Slowly but surely Blizzard is moving towards the end of the work on Starcraft II. At the very end of February the beta test began and the whole world rushed to study the long-awaited game albeit its raw and cropped mode. Apparently, time has no power over Starcraft, because the second part is actually the same game as 12 years ago but for 3D, a bunch of new and redesigned old units and adjusted interface. In fact a significant difference can only be found by those people, for whom phrases like «+1 attack bonus» and «-5 to duration time» play a particular role. Everyone can conclude for himself in what the authors have been engaged for all this time if the outcome is a guest form the past with such outdated graphics. In the meantime we’ll turn our eyes or rather ears toward the musical accompaniment.


Let’s recall that the Protoss are the smartest and the most powerful species in the galaxy. They are technologically advanced and at the same time they are strictly subordinated to the clan and caste hierarchy and also hardly perceive any innovations. Spirituality and strength, pride and dedication, inner beauty and devotion to traditions - all these qualities provide the exact description of this race and should have been reflected in the accompanying musical canvas.

In the continuation of the cult StarCraft, each side of the war acquired its own 5-6 compositions, but the Protoss, as if they were guilty students and deserved a punishment, were given only one (!). The only track is collected from three smaller ones like Frankenstein. In one piece of the composition you hear something like a flute with a sad leitmotif. Another piece meets the player with a dark, oppressive ambient with female choir accompaniment. And the third is so vague, that it is perceived simply as a sketch of something more serious. So the whole track is built from such a small set. Music is somehow similar to the Russian dilogy “Etherlords”, but due to the strong lack of material it’s more backing and scrappy. It does not reveal the essence of the race, but only hints at its greatness. This is understandable – the complexity of the Protoss is hard to be squeezed into one music theme.


The Terrans (or simply people) surprised us with their tracklist a lot. It's a nice rock with country motives. In other words a clangorous acoustic guitar and a violin shine out most, and in the following tracks long guitar solo parts appear. Each theme is unique and it’s unlikely that you’ll confuse one of it with the other four tracks. Melodiousness is the main word defining the music style of the people. Beautiful and bright tracks helps us to envision vast prairie under a night sky and push the players to the expectation of something surprising on the screen due to a bit epic and at the same time playful mood. Fans of the adventure series "Firefly" will especially appreciate the work, cause as for the spirit the soundtrack is close to the series. Perhaps, people with their bright and natural sound in such a way are opposed to their dispassionate and cold-blooded enemies.

Everything is nice but for one exception – the Terrans themselves are far from the romantic image of pioneer adventurers and space cowboys. Being colonists against their will, in fact they are between the upper and nether millstone (they’ve been unvoluntary involved in a war between the Protoss and the Zerg) and moreover they’re chased by the Terran fleet as a punishment for past sins. Written, no doubt, with love and talent, compositions, unfortunately, are not in harmony with what is happening on the screen. When everything is calm and you’re controlling the base, this music still can be swallowed. But during a fierce battle this mixture of screams, shots, noises, explosions and soft fascinating rock is at least perplexing. However it’s a real pleasure to listen to the Terran tracks apart from the game.


The last conflict party received six compositions permeated with cold and danger. Pure electronics not stained with vocal parts or live instruments makes an ideal match with an image of insects, methodically eating up everything in their path. Unlike their main enemies – the Protoss – these swarming, slimy bug-like creatures are one big organism in essence – a super-mind. The sense of their existence is a constant genetic improvement via mutation. The Zerg have no feelings or emotions – they are 100% predators.

And their music accompaniment proves it perfectly. Each theme exudes aggression and calls for action. In the Zerg music either muffled bass beats and dirty deep electro-guitar solo or cold, glass and completely soulless keyboards are dominating. The sound of every composition is uneven and sometimes ragged. One track can change its pace a couple of times. And illustrating that the Zerg are constantly experimenting with their shells, making them from different bio-material, all music tracks are made in the same manner - as if they were artificially collected from various buzzing, pounding and whistling sounds and separate samples, connected together by one leading instrument. These six tracks are fascinating and at the same moment they’re scaring. Music from the game Cold Fear and a soundtrack written by Marilyn Manson for the movie Resident Evil arouse the same feelings. However, in the latter two works the main key words in plot are "mutation" and "infected", so this coincidence cannot be accidental.


As if ignoring the latest tendencies, the authors haven’t included any action tracks and haven’t taught their child to change the tracks according to what’s happening on the screen. Now it’s difficult to give an objective score to the soundtrack, this work is more likely to be considered as a draft. The Protoss may receive some more themes, the Terrans and the Zerg may get more compositions and probably action tracks will be inserted. But it’s simply our guess. After the release of the full soundtrack it’ll be interesting to compare the final version with this beta.

I particularly want to thank TransRail for an informative excursion to the world of Starcraft..




Cheshire