Neir Automata has an absolutely banging soundtrack. You need to "finish" the game I think 3 times to see the final ending. Push through the run as 9s it is worth it. The ending has all the feels and the ending song is with it is phenomenal.
To The Moon has a beautiful soundtrack and a story which made me cry. It's not a long game, I highly recommend it.
Syonara Wild Hearts is a video game music album. It's really simple mechanically but the songs are great and it's a proper Zen game.
Journey has a wonderful sound track, just get to like level 3 where your doing the big slide downhill and tell me that's not magical.
Similar to Journey (but not quite as good) is Gris.
Bastion has some excellent songs and is a short experience.
Terraria has a brilliant soundtrack and great gameplay, very little story though. Great in multiplayer so find a friend.
Death Stranding has some great songs, a bit to spread out though. The story is Kojimas usual eclectic madness but I enjoyed it.
Somehow, nobody's mentioned Cyberpunk 2077 yet. Every track in this game goes so incredibly hard. The in-game radio stations are all full of absolute bangers, and even the ambient world music is fantastic and sets the mood for every scene. It's one of the few games whose soundtracks I listen to on its own.
I suspect patient gamers have held off on this one given its relatively high system requirements, need for patches to improve performance, and super recent expansion. I'm sure you're right, but speaking for myself, it's not on my to-play list for at least another year. (Only mentioning it since you seem surprised)
I can also recommend FTL, Risk of Rain and Risk of Rain 2. Really good OSTs, I'm listening to all of them regularly. They've also got great gameplay! But they're rogue-likes so basically no story in case that bothers you.
Yeah, I think it's also very impressive how they have different styles but are still very similar in some ways. Most noticeable with Arctic and Antarctic Oscillation.
And "The rain formerly known as purple", "Coalescence" and "The raindrop that fell to the sky" are just soooo good. Could listen to them on repeat (and have done so (: )
The whole set of NES Mega-Man games had amazing soundtracks, although 2 is the best. There's barely a story there, but the gameplay is solid.
Final Fantasy VI has Dancing Mad, and that alone would be enough, but the whole damn thing is just amazing, especially the Opera.
Similarly, Final Fantasy VII had a stellar soundtrack, including the holy-shit-this-is-amazing One Winged Angel.
All Final Fantasy games have great soundtracks, but these two are my faves
Someone mentioned Terraria, and I would be remiss if I didn't second it. Not much story there, but I've been playing it for like 12 years and I'm still happy every time I start it up.
The Elder Scrolls games from Morrowind on all have bangin' soundtracks. Oblivion had the best one (although Morrowind and Skyrim are both better games, IMHO).
Tempest 2000 for the Atari Jaguar of all things had a phenomenal soundtrack. Seriously, it it was one of the first games in the US to have its soundtrack sold in stores. And it stands up.
I'll add more if I think of them. Most of the others I can think of have already been mentioned.
ETA:
Chrono Cross, I can't believe I forgot it! That OP is unforgettable, and yet somehow I managed to forget it! The game itself pales in comparison to its predecessor (Chrono Trigger, which also has a great soundtrack), but it's not bad.
On a similar note, the original Wild Arms had an excellent soundtrack with a western theme. Actually, the whole Wild Arms series has good music, but I just couldn't get past one of the main mechanics that showed up in 2 and stick around.
Another one I can't believe I forgot, Nights: into Dreams had the best soundtrack on the Sega Saturn. It's just perfect for the game, not a bad tune in there.
Someone mentioned Terraria, and I would be remiss if I didn't second it. Not much story there, but I've been playing it for like 12 years and I'm still happy every time I start it up.
the soundtrack of one of the most popular mods Calamity for Terraria is also way too good than it ever should be
Secondly anyone who said FURI - that game is a masterpiece and the OST is so well tied into the fights it's hard to separate them. Seriously, they gave the artists details on the bosses and their arena, fighting style and other notes and said make a song that fits
Came here to say this. Not only is it a great OST, but it's great enough that I feel no desire to mention any other game. As an OST to listen to, it's truly top notch, and imo best of class.
DKC2 has one of the most beautifully-melancholic soundtracks of all time imo. I was enamored by it as a child, and as a young adult, realized how influential it was for me during the time in my life I made music myself. David Wise really is something else.
There are lots of mods you can get to improve TS4, but you're right, it's missing something fundamental. Even things like genetics are so dumbed-down as to be almost pointless
While it's mostly about the stories you create yourself, there is actually a storyline you can play through! Each of the three default neighbourhoods has a specific order of events. You kinda need a walkthrough to know where to start and when to switch families, but it's all there for the playing. I didn't even realise that until last year, and I've been playing TS2 since launch
Hollow Knight (Great metroidvania, even better soundtrack),
Journey (It’s just good. I struggle to describe it any other way),
Project: Wingman (Neat game about blowing things up in planes. Has a fun, dramatic soundtrack.),
Cassette Beasts (An open world monster catching rpg like Pokémon. The soundtrack is good, although some people aren’t fans of the lyrics.),
Cloudpunk (A cyberpunk open-world exploration game. Really great ost to match the theme. Also, the game has exceptional story, especially the City of Ghosts expansion.)
Heard some great things about most of these games, especially around Cassette Beats and Hollow Knights. Is Cassette Beasts perfect for someone who haven't ever played Pokemon before?
Caveats with hollow Knight story: you won't know a lot about the story until you watch mossbag videos after getting to one of the endings.
Hades (OST + gameplay + story)
Genshin (OST + gameplay + story)
Caveats with genshin gameplay: only the exploration and some quests are good. All other gameplay should be ignored (or doused with fire). The exploration is actually one of the best open world exploration I've played, and I've played Witcher 3, botw, AC: black flag, arkham series, and more.
Caveats with genshin story (context: currently on version 4.0+):
Side stories released on or after 2.0 are good.
Main stories released on or after 3.0 are good.
All other stories are generic af and Paimon is annoying.
Definitely gonna try Hades, since 2 people already mentioned it prior to you. Actually I'm a sorta genshin regular, and the OST is an absolute masterpiece. Dragonspine is probably my fav. Which region is your fav in terms of OST?
Final Fantasy XIV has a diverse soundtrack and a terrific story, but it is a huge time commitment. The story starts off pretty slow and takes a long time to build up.
Yeah I've tried FFXIV but it seems MMORPGs aren't made for me. Thank you for the fight themes tho! "Beauty's Wicked Wiles" kinda makes me hyped and chilled at the same time.
Totally fair! They did a good job of making the main storyline playable as a solo player, but the core gameplay loop is still unmistakably MMO-style and not to everyone's taste.
I love that song in particular because (very minor spoiler) it works both as background music and as diegetic music. In the story, that boss is trying to entice you into going permanently to sleep and living in a dream world where you'll achieve all your goals and desires, while becoming her meat puppet in the real world. When you're playing the game rather than watching it with onscreen lyrics on YouTube, you are only sort of half-listening to the song while you focus on the battle, so you don't realize right away that the battle music is the boss singing to you to seduce you into her flock even while you're fighting her.
Earthbound and Mother 3 could be exactly what you're looking for. There's just nothing quite like them OST, story, and gameplay wise.
Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares 2 also have excellent music that perfectly complement their soul-squeezing visuals and gameplay.
Portal 2 has very little music but it is GOOD, and perfectly timed to key moments in the story. Also top notch unique gameplay, obvs.
Skyrim music is iconic for a reason.
OFF's music is similarly iconic and its story and visuals so unique and engaging you'll likely forgive it for being unapologetically RPG-maker. The latest English translation (3.0) is considered the most faithful to the original French.
FRACT OSC is a "musical exploration game" where you directly influence the soundtrack by interacting with a beautiful, surreal puzzle landscape with Tron-like visuals.
OFF? WOOOW okay you definitely got me surprised over there. Half a year a I've tried running OFF on Linux but I just had too many issues with the compatiblity, so I left it there.
thanks to this lovely FOSS project it can be played on linux and even Android :) I've been playing Space Funeral on my phone with it. Actually if you like psychedelic rock, you'd probably love Space Funeral's music too.
yeah OFF's soundtrack doesn't have a lot of tracks, and several are rather minimalist ambient music, but it's all very unique and it fits the game perfectly. The main battle theme, Pepper Steak, is so catchy that my mom requested I add it to her phone as her ringtone for me 🤭
I see some Final Fantasy mentions, but I'm throwing Final Fantasy Tactics in particular into the ring.
Great gameplay (min-max to your heart's content) that will let the player fail. Also will let the player soft lock themselves and require loading an earlier save if they didn't have "optimal" builds for some encounters...
It has a story! That moves forward all of the time! Just let it happen and don't think too much about it. You're a mere mortal fighting up against gods at some point. Maybe?
Great soundtrack! My personal favorites are below.
Just listened to All of You and Santa Monica Dream and cried more than at my favorite grandma's funeral (she was great tho). Something is wrong with me. XD
Undertale, love the Temmie Village song. The OST can be heard in all kinds of videos. Maybe since you liked ULTRAKILL (based on graphics), you'll like Undertale.
NieR:Automata is an absolute banger. It has a banger of a soundtrack and a really great story. I personally love the park area and the forest.
Subnautica, the OST, really helps to create an immersive experience. It is sometimes mysterious, it can be dark but also adventurous. The music kind of guides you through the uncharted lands.
The Legend of Zelda: BotW I know, it's a WIIU/Switch game, and I know TotK is out, but the design and the music of the game are fitting so well together. The OST is so incredible.
Admittedly the story is a bit thin… the game play is purposefully enraging… but it gets a big ol’double check mark on the OST requirement thanks to the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
On a totally different note and tone, Last of Us. I dig anything Gustavo Santaolalla.
Actually the story seems pretty charming tho. The graphics feels a bit too dated to me, but atleast the OST is up on YT, and damn the main menu OST is already a banger.
I've never even played the game and I love the soundtrack! Rémi Gallego (The Algorithm) also did a game called Hell is Other Demons (as well as a load of actual albums) which are all great too.
Caves of Qud doesn't have a very big OST but I happened to absolutely love it. The game is similar to Rogue (or more directly Dwarf Fortress adventure mode), as in time only passes when you move and everything is represented by a tile, but it has pretty good controller support as of a recent update.
Sonic games usually have great music but Sonic Mania in particular is full of bangers, highly recommend it.
Undertale's soundtrack has been memed to death but it's honestly really good.
If you're still in the mood for visual novels the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney games have some incredible soundtracks too.
Also, for something slower, I must give a shout out to The Sims 1. It's suave as hell and very, very catchy.
I don't see this mentioned enough, but persona 5 (specifically recommend persona 5 Royal) has a really great OST. As you play the game you unlock better versions of the same tracks, including vocals. It's actually really jazzy, and quite catchy! The wife and i will jam to the vocal tracks on road trips.
The game is also very good, with an interesting story! It's kinda weird in a fun way! It's like.. a pokemon-esque turn based jrpg with some like real world maintenance aspects (relationships, work a job, go to school), with great music
Some games with soundtracks I particularly enjoyed over the last couple years:
A Hat in Time - a cute, fun collect-a-thon platformer with a kickass soundtrack. This one is particularly fun to play and hits nostalgia vibes for the early 3D Mario games.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens - 2D platformer with an energetic chiptune-y soundtrack. The game itself is OK, but the soundtrack is what really made this one for me.
Subnautica - underwater survival and crafting game with a soundtrack that set the mood very well
Demons Roots - 18+ RPGMaker game where you lead a demon uprising to reclaim the surface world, invading country after country freeing slaves as you go. Very dark game that is unusually good for the type of game it is. If you're not put off by the RPGMaker doujin wabi-sabi and are tolerant of adult content in games this one is worth a look. There are some absolute bangers in the soundtrack.
Pyre - Lord of the Rings meets 3v3 basketball with a very enjoyable soundtrack by Darren Korb (Bastion).
It's good that developers make it easy to customize the soundtrack, although I didn't feel the need to as I found the songs for Rebel Galaxy exceptionally good. Have not played Outlaw yet. I've read reviews that gameplay wise it wasn't as good as the first one.
I would argue the gameplay falls short of revolutionary. Several parts are frustrating but 90% of the time it's a decent balance of rewardingly challenging timing & platforming vs. "press X and just watch your character do the sickest flip, yo" dumb fun.
The killer tunes, kickass visuals (one of the best early cel shaded games), lighthearted but spunky lore and just overall vibe make it a genuine classic. If you're on the fence about it opt for Jetset Radio Future, as its an entire console gen worth of polished vs. the original and imho the music is even better.
I absolutely loved Pokemon USUM‘s OST and was heartbroken when I found out the OST release was just like 1 minute long tracks that you couldn‘t easily loop (obviously it looped infinitely ingame)
Undertale in case you haven't played it yet... you've played it, right?
zero escape. going in blind is a must. at least 999 had really banger music and nice puzzles and story. 999 also had its story made for the 3DS, so it's best if you play it on a DS emulator. it's also similar to danganronpa at least stylistically, and makoto has a zero escape logo on his hoodie
bloons td maybe. the music might not be that good but they're still bangers
Actually no, I haven't played Undertale yet. (War crime sounds incoming)
A lot of players are recommending Zero Escape, so It's not surprising to see this in your comment. Did you like it?
You might want the fast text mod though. You'll also need to replay it multiple times to unlock endings, so you probably also want to make some savestates before every door. Doors aren't the only things you need though...
Lineage 2, I especially like the Dion theme. It's an old MMORPG though so when it comes to the question of a great story and/or gameplay... well I wouldn't recommend it lol. Even though I've spent a lot of hours in that game
Guilty Gear not even getting mentioned once is criminal, the entire franchise has amazing music, to the point where the fanbase and the fighting game community likes to joke that they get a free game with every new music album whenever a new game comes out.
To add to this, basically everything Daisuke Ishiwatari makes, who is mainly responsible for almost everything about the game.
It very much depends on your taste in music, but Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice OST is absolutely amazing, especially considering it's all original scores (I think). After beating the game I put the OST on repeat for several days
A lot: amazing environments and scenery, cool combat with great enemy boss designs, very immersive exploration and the actress did an awesome job throughout it. The "puzzles" bits were a little pain to beat, but everything else was top notch; story was also very cool and made me feel the burden Senua's carrying.