Year: 2001
Type: Gamerip
Composer(s): Haiko Ruttmann
Number of tracks: 20

★★★★★

Feel-good music

This is the music review of
The Trojans and the Elixir of Power (2001).

Alright, here we go. A review I've been looking forward to for a very long time. A review of a game that I probably haven't even played that much in relation to other games, but whose music will stay with me forever and is guaranteed to brighten my mood: The Settlers IV. Within the Settlers-community there are, as far as I know, two camps with the question of which is the best Settlers-game. Either The Settlers II, because it successfully expanded the game principle from the original game with flag setting to house building. Or The Settlers III / IV, which took a different approach and successfully ported the bustling factor into a new and open quasi-3D game framework.

Which of the latter is better is another point of contention, as both games only have the Romans in common when it comes to the choice of nations. In Part 3, the Egyptians and Asians fight each other in addition to the Pre-Italians, while in Part 4 it's the Mayans and Vikings. As there are hardly any other differences in terms of gameplay, personal preference is probably the deciding factor here, and for me this is The Settlers IV.

The Settlers (1993)

The Settlers II (1996)

The Settlers III (1998)

The Settlers III: Quest of the Amazons (1999)

The Settlers IV (2001)

The Settlers IV: The Trojans and the Elixir of Power (2002)

A new threat is added here in the form of the Dark Tribe - and no, this is not post-industrial racism, but a club-wielding, gray-skinned clan that wants to cover the green, blooming land of the Settlers-world with fungal spores and slime plants. This cleverly adds an additional facet to the familiar concept in the campaign, as we cannot build on the infested areas of land and first have to lay down turf again with our gardeners before we can storm the enemy fortress.

But that's not what this review is supposed to be about, after all, the new The Settlersis coming out in a good two weeks, and it's going to be really, really good. Really, really good! So good, in fact, that there will probably never be another Settlers-installment. *sigh* So let's not dwell on such thoughts, but move on to much nicer things. Let's get to the soundtrack.

In keeping with tradition, the score is by Haiko Ruttmann, who orchestrated the previous instalments and masterfully combines his accumulated knowledge from eight years of making music for Settlers, in this score. Why? Because it's simply beautiful. I admit that this score is probably in a similar vein to that of Anno 1602 . Even if I don't give every track a 5-star rating here, I would find it difficult to give it less than 4 ... which I therefore consequently refuse to do.

Finally we see the musical development of the series, from simple chiptunes and disjointed melodies to thematically organized compositions and fully developed motifs. We have already witnessed in The Settlers III that the nations are given their own tonal facets in terms of tropes. In the fourth part, the suspense factor is added. Ruttmann now expands the learned tempo changes with wave-like arcs of suspense and gives the tracks additional transitions, making interesting compositions possible.

We experience this with the songs for the Dark Tribe. The very first track, Dunkles Volk 1 , (Dark Tribe 1), sounds like the first Mass Effect, with its gloomy minor-key brass, before it turns in the direction of The Settlers II / Siedler III and ends on a positive note after a short intermezzo. In the predecessor, Ruttmann remained on the negative note in tracks such as Die Römer 2 , (Romans 2), which meant that the positive and endearing charm of the cuddly settlers was not fully transferred to the musicality. The situation is similar with Dunkles Volk 2, (Dark Tribe 2), which is also reminiscent of the old Settlers-tradition with its gloomy triad motif, but is given a positive spin towards the end.

The rest of the score contains six tracks for each of the three playable peoples (Maya, Romans, Vikings), divided into the somewhat more serious Fight-tracks, the good mood-Sea-tracks and the folksy Settlement-tracks. Here, Ruttmann applies the musical tropes of the respective cultures that he learned in Part 3, which is why the Mayans mainly use (South) American instruments such as marimbas, guitars and antaras (a kind of panpipe), while the Vikings play wind instruments and strings or rebecs (a small medieval violin - don't let anyone say I'm not fulfilling my educational mission).

And to avoid going through each track individually at this point, I would like to say in general that I enjoy every single one of them and consider them well worth listening to. Be it Maya (See) 1, (Mayans (Sea) 1), which opens with its simple melody, is complemented by feel-good guitars and pleasantly accompanied by a regular beat and marimbas. Or the badass track Wikinger (Kampf) 1, (Vikings (Battle) 1), which sounds nicely action-packed, but unlike the comparable Assassin’s Creed Valhalla does not resort to the depressingly low-sounding talharpa (a kind of cello lyre), but instead uses the high strings in the form of the aforementioned rebec, which displays the positive attitude of the Settlers-games in a skillful way.

At this point, however, I would particularly like to highlight Römer (Kampf) 2, (Romans (Fight) 2), which we hear right as we enter the game's main menu and which immediately gives me goosebumps due to its solemn style, which slowly builds up and later leads to a kind of heroic march. And secondly, the aforementioned general tenor that Ruttmann sets with his composition. It is a mature Settlers, that is aware of its strengths, that can create enchanting melodies, but at the same time does not take itself too seriously. Take Römer (Siedeln) 1, (Romans (Settlers) 1), for example, which comes across as a bit dorky and playful due to its dominant horns and is more reminiscent of old tycoon games like Transport Tycoon or Dr. Drago's Madcap Chase .

All that remains for me to say is that I can hardly recommend any other of these nostalgia-tinged old-school soundtracks as warmly as the one for The Settlers IV, because it is pleasantly versatile when it perfectly evokes the feeling of a summer landscape with its Viking tracks, brings a bit of exoticism with the Mayan songs and simply delivers classic Settlers with the Romans. Be sure to listen to it here, and also to the add-on The Trojans and the Elixir of Power!

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Dunkles Volk 1	Haiko Ruttmann	4
02	Dunkles Volk 2	Haiko Ruttmann	4
03	Maya (Kampf) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	4
04	Maya (Kampf) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	4
05	Maya (See) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
06	Maya (See) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
07	Maya (Siedeln) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
08	Maya (Siedeln) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
09	Römer (Kampf) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	4
10	Römer (Kampf) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
11	Römer (See) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
12	Römer (See) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
13	Römer (Siedeln) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	4
14	Römer (Siedeln) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
15	Wikinger (Kampf) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
16	Wikinger (Kampf) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
17	Wikinger (See) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	4
18	Wikinger (See) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	4
19	Wikinger (Siedeln) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
20	Wikinger (Siedeln) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5

Year: 2001
Type: Gamerip
Composer(s): Haiko Ruttmann
Number of tracks: 6

★★★★★

The Trojans and the Elixir of Power

Hardly any other title in the history of add-on titles describes its content as aptly as The Trojans and the Elixir of Power. Noch expliziter wäre vermutlich nur der Titel „The Trojans and the Elixir of Power, das sie am Ende finden, um den Gegenspieler aus dem Hauptspiel zu besiegen“ gewesen. Und damit ist auch schon inhaltlich alles gesagt, deshalb hier in gebotener Schnelle der Soundtrack-Part.

Der Score behandelt die Trojaner standesgemäß wie eine weitere Fraktion aus dem Hauptspiel und spendiert ihnen ebenfalls sechs Tracks, zwei davon zum Thema Fight, zwei mit Sea betitelt und übers Settlement. Im Spiel zeichnet sich die Fraktion durch ihren Erfinderreichtum aus und basiert nur sehr lose auf dem historisch-fiktiven Volksstamm aus der Mittelmeer-Region. Das schlägt sich nicht nur durch Krieger mit Rucksackkatapulten nieder, sondern drückt sich auch durch eine gewisse Experimentierfreude bei der Instrumentalisierung aus.

Dabei kommen die Fight-Tracks noch am konventionellsten daher und ähneln den Motiven der Römer aus dem Hauptspiel, wenn auch mit etwas östlicherem Einschlag. Besagte Instrumentenwahl zeigt sich dagegen zum Beispiel durch den Einsatz von Bouzoukis bzw. vergleichbaren Zupfinstrumenten in Trojaner (See) 1, oder der Kombination aus Streichern und Ziehharmonika in Tronajer (See) 2, wodurch endlich mal wirkliche Seefahreratmosphäre aufkommt und der Track seinem Namen gerecht wird.

In general, the tracks have a kind of swaying character when they're not marching, which means you always find yourself involuntarily tapping along. For me, this is a successful extension of the music in the main game and a worthy conclusion to Haiko Ruttmann's work on the Settlers-series. Which is not to say that no more worthwhile scores were ever composed for Settlers-games afterwards. But, like this review, this distinctive, playful charm (unfortunately) comes to an end with the Trojans.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
1	Trojaner (Kampf) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
2	Trojaner (Kampf) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
3	Trojaner (See) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
4	Trojaner (See) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	5
5	Trojaner (Siedeln) 1	Haiko Ruttmann	5
6	Trojaner (Siedeln) 2	Haiko Ruttmann	4