Soundtrack Review: Afrika (2008)
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This is a review of the video game soundtrack Afrika by Wataru Hokoyama.
“In approximately 33 minutes, Wataru Hokoyama has managed to re-invent or re-invigorate the video game music industry. Afrika is bar none, the best video game score I have ever heard. ”
2008 was a great year for game scores. There was Vikings, Lich King, Gears of War 2, Metal Gear Solid, Age of Conan and others. Despite of these extremely strong titles, there is one video game soundtrack that has been winning awards and that’s Afrika. Wataru Hokoyama is a relatively young Japanese composer at the age of 34 who has been composing for mostly unknown TV/Film projects. Recently a winner of the prestigious Hollywood Music Awards, I was highly anticipating this score and was curious to why it keeps winning awards.
Track List
- Savanna (*****)
- Base Camp (***)
- Safari (*****)
- Mission (*****)
- Jambo Jambo (*****)
- Heaven (*****)
- Masai (**)
- Hunting (*****)
- Okapi (****)
- Night Safari (****)
- Hatari (**)
- Big Five (*****)
- Sunset (*****)
- Afrika (*****)
The Japanese John Williams?
I started playing this expecting some decent African rhythms, but instead I discovered something amazing. First of all, it’s a full orchestra score, old style. We’re talking John Williams Star Wars here in games form. It sounds unbelievable but it really sounds miles better than all video games scores I have ever heard.
We start with the grand and pompous ‘Savanna‘ which is a beautiful orchestra piece that sounds like it was made for a $1 billion production Hollywood masterpiece. The lush soundscape that just dances inside your ears is inexplicably gorgeous and grandiose. I kid you not, but when I started listening to this I was expecting good, not spectacular. This is what it must be like to watch the Grand Canyon for the first time, simply mesmerizing. The adventurous Indiana Jones-like ‘Safari‘ is just another piece of a gigantic puzzle, but there’s no mystery about this, it’s just amazing.
Musical Bliss
I can go on and on about the enthralling cues and themes present in Afrika and I intend to. ‘Mission‘ continues the adventure with a fast paced action song and it sounds like a 100-man orchestra at least playing these sounds. ‘Jambo-Jambo’ is next in the spectacular queue with a heroic start and highly brassy sounds throughout. I also love the fact that in-between these beautiful instruments, there is an excellent theme playing. It has a jungle inspired percussion beat as well. Remember those classic movies with classic scores? Wataru Hokoyama has successfully brought it back in to the new age of video game music scoring. Evidence are plenty, perhaps none more than the immaculate ‘Heaven‘ that has such a sentimental and lush instrumental theme. In the middle we find ‘Hunting‘ a terribly exciting piece of music that has you paying full attention to the action going on. It is full on classic orchestral action here with brass, percussion and flutes flying over each other in ominous harmony.
Wait there’s more! The ending is great like the beginning, maybe even better. ‘Big Five’ is a heroic theme that sounds like the great big westerns in the beginning and then just grows into this magnificent theme that could easily be in any epic movie. ‘Sunset’ is another sentimental big-time Charlie type of theme that shows how boss Wataru Hokoyama is. The slow parts overshadow the grand parts, but this is the beauty of Afrika, It’s an unexpected joy ride. After this thrilling ride of happiness, sadness and everything in between we are left with the title song ‘Afrika‘ which you know can’t possibly top the music you have heard until now. Impossible doesn’t exist anymore, and this proves it. After ‘Sunset’ which rivals the best that John Barry ever came up with there is even room for an ending which leaves me stunned. The music is simply perfect with its fast beats and horns, and then you just know the strings will come in and sweep you off into bliss.
Conclusion
In approximately 33 minutes, Wataru Hokoyama has managed to re-invent or re-invigorate the video game music industry. Afrika is bar none, the best video game score I have ever heard. He has set the bar like John Williams did for the film music industry with Star Wars in 1977 and it might just prove too hard to break. The sounds, the orchestration, the row of beautiful cues one after the other, there is nothing more I can say except: Get this! When I mean get this, I mean seriously… grab this soundtrack.
Listen to Afrika by Wataru Hokoyama below:
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Soundtrack Seek
Oh, what a joy this score is. The soaring theme in Savanna is as stirring and flowing as anything from last year, while the adventure theme is just as joyous as those from its inspiration John Williams. The orchestrations, from the fluttering winds to the brass work, are trademark Williams, and while they may be ridiculously familiar, Hokoyama still has fun with them. Sunset also has hues of James Horner scattered throughout. An exciting, moving work that could’ve used a bit more depth to climb to the highest pantheon of video game scores (Lair, Medal of Honor #1 and #3), but bravo for proving the genre doesn’t only have to be defined by action.
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Jorn Tillnes Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Lair and Medal of Honor are indeed great scores, but I can’t let them pass Afrika in excellence. The sounds and orchestration here, the sheer fun and enjoyment Afrika has to offer I have not heard yet in Lair or Medal of Honor despite that fact that they are both 10s in my book. The sounds… They come alive, I think I might have a case of soundtrack malaria…
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