TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 2,005
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
Please, no more Irish folk music.
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There is so much about Crimson Desert that enthralls and deeply frustrates me—you can read about all that in my review—but something that had almost no impact on me was its soundtrack. That's quite the surprise for someone like myself. I'm the kind of person who absorbs every single note, melody, and instrument videogame music has to offer. I literally have a column talking about this very thing every single week. You're reading it right now!
Welcome to Critical Hit (formerly known as Soundtrack Sunday), where I celebrate and lament all things videogame music, audio design, and the ways our favourite games make our ears tingle.
But something about Crimson Desert's music is… a bit bland, perhaps even inoffensive. Which in itself is offensive, to me at least. Nothing about it particularly stands out—our senior guides writer Sean Martin says it feels like it's aping The Witcher 3's own score at times. Don't tell anyone at PC Gamer, but I never actually played that much of The Witcher 3. I'm sorry!
That lack of association causes this game's soundtrack to fade into the background even more for me. Not in the way where it helps further immerse me into Crimson Desert's world, but one where it simply ceases to exist. It's a game I could run on mute and I would probably notice no difference. Well, I would notice one difference. Because despite feeling largely uninspired by its music, one song has come to drive me to the edge of insanity.
It's not even bad, per se, but rears its head multiple times: Cooking a meal over the bonfire, purchasing goods from a grocer or from a butcher. I suppose it's meant to be a song that encapsulates culinary whimsy. But when I'm travelling to buy vegetables, buy meat, and then cook them together into a meal, that's three times in quick succession that I'm having to hear it. That certainly lends to that whole "driving me up the wall" thing. It's also a roughly 30-second track that loops over and over again, in a way I couldn't help but notice more so than I usually would with these shorter melodies.
I think part of it is also how the song sits in such stark contrast to the rest of the game's soundtrack. It's a similar case with the traditional Irish folksy track that plays when I'm doing things like purchasing armour and weapons, or refining my gear at the smithy. A little forgecore wh...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
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Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
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Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
There is so much about Crimson Desert that enthralls and deeply frustrates me—you can read about all that in my review—but something that had almost no impact on me was its soundtrack. That's quite the surprise for someone like myself. I'm the kind of person who absorbs every single note, melody, and instrument videogame music has to offer. I literally have a column talking about this very thing every single week. You're reading it right now!
Welcome to Critical Hit (formerly known as Soundtrack Sunday), where I celebrate and lament all things videogame music, audio design, and the ways our favourite games make our ears tingle.
But something about Crimson Desert's music is… a bit bland, perhaps even inoffensive. Which in itself is offensive, to me at least. Nothing about it particularly stands out—our senior guides writer Sean Martin says it feels like it's aping The Witcher 3's own score at times. Don't tell anyone at PC Gamer, but I never actually played that much of The Witcher 3. I'm sorry!
That lack of association causes this game's soundtrack to fade into the background even more for me. Not in the way where it helps further immerse me into Crimson Desert's world, but one where it simply ceases to exist. It's a game I could run on mute and I would probably notice no difference. Well, I would notice one difference. Because despite feeling largely uninspired by its music, one song has come to drive me to the edge of insanity.
It's not even bad, per se, but rears its head multiple times: Cooking a meal over the bonfire, purchasing goods from a grocer or from a butcher. I suppose it's meant to be a song that encapsulates culinary whimsy. But when I'm travelling to buy vegetables, buy meat, and then cook them together into a meal, that's three times in quick succession that I'm having to hear it. That certainly lends to that whole "driving me up the wall" thing. It's also a roughly 30-second track that loops over and over again, in a way I couldn't help but notice more so than I usually would with these shorter melodies.
I think part of it is also how the song sits in such stark contrast to the rest of the game's soundtrack. It's a similar case with the traditional Irish folksy track that plays when I'm doing things like purchasing armour and weapons, or refining my gear at the smithy. A little forgecore wh...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?