Old shine

On this website, I cover the entire spectrum of video games: from small debut titles to AAAA sequels, from long-established professionals to absolute beginners. The range is huge, and yet there are some things that remain the same. For example, a sequel is often better than its predecessor. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and there are certainly cases where the magic of the initial spark could not be recaptured or where later releases are of mixed quality.

Fortunately, the first-person shooter/tower defense hybrid Sanctum 2 is one of the exceptions and, as a sequel, has received significantly better ratings from the trade press and gamers on average. Looking at the screenshots and trailers, it's not clear to me why it should be superior to its two-year-old predecessor. Yes, it looks slightly better, but does that make it a better game? People say, “Yep.”

Games from the Sanctum-series

Sanctum (2011)

Sanctum 2 (2013)

Well, enough of that. Let's move on (unsurprisingly) to the soundtrack. With 30 tracks, the OST is significantly more extensive than the first Sanctum . Over the course of 1.5 hours of playing time, we are basically served the same thing that Gustaf Tivander, alias Gstfs, gave us in the predecessor. In Sanctum 2 , however, Swedish electro composer Leonard Hummer was at work. This also represents his only foray into the gaming world. Today, he is primarily active on Soundcloud with electro/ambient compositions, so music seems to be more of a hobby for him.

That's a shame, because even though the album largely continues the electro/low-fi trend of the first game, it is precisely this continuation that is the album's strength. Skye’s Theme , for example, sounds more upbeat and at the same time more touching in this version as a variation on the original theme, while the LOEK III-tracks seamlessly match the quality of the first installment. Some pieces, such as Time and Time Again or The Core Guardians , on the other hand, find their way into the ear canals due to their repetitive nature.

In general, Hummer isn't reinventing the wheel, but he's successfully spinning it further. For me, as a non-player of Sanctum 2 with a modest fascination for electro music, there's little in this album that blows me away compared to other video game scores. At the same time, however, the score doesn't make any fundamental mistakes. This is also reflected in the opinions on the product page on Steam, where the OST is rated “mostly positive”: “If you like the game's soundtrack, then buy this” (Altrixia). “Good” (Mirror System X). “Some of the best atmospheric tracks I've ever heard (PLEASE give a couple of the songs a listen, if you haven't already)” (iCameHereForTheMusic).

However, negative comments mainly concern the lack of music from the expansion or the inability to find the files. I would like to conclude this review with the golden middle ground that wrygrass aptly describes in his/her 2016 review. Therefore, I will leave the conclusion to them: “Rate this soundtrack 3.5/5. Pretty good...I guess.”