Abe A Go Go (Abe's Odyssey)

When I first listend to Abe A Go Go (Abe's Odyssey) I started to wonder if it was worth it. Only tracks 1-12 were listed and most of these are under a minute long. Thankfully I noticed how long the CD really was and that the music I was looking forward to was indeed on it.

The CD is presented in a dark, surreal, ambient manner punctuated with sci-fi sounds, tribal drums and deep bass riffs. The first twelve tracks accompany the cinematic scenes and sound like a score. Since they are so brief and erratic I didn't find them much worth listening to.

The other tracks are basically the normal background music for the game, with a couple of tracks given to sound effects. Some tracks are more mechanical, with clunky melodies, while others have variations on tribal drums and an instrument that is best described as a synth-pipe.

Three tracks stick out more prominently than others. Track 33 is a quiet, pleasant selection with a slow tempo that I think is the village theme. Track 34 is more even and mystical. Synth-chords waver up and down the scale while tribal drums play as if they are making a dripping sound. Track 37 is my favorite and the most ambient. It features a bass that pulses like a heartbeat that speeds up and slows down. It's accompanied by a synth-pipe that drones on from one note to another. It's also the music that plays at the title screen when you first load the game. I wish they had kept in the insect sounds from the game on this track.

Overall, Abe A Go Go is a work of dark ambience completely different from that of Resident Evil or Silent Hill, with themes that range from mystical to mechanical. It plays great in the background for those who enjoy inventive music to stimulate their imagination, and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes music in their roleplaying campaigns.