Year: 2024
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Gordy Haab
Number of tracks: 20

★★★★★

Hunters of the lost class

After the free-to-play arena shooter Star Wars: Hunters had already completed its soft launch on Android in India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia in 2021, it took another three years and various postponements before the game was also released for Switch and iOS this June. The reviews so far have been relatively mixed, so the extra time does not necessarily seem to have helped the mobile Overwatch imitation.

It's a pity really, because both the gameplay and the content look quite fun. It's clear that Hunters is primarily aimed at the younger target group, but there are also enough 'older' gamers who have fun with the comic look of Fortnite - or Blizzard's Heroshooter. As a Star Wars-purist, I can even overlook characters from the cliché box when, for example, the Jedi droid is really called 'J-3DI'. On the other hand, there's an Ugnaught piloting a droidika or two Javas in a trenchcoat imitating a normal person's height - that's quite cool.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords (2004)

Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005)

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)

Star Wars: Hunters (2024)

The music, which was created by composer Gordy Haab - who can almost be described as a Star Wars-veteran - is also quite nice. In the style of the fast battles, the 20 tracks are also quite entertaining and the OST can be listened to in 23 minutes. This is largely due to the fact that the themes of the 13 playable characters remain under the minute mark on average. But even the accompanying pieces, especially the "Hunters of the Outer Rim" theme, never exceed three minutes. In places, this sounds a little like the series The Mandalorian, which is no bad thing. In tracks like "Empire's Finest", however, Haab demonstrates his love of experimentation and incorporates quotes from John Williams' "Imperial March", which come across as dramatic and headbanging thanks to the use of electric guitar.

In general, the album successfully evokes the familiar musical feeling from the Star Wars universe, although it has been pressed through the pop filter for mass appeal. Haab did not work alone, but had support from the fan cosmos in the form of the band Galactic Empire, who gives many of the songs a rocky touch, as well as the artist Disasterpeace, whose real name is Richard Vreeland and who worked on games such as Hyperlight Drifter or Puzzle Agent . He composed the themes for the aforementioned characters Utooni (Jawas) and Slingshot (Droidika).

In a video on his YouTube channel the composer explains that for his work on Hunters ‚Star Wars , he was told to 'look through the lens of wrestling entrance themes'. To him, one of the most important points is a 'signature sound' that draws us in right at the beginning. He writes about the track "A Stack of Jawas" (called "Jawa Brothers" in the OST):

I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to make this dusty, jazzy and a little unhinged. When they asked me which characters I’d like to write themes for, Two Jawas stacked on top of each other seemed like an obvious first choice. I took inspiration from The Mandalorian for these tracks too. Adding things like the recorder to the traditional Star Wars palette inspired me to try adding more elements along those lines.

Composer Disasterpeace on "A Stack of Jawas" / "Jawa Brothers"

Meanwhile, this is how he describes "Droidika Joyride" (in the OST "We're on a Roll"):

Another unhinged, big-band influenced piece, meant to evoke Wipeout and that Glenn Miller Orchestra song from the 90’s oreo commercials, while still staying true to the subject material. It’s over the top music fo an over the top character with a penchant for going really fast.

Composer Disasterpeace on "Droidika Joyride" / "We're on a Roll"

This over-the-top approach works, but overall the soundtrack to Hunters is more reminiscent of the LEGOspin-offs from the Star Warsseries. There are no touching melodies or orchestral masterpieces here, nor is there any ambition to deliver them. All in all, the album remains one of a mobile game that is primarily aimed at the mass market and the younger target group. Haab fulfills this requirement perfectly with his album. Anyone approaching this score with higher expectations, especially of the Star Warsfranchise, will be disappointed ... just as the players seemingly are.

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Hunters of the Outer Rim	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
02	Preparing for Battle	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	3
03	Going Live...	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	3
04	A Jedi Droid?!	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire; Finishing Move Inc. [Brian Trifon & Brian Lee White]	3
05	Rodian Chemistry	Gordy Haab; Finishing Move Inc. [Brian Trifon & Brian Lee White]	3
06	Unrelenting Bounty Hunter	Gordy Haab; Finishing Move Inc. [Brian Trifon & Brian Lee White]	4
07	This Is Wizard!	Gordy Haab; Finishing Move Inc. [Brian Trifon & Brian Lee White]	3
08	Hunting Ground	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
09	More Than Just a Game	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
10	Wookie War Cry	Gordy Haab	4
11	Glory of Clan Tal	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	3
12	Dark Side Assassin	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
13	Empire's Finest	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
14	Fighting Spirit	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
15	We're on a Roll	Gordy Haab; Disasterpeace [Richard Vreeland]	3
16	Jawa Brothers	Gordy Haab; Disasterpeace [Richard Vreeland]	3
17	Imperial Revenge	Gordy Haab; Finishing Move Inc. [Brian Trifon & Brian Lee White]	3
18	Live from ORSN	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
19	Welcome Arena Fans	Gordy Haab; Galactic Empire	4
20	Vespaara Nights	Gordy Haab; Finishing Move Inc. [Brian Trifon & Brian Lee White]	4