Overview

Mamoru Has Been Cursed! Soundtrack is the first solo score of SuperSweep's Yousuke Yasui. In the past, he's contributed to many SuperSweep albums, such as the Nanosweep series and various arrange albums, and is able to showcase a variety of styles ranging from hardcore industrial techno to disco-inspired synth soundscapes. When it comes to his first solo score, what types of styles does he utilize and does it turn out to be a successful soundtrack?

Body

Shmup soundtracks, in terms of style, are very different from one another. For example, Shinji Hosoe's Ibara featured a lot of synth rock, whereas Manabu Namiki's Death Smiles featured more gothic rock. Broadening that a bit, games like Pink Sweets Ibara and Muchi Muchi Pork! feature more bouncy and fun melodies and styles. When it comes to Mamoru Has Been Cursed!, Yousuke Yasui opts for a more bouncy style overall. Themes like "One Step At a Time," "Bless You! Boy," and "Bless You! Girl," feature extremely bouncy melodies. The first theme has a bit of a futuristic backing with some semi-jazzy electronica to it. It's a bit repetitive, but I believe this is the character select screen, so this is to be expected. The other two themes are variations of one another. The former is much happier in terms of sound and atmosphere, whereas the latter manages to throw in some edge with the inclusion of some rock influences.

The grittier themes are definitely in the form of battle themes. The two boss battle themes, "The Curse" and "The Curse Again" are variations on each other as well. While both are mainly synth based and feature a bit of an Asian soundscape, "The Curse" also includes some more rock influences whereas "The Curse Again" is definitely more energetic and relies more on a synth soundscape. They are both quite fitting for their purpose. The final boss theme, "Perfect Terror," is definitely composed in more of an industrial techno style. It's pretty chaotic at times, with a variety of synth effects added in, giving it a bit of a spacey sound that blends pretty well with the industrial nature of the theme.

In addition to the grittier and more bouncy themes, there are also some synth themes that manage to exude an Asian soundscape. "Yo-kai Disco" features an interesting fusion of disco soundscapes and some Asian sounding synth leads. It's also quite bouncy and features a pretty kickass melody. Another Asian inspired theme is "Great Tribulation". This theme has a slower pace than most of the themes on the soundtrack, but the Asian sound in the melody, which is one of my favorites, is pretty apparent. It offers an interesting pace compared to some of the other stage themes, but it manages to engage at the same time.

Lastly, there are a couple other themes that I enjoy. "Will Force" is probably my favorite theme on the soundtrack. It's an upbeat piece that focuses on the use of synthesizers to create a very infectious melody. It also has a great beat and the rock influences, although subtle, help make this one a winner. "Lost Wind" is another slower paced theme that features of a jazz influence. In addition, it also reminds me a bit, at times, of the main theme heard in DoDonPachi Dai-Fukkatsu. It utilizes some interesting synth sounds as well, creating an engaging listen throughout.

Summary:

For Yasui's first solo score, I think he did a pretty good job. Some of the themes seem to be more filler than substance, but most of the soundtrack does a great job at creating an uplifting, upbeat, and ethnically influenced soundtrack. The battle themes do a good job at conveying the urgency and chaos to be expected from a shmup, but a bit more variety between the two main boss themes would have been nice. In the end, this is a pretty decent soundtrack and if you are a fan of Yousuke Yasui's work, you'll probably enjoy this as well.