Overview

Thanks to SuperSweep's Game Music Discovery series, numerous Atlus favourites have finally been rewarded with a soundtrack release. One of these is Trauma Center: Under the Knife, a popular surgical simulation game for the DS. A three person team, led by Megaten favourite Shoji Meguro, created a number of effective compositions for the title. The soundtrack release presents most compositions in two sound versions: the DS sound version, as heard from the console, and their original sound version, i.e. the original masters of the tracks before they were downgraded for the console. The original sound versions sound similar to those featured on the Wii remake Trauma Center: Second Opinion.

Body

Shoji Meguro sets the mood for the game with "System: Opening". He initially captures the excitement of the operating room with pulsating electronic beats. The track subsequently shifts into a meditative jazz theme closer in style to the Persona series' scores. The track sounds especially good in the original sound version, with each element being strongly pronounced. In contrast, the DS version sometimes sounds muzzled and loses the stylish quality of the original. The melody also provides a solid thematic basis for the rest of the score, notably being arranged by Kenichi Tsuchiya in the first map theme. The melody and riffs are simple here, but utterly irresistible. Only "Large Map 2: Last Half" rivals this one in terms of grooviness.

"Normal Operation" sets a tense mood on the operating table. Meguro offers nothing more than a few piano and string crisis motifs here, but the way he repeats them certainly captures the mood. These motifs also form the basis of the darker orchestration "Dangerous Operation". Neither track were designed for stand-alone listening, but certainly do their job in the game. The more emotional operation themes are reserved for Kenichi Tsuchiya's "GUILT Operation" and "Last GUILT". Whereas the former captures Atlus' moody style at its most lyrical, the latter is an ambitious choral track inspired by Handel. But like the composer's other themes, these tracks sadly are only available in their DS sound versions, given the composer created his tracks directly for the console. The synth vocals sound especially feeble on the latter.

The release is rounded off by a number of event themes by Kenichi Kikkawa. "Event: Truth" and "Event: Sadness" are both simple but elegant piano solos that are bound to capture hearts in their full sound versions. Among the most technically impressive additions to the score, "Event: Medical Terrorism" and "Event: Joy" are much more cinematic in the nature — the former reminiscent of action movies, the latter more subtle and intimate. Finally, "Event: Caduceus" captures the heroic nature of the lead character with a wonderful orchestral anthem. There are also three fanfares that are too brief to make an impact. Meguro closes the release with a short but sweet reprise of the main theme in his characteristic R'n'B style.

Summary

Overall, Trauma Center: Under the Knife features an enjoyable and effective score. It blends the moody and groovy goodness one has come to expect from Atlus with a few themes more suited for capturing the mood of an operating room. That said, this is no musical masterpiece — some tracks are quite simple, stereotypical, and limited by their technology, especially Tsuchiya's tunes. The soundtrack is also rather short, with the DS version lasting just 27 minutes. While an enjoyable listen, only hardcore fans will find it worth their money.