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OST: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

Posted by Derrick Sanskrit

I've been playing Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure for just under a week now and am utterly stunned by the quality of the product. The art is appropriately vibrant, the story is wonderfully goofy and the gameplay is nostalgically frustrating (seriously, the action is hardcore not unlike Mega Man and Castlevania). Of course, this finely-crafted other-worldly goodness would all be for naught without an accentuated atmospheric soundtrack to tie it all together, and Henry Hatsworth does not skimp in this department either.

Take, for example, "Pompous Adventurer's Club Theme" which plays on the overworld map:


My word, but that is hilariously pompous! The air of militaristic pride in the snare, cello, and trumpets is countered marvelously by the vocals, a mish-mash of drunken voices with stuffed sinuses, each trying to sing the incomprehensible "la," "nah," "yah," and "dahn"s louder than the adventurerer next to him.

Or what of "Go, Go, Golden Robo Q!" which plays every time Hatsworth activates Tea Time and dons his giant suit of robot armor:

The switch from harpsichord to electric guitar within the first six seconds perfectly encapsulates the voice of the game, using traditional adventurer stereotypes from television and film for comedic fodder and parody. Also, it's totally awesome.

Both of those tunes are presented wih tongue planted firmly in cheek, but here's one that just out and out rocks.

"Molotov on the Rocks" plays when Hatsworth enters puzzle mode during particularly tense parts of the game. The funky slap bass creates a driving rhythm while the ochestral blasts generate excitement, two things the puzzle mode at these times would not be fun without.

All in all, it's hard not to agree with the good adventurer Hatsworth when he enthusiastically exclaims "Good show!"

Related articles:
Trailer Review: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
OST: Big Bang Mini
OST: de Blob
OST: Everyday Shooter

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    John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

    Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

    Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

    Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

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    Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

    Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

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