I recently found myself with a great deal of free time and very little to fill it with, so I figured I’d take a crack at playing the entire Mass Effect trilogy back-to-back-to-back. I had played all three games when they released, and done multiple playthroughs, but never a complete playthrough from start to finish.
As I was working my way through the games, I began to pay more attention to the little things I missed working my way through playing them separately. Bits of conversation, foreshadowing, etc. that added to the experience in unexpected ways. After I was finished, I realized that, more than anything, what moved me the most was the music.
Along with being a big gamer nerd, I’m also a classically trained musician. I’ve played in concert bands, symphony orchestras, marching bands, jazz bands, and even a ska band once. My musical tastes are varied, to say the least, so I decided to sit down with the original scores from all three games and give them a critical listen, choose the best tracks, and provide some commentary.
This is the story of Commander Shepard and the brave crew of the Normandy in their war against the Reapers, told through the music that accompanied them.
For those of you interested in following along, here’s a link to a YouTube playlist with each song in order.
First, we start with the original, 2007’s Mass Effect. Arguably the weakest game of the series, thanks to some rather wonky gameplay design elements, it nonetheless establishes the universe in which the rest of the series plays out, and the score has more “grandiose” moments than the other two combined. The soundtrack, however, is very good, with a number of notable pieces.
“Mass Effect Theme”, Jack Wall and Sam Hulick – The overall “theme” for the series, it’s repeated in various ways and forms throughout the trilogy, and remains iconic in the imagery it conjures up; Commander Shepard aboard the shuttle, boarding the Normandy, walking down the deck, and the big introduction of the character that we’ll be playing for the rest of the series.
“The Citadel”, Richard Jacques, Jack Wall, and Sam Hulick – The first “grandiose” moment of the trilogy, where the Normandy flies in to the massive Citadel space station. You never get quite the perspective of just how big the Citadel is as you do when this song is playing through that first playthrough.
“Spectre Introduction”, Richard Jacques, Jack Wall, and Sam Hulick – The first real march-style piece of the trilogy, accompanying a major plot point that has repercussions over the rest of the series. This is another theme that gets repeated often in later pieces, and incorporates elements of the main theme. It’s a really dramatic moment in the series.
“Love Theme”, Jack Wall – Mass Effect‘s romance theme, it’s very different from the other pieces on the album. The use of a slight percussion creates the effect of heartbeats, which tells you something sexy is happening here. At the same time, it’s almost sad, which is a nice bit of thematic foreshadowing that will come into play much later.
“Uncharted Worlds”, Sam Hulick – A great example of the ambient music that gets played while doing other things. It’s interesting, but unobtrusive; a common theme for a lot of the atmospheric music in the series. “Uncharted Worlds” shows up an awful lot in the rest of the game, virtually unmodified.
“Vigil”, Jack Wall – This feels almost Eastern in origin. The airy, ancient feeling tones feel like great knowledge is being imparted, and at this point in the story, it is.
“Sovereign’s Theme”, Sam Hulick – Dark and brooding, the feeling of foreboding is utterly palpable here. This is the first time you really get a sense of what Shepard is up against, and it’s not pretty. It almost feels like something out of a Tim Burton movie.
“Victory”/“From The Wreckage”, Sam Hulick – An interesting blend of elements of “Mass Effect Theme” and “Spectre Introduction”, it stands on it’s own as the ending suite, being both victorious, sweet, sad, and hopeful, paving the way for the future of the franchise. They’re listed separately in the score, but follow immediately in-game.
In 2010’s Mass Effect 2, the soundscape changes dramatically. There are definitely more electronic sounds, versus the original’s more orchestral-focused arrangements. Moreover, the theme for the Collectors, the game’s primary antagonist, have a very B-Movie kind of feeling to them that gets repeated in multiple tracks. The Mass Effect 2 soundtrack is by far the most unique of the three, while bringing in some familiar musical themes from the first game. Unfortunately, it starts well, but doesn’t hit it’s stride until the final mission; the middle tracks are ambient and somewhat forgettable, but the beginning and end both shine.
“The Illusive Man”, Jack Wall – The first track introduces the Illusive Man and sets the stage for the events of Mass Effect 2. His theme remains constant throughout the series, and it all starts here. It’s a very different style than the originals; much more foreboding than hopeful, which fits the events of the game. The emphasis on more electronic sounds, as well as shorter, more percussive rhythms, signal a much different game than it’s predecessors.
“The Attack”, Jack Wall – The first piece that reuses elements of a song from the first game, “The Attack” uses the melody from “The Normandy”, the original game’s ambient on-ship music. It also introduces the theme for the Collectors, which has a very old school sci-fi B-movie theme to it, as previously mentioned.
“The Normandy Reborn”, Jimmy Hinson – A throwback to the first game with a number of elements from “The Citadel” and “Mass Effect Theme”, this is the first track that thematically feels like a Mass Effect piece. It’s a really great moment in-game as well, as it’s the reveal of the Normandy SR2, which will be Shepard and Co.’s home for the next two games.
“Jump Drive”, Jack Wall – The first musical introduction the player receives to the endgame Suicide Mission, the tone matches the in-game action, while incorporating elements of the Collectors theme. It ends up being very similar thematically to Sovereign’s Theme” from the first game, albeit with a little more punch a little less foreboding-ness.
“The End Run”, Jack Wall – One of my favorites from the entire series, listening to it almost makes you feel like you’re running with Shepard, and the moment at the end makes you feel like you’re taking that leap of faith with him/her. I actually like to throw this one into my workout mix when I’m doing some cardio.
“Suicide Mission”, Jack Wall – The “main theme” of Mass Effect 2, it shares some similarities with “The End Run”, but also stands well on it’s own. This is another of my favorite cuts from the whole trilogy.
For Mass Effect 3, BioWare changed supervising composers, ditching Jack Wall and moving to noted Hollywood blockbuster composer Clint Mansell. The result is a score that is much, much more varied than the previous two entries in the franchise, and includes some of the best compositions in the series, including my personal favorite. Also notable is the Citadel DLC soundtrack, which was released for free and is excellent as well.
There are two versions of the soundtrack; the original version, containing the original ending song (“An End, Once and For All”), and the Extended Cut, which contains an additional seven tracks in it’s place. Since I did a complete playthrough, including the Extended Cut, I’ll be looking at the Extended Cut DLC as if it were replacing the original track.
“Leaving Earth”, Clint Mansell – One of the few tracks Mr. Mansell actually composed himself, this sets the stage for the songs to follow; it’s very, very moving, and the section of the game in which it occurs illustrates that the threat that Shepard has warned about for so long has arrived. The Reapers are here.
“The View of Palaven”, Christopher Lennertz – The first time in the game you really get to see the Reaper invasion underway. The build-up to the action is excellent, and once it kicks into high gear it’s really something; it almost has a remix-like feeling to it. The ending is a little unsatisfying though. Go figure.
“A Future for the Krogan”, Christopher Lennertz – The combination of vocals and orchestral accompaniment leading into a slow battle march is one of the high points of the score, and the series in general. Similar to “Vigil” from Mass Effect, there’s almost an Eastern feeling to the song; the opening minute wouldn’t feel out out of place looking over the Istanbul skyline. After the march kicks in, it takes on a much more martial feel, with the percussion mimicking the sound of boots, and horns accompanying and occasionally taking over for the vocals.
“Reaper Chase”, Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan – I got a very “Duel of the Fates” (John Williams’ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace score) vibe here. It’s an excellent track, and you can almost feel that fight or flight instinct kicking in when you hear it. The occasional use of dissonance makes for an interesting listen.
“Stand Strong Stand Together”, Christopher Lennertz – This has the feeling of a great military leader giving a speech before a big battle. You could probably drop it in to any Hollywood blockbuster and it wouldn’t be out of place. It’s the big march before the final battle. The fleets assembled, ready for war.
“I Was Lost Without You”, Sam Hulick – My favorite song of the entire trilogy. The reason I wrote this article. Beautiful and moving, capturing both the sadness and emotion of true love in a time of galactic war. In the event I ever get married, I’d pitch this as the song my hypothetical wife and I dance to first at our wedding.
“The Fleets Arrive”, Sam Hulick – Big and bombastic, with elements of the main theme. You can almost visualize the vast fleet of assembled ships popping into the Solar System, ready to do battle with the full might of the Reaper forces in orbit of Earth.
“I’m Proud Of You”, Sam Hulick – A fitting elegy for a beloved character. If the game had stopped here, all BioWare would have needed to do is throw in a cutscene of all the Reapers being destroyed and little blue children, and the press and gamers would have hailed it as the greatest storytelling achievement in gaming history.
“An End, Once and For All – Extended Cut”, Sam Hulick – But instead we got another thirty minutes that junked the previous two games, and BioWare had to go back and fix it as best they could to prevent nerd riots in the streets. Musically speaking, how to sum up five years of work and effort, leading to one pivotal decision, one moment, that will change everything forever? Mournful, yet hopeful; like it or not, the end is here.
“The End…”, Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan – Another of my absolute favorites, from the Citadel DLC. While the ending may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, the Citadel DLC was as good a balm as you could hope for, and this song and scene are two of the reasons why.
“Liara’s Theme”, Sam Hulick – A variation of “Vigil” from the first Mass Effect, done on piano without accompaniment. Simple and beautiful.
“Joker’s Fifteen Minutes”, Sam Hulick – Jeff “Joker” Moreau, voiced by Seth Green, is one of the series’ best characters, and this scene and song from the Citadel DLC are both a fitting tribute.
“Lost In You”, Sam Hulick – The morning after the party in the Citadel DLC. A positive version of “I Was Lost Without You”; it’s simple, and exactly what you’d want to listen to if you were really hung over.
“Farewell and Into the Inevitable”, Sam Hulick – The crew and Shepard make their way back to the Normandy for one last mission. A fitting final tribute that includes elements from the ending themes.
There are also two songs I wanted to throw in that weren’t on any of the soundtracks, but are connected with the franchise as the music used for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3’s launch trailers.
“Heart of Courage”, Two Steps From Hell – I must have listened to this song a million times. It’s so good. I still get chills listening to it.
“Protectors of the Earth”, Two Steps From Hell – When I wasn’t listening to “Heart of Courage”, I was listening to this. Two Steps From Hell is one of my favorite artists, and this is a big reason why.
Having now gone through all the best tracks, here’s my top five:
- I Was Lost Without You – Mass Effect 3
- The End… – Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC
- Suicide Mission – Mass Effect 2
- Spectre Introduction – Mass Effect
- I’m Proud of You – Mass Effect 3
I hope you enjoyed this retrospective as much as I did; as Liara said at the end of the Citadel DLC, “It’s been a good ride.”
Image: Wikimedia Commons
