Side stab

It is rare for a game to suddenly experience huge hype years after its release, but it does happen from time to time. An example of this would be Psychonauts. For a long time, it was considered a critics' darling, but managed to build up a loyal fan base over time, which ultimately culminated in a sequel ... which then fared much like its predecessor at the box office.

Other games such as Witcher 3 or No Man Sky were already successful at release, but while the role-playing game only continued to go through the roof, the space exploration had to first deliver the features that were missing at the hyped launch in order to appease the disappointed fans. Among Us is a different story. As a small indie game, nobody had the 2018 title on their radar - until Corona came along.

The online multiplayer deduction game, as the genre is called, quickly became a mass phenomenon and at some point, everyone had either kicked a buddy out of the airlock or had themselves gone on an assassination spree through the corridors of the spaceship, only to then defend their own innocence in an emergency meeting. The whole thing even went so far that expressions such as SUS (short for suspicious) became part of everyday language. I say: cringe!

The game was simple and easy to understand, the difficulty lay more in exposing the liar. You didn't have to be a seasoned gamer, all you needed was a little knowledge of human nature or, on the other hand, a certain degree of sociopathy. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, I quickly lost interest, as I believe I have neither. What I do have, however, are two healthy ears that were able to enjoy the game's music.

The score

Like the actual game, the score is also quite minimalistic. So minimalistic, in fact, that the 16 tracks of the gamerip - there was no OST, of course - can be listened to in just under twelve minutes. The four tracks Among UsMarcus Bromander2, Hide n Seek Horse WranglingMarcus Bromander4, Hide n Seek Impostor [Long Version]Marcus Bromander3 and Hide n Seek Impostor [Short Version]Marcus Bromander3 get the mammoth share of the track length here, while the remaining tracks range between four and twelve seconds. This doesn't bother me, because I like the modular structure that increases the intensity of the loopable Hide n Seek-tracks from Hide n Seek CrewmateMarcus Bromander2 to Hide n Seek Danger Level 2Marcus Bromander3 .

What's more, it is among these micro-music tracks that we ultimately find the melodies that have made it into generational pop culture. The shrill, dramatic Impostor KillMarcus Bromander4, when we experience or let others experience the digital demise; the conspiratorial RoundstartMarcus Bromander4, whose horn sound almost automatically narrows the eyes into suspicious slits; the heavenly Victory CrewMarcus Bromander3, when the crew triumphs. And, of course, the almost innocent-sounding Report Body FoundMarcus Bromander4, whose plucked notes heralded the next verbal mud fight.

Marcus Bromander, who as developer also contributed the music for Among Us , may not deliver a masterpiece, but he does deliver rock-solid and absolutely fitting sounds that will probably accompany us in one form or another for a long time to come. At this point, I recommend the trap remix of the iconic Report Body FoundMarcus Bromander4, which is quite catchy. Do you need to have heard the score? Absolutely not. But you've probably already done it involuntarily anyway.