Pharaoh Rebirth+ Has That Nostalgic PlayStation Sound

[Animous]

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we’re digging into the music of Pharaoh Rebirth+, a hidden gem buried amid the ever-growing numbers of forgotten games on Steam.

Most of us have a game or OST we think’s fantastic, but that almost no one else knows about. I have a few, actually, but my favorite is Pharaoh Rebirth+ (playlist / longplay). It’s a beautifully animated 2D action-platformer that gently leans into metroidvania territory, starring a stereotypical treasure-hunting archeologist named Jonathan who’s been transformed Porco Rosso-style into a chibi, man-sized rabbit. I randomly found the game on Steam a few years back. I was looking for something to fill the nostalgic, pixel-shaped hole in my heart left by Cave Story+, and Pharaoh Rebirth+ was there to welcome me to the next level.

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This game feels like what might have happened to games had polygons not taken over the 32-bit era. Developed by a small Japanese team, its gorgeous, hand-drawn sprites and loads of scaling, rotation, and transparency effects are beautiful to behold. Its play mechanics are at once rich and immediate. And the music…well, let’s get into that, shall we?

Degica, Vaka Game Magazine, *slap* *plap*... (YouTube)

The first track we hear, “Title Theme,” incorporates traditional Middle Eastern instruments like the darbuka and nefer to evoke that archaeological treasure-hunting vibe. Composed by Pepo (also known as Peposoft), the whole OST has that 32-bit era redbook audio sound, where composers were suddenly free from the restraints of chip-based synthesis, but still adhered to many of the old rules. As a result, the tunes retain those tight melodic structures I love so much about “the old stuff.”

[Silent Watcher]

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