Michael McCann
Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Release Date: 2011 | Tracklist

5 of 6 thought this review was well written

Deus Ex Human Revolution (DE:HR for short) is a cyberpunk game focusing on the enhancement of the human body through futuristic mechanical augmentations. It follows a security officer who suffers extreme injuries and must be implanted with these augmentations in order to stay alive; in essence making him go from being completely flesh and bone to a shadow of his former self. This is the central theme throughout the game which revolves around the debate of whether or not human experimentation (essentially altering our bodies to make them faster, stronger, etc) is right or wrong and the struggle within the protagonist over his own beliefs on the idea. While charting a course for DE:HR’s soundtrack, composer Michael McCann made sure to keep this central theme at the heart of the score and as a result has created one of the most memorable and dense video game soundtracks to ever brace the ears of a gamer.

The game is set as a prequel to the acclaimed 2000 release Deus Ex taking place a generation earlier. It is set in the beginnings of world-wide corporate mechanical augmentation where there are still strong feelings against it as well as shadow governments/agencies conspiring to make the science a reality. These two sides of the story are represented by two main musical elements in the soundtrack: electronic and acoustic. The electronic element rightfully represents the new world of augmentations and mechanics which most of the humans are driving towards; while the acoustic elements of the music represent the side against these developments and those for keeping the human body the way it is. This presents a rift where the two sides are always at battle; both within the gameplay and story, as well as the music itself through the combination electronic sections often with human voices or string instruments layered overtop.

This is immediately emphasized in the beginning of the soundtrack with the song “Icarus” as it begins with the vocal chanting of a woman who slowly starts being overtaken by a synth beat. The reemergence of the vocals and chord changes catch up with the synth and the fight continues until the end of the song. As the first track it sets the stage perfectly and helps introduce listeners to the strong atmosphere and mood of the game. McCann has cited Massive Attack and Aphex Twin as his biggest influences when coming up for the tracks for this OST. It shows right off this first track as “Icarus” bears resemblances to Aphex Twin’s tune “Xtal” through the use of female vocals over an electronic beat. The battle continues through the soundtrack as there are tracks which feature all out electronics such as “Barrett Boss Battle” and others sporting an organic feel such as “Endings”. The organic side of the mix is very dark and haunting, almost dragging behind it a sense of desperation as if foreshadowing what’s to become of the world in its eyes.

In the end the DE:HR soundtrack is one of the most brilliant soundtracks for a video game I’ve heard in a long time. The idea of focusing more on atmosphere and mood than melody is perfect, as one does not want to get too swept up and distracted by the music while gaming; however wants the music to help enhance and bring the full experience of the game to life. The hard hitting beats similar to influences such as Massive Attack, combined with the 30-piece instrumental sections and vocals make for a perfect duality. It’s being able to capture and perfectly combine this duality in the most subtle, yet effective ways that makes this the quintessential video game soundtrack of 2011.

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