Harold Faltermeyer is undisputedly one of the most iconic composers of all time. He wrote the famous “Axel F” theme for Beverly Hills Cop, perhaps the most catchy synth tune ever to appear in a film, as well as the soaring overture for Top Gun. The rest of his discography is equally good, if not as immediately brain-infesting. Both of these songs pop into my head all the time, and I love them.
In 2007, Faltermeyer wrote the music for one of the worst RPGs ever released — a nightmarish low budget game called Two Worlds.
I don’t know how he got involved with this thing, but I think he’s the only member of its team who fully “brought it.” The score is a sweeping, weird, orchestral, fantasy genre delight. It also has an amazing vocal track that the publishers of the game actually thought could be a radio hit. Their optimism was noble, and that same optimistic streak extends to the game itself — though the development team at Reality Pump clearly didn’t have the same pedigree as their hired composer.
I’m not here to bash low budget games as a concept. I love all sorts of titles from all sizes of team. But Two Worlds was marketed like it was the second coming of RPGs, instead of a scrappy smaller effort. It was sold…
