phrygian pentatonic guzheng solo that symbolizes fate and destiny. In the middle section, everything quiets down to pizzicato in the strings and a continuous woodblock rhythm. Soon, a wistful erhu melody comes in to indicate the possibility of hope for the future. The melody gets passed to solo cello and strings, and eventually the drums and horns rejoin the ensemble, pushing the player to make a final decision.

Composer Ian Chen im Interview on “Harmony or Destruction”

In another interview with Gaming Cypher, Ian Chen refers to Endless Legend as one of his sources of inspiration, along with stories from his youth. Additionally, he explains what makes the music for Fantastic Creatures special to him:

Chinese instruments are traditionally classified into eight groups: silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd, and skin. In Fantastic Creatures I was able to make use of instruments from six of the groups, including instruments such as the Chinese violin erhu (silk), flute dizi (bamboo), woodblocks banzi (wood), gong (metal), mouth organ sheng (gourd), and ceremonial drums tanggu (skin).

Ian Chen on classical Chinese instruments

For my part, I'm grateful that I stumbled upon both the score and the interviews linked above, which have helped me better understand the creative processes involved. As a European, it's easy for me to dismiss the traditional Asian music world as foreign and one-dimensional. However, Chen showcases its versatility in Fantastic Creatures , from unbridled joy ("Song of the People") to deepest tranquility ("Distant Memory"). While works by Western composers like Jeff van Dyck's Total War: Shogun 2 or Hans Zimmer's work for Kung Fu Panda are outstanding, there's something different about hearing a more authentic work from someone who also hails from that cultural background. Hats off!

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Genesis	Ian Chen	4
02	Source of Evil	Ian Chen	4
03	Black Tortoise of the North	Ian Chen	4
04	Pillar of Heaven	Ian Chen	3
05	Empress Nuwa	Ian Chen	3
06	Base of Fire	Ian Chen	5
07	Azure Dragon of the East	Ian Chen	3
08	Fantastic Creatures	Ian Chen	5
09	Primordial Chaos	Ian Chen	4
10	Song of the People	Ian Chen	4
11	Vermillion Bird of the South	Ian Chen	3
12	Dance of the Yellow River	Ian Chen	4
13	Distant Memory	Ian Chen	3
14	Hammer and Anvil	Ian Chen	5
15	Mend the Heavens	Ian Chen	4
16	White Tiger of the West	Ian Chen	3
17	Harmony or Destruction	Ian Chen	4
18	Queen Mother of the West	Ian Chen	4
19	Sukhavati	Ian Chen	4