Game Soundtrack Spotlight - Life Force (1988)

Life Force (1988; Konami)

by Christopher McElfresh

Life Force is one of the earliest game soundtracks I latched onto.  I was always attracted to music in games, but this was one of the first where I really thought I was hearing something special.

Life Force is the US title given to the NES port of Konami's popular arcade game Salamader released in Japan in 1986 as a direct follow-up to the successful Gradius.  The game is phenomenal, representing everything good about the SHUMP genre (one of my favorites).  It had great visuals for its time, even given the limited processing power of the NES.  Released in the summer of 1988 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, it had roughly three years of competition behind it and it outperformed all of its predecessors on a technical level.  It was able to put a lot of stuff on screen at once with little slowdown (Konami as a developer excelled at this) and was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that is still getting its fair share of love to this day.  In fact, IGN gave it an Editor's Choice with the word "Amazing" placed just beneath the box art, and a 9.0 score.

Now, let's talk about the music. The composer of the Life Force soundtrack is Miki Higashino (AKA "Miki-chan".  Source: Wikipedia; The article can be found here), working under the banner of the Konami Kukeiha ("Square Wave") Club.  Miki-chan also worked on another of my all-time favorite game soundtracks, Contra III: The Alien Wars, which we will DEFINITELY be covering at a later date.

The tone of the music in Life Force invokes a sense of adventure and wonder, with big sounds that are anthemic in scale layered with very busy riffs that create a technological feel while giving it a slightly cheery expression.  The music in the game tends to take me back to a different time, where games were about immediacy and excitement rather than length and complexity.  The soundtrack has the exact same feel as the game, a trait that all great game soundtracks share.  If you've never played or seen Life Force, listen to the music, picture in your head a scrolling space shooter and what you imagine will likely not be too far off.  The music invokes a feel that is wholly its own.

The Soundtrack:

Stage 1 - Cell I

The adventure begins.  Approaching a strange organic object from space as distant stars seem to race past you.  Strange ships flutter at you in a haphazard formation.  The music feels like we are building towards something.  It is basically all of the tones of the entire soundtrack in a few measures, giving us a taste of what's to come.








Stage 2 - Volcano

The orientation changes as we to an overhead view of the ship.  Inside a volcano the walls seem to close in around us as rocks are hurled at the ship.  The music feels like space.  I'm not really sure how to explain it, but as you listen to it, you can almost see the stellar objects fill your thoughts. 







Stage 3 - Flame

Back to space (and the side-view) we approach a tunnel of living fire that reaches out to set the ship ablaze.  There is a definite tonal shift with this song.  It sounds much more serious, much stronger, as if we can almost feel the struggle between the small ship and the massive fire tunnel.






Stage 4 - Cell II

The organic motif returns as we climb the spinal column of a strange being.  The song is both adventurous and just a little creepy, instilling a sense that there is something ominous in the near future.










Stage 5 - Sanctuary

 This final theme sounds of a hero's last stand.  Everything has been building up to this and we only have one shot at success.  The question is, can we make it through the final gauntlet and out the other side with the hull of our ship in tact?








Boss Theme - Poison of Snake

 

The boss theme is actually my least favorite theme in the game.  Oh, it's still good, but compared to the strong themes above, the music that highlights the game's awe-inspiring bosses just seems a little weaker.  The sound is both dangerous and evil, sounding of the theme of a great villain sped up in a creepy fashion. 

Some final thoughts:  The soundtrack for Life Force is exemplary.  It is one of the best soundtracks on the NES and for me personally, it brings with it some delightful memories of my youth.  For all of those who have not played this game it is available on the Wii Virtual Console and I believe is also available as an import on the PSN.  Give this game a shot and for those who do remember it, I hope this trip down memory lane put a smile on your face.  Stay tuned because we're going forward about eight years in time for one of Nintendo's greatest outings, and another of my personal favorite game soundtracks ever.

Please feel free to request soundtracks for future examinations!

NOTE: If any of these video links are broken please comment so I can repair them and keep the site running at full potential. 




All above music and Life Force, Salamander, Gradius and all elements therein are property of Konami, Inc.  The video files were found on YouTube and I do not own the videos or their contents.