P-Vock's Music Box: I Yearn for Dread

Hello and welcome to P-Vock's Music Box, the weekly blog where I blast some iconic tunes to help get you ready for the weekend. Let's continue on with the spoopy times, shall we? Last week, I dropped some amazing Castlevania beats to help you hit that gothic horror aesthetic. I also mentioned that Castlevania helped pioneer the Metroidvania genre of games. Now I'm going to drop the other half. I am feeling the Dread today, and I love it.

Metroid Dread is FINALLY out. A game that was hinted at and rumoured for well over a decade is finally here, and I am so damn excited. While Castlevania nails the gothic horror aesthetic, Metroid nails the sci-fi horror aesthetic. So instead of Bram Stoker, think Ridley Scott (there's even a villain in Metroid just named Ridley as an homage and he looks like a xenomorph.) Metroid is basically the video game equivalent of the Alien franchise, if you don't count the actual Alien franchises video games, shut up.

There are a LOT of tracks I could play from this series. There are energetic beats like the theme of Brinstar, atmospheric tunes like Phendrana Drifts, and a ton of subdued tracks that perfectly sell you on the idea of exploring a sinister alien planet. In fact, this has been the hardest franchise for me to choose a single track from. But I finally decided on two: two tracks that represent the two iconic characters. Let's start with the evil one, for the iconic and bloodthirsty monster, Ridley.

Ridley is not like other villains. He doesn't steal a princess, capture woodland creatures, or build bad robots. Ridley is a damn monster who murders countless people, including the parents of our beloved heroine. This theme, which plays when you encounter him in Super Metroid, absolutely sells that idea. It's so kinetic, it's so sinister. It's energetic, yet creepy. I really dig Ridley's theme.

Now, let's hit you with some tonal shift. While Ridley's theme captures his chaotic and scary appeal, the theme of our protagonist captures her extremely well. Samus is one of the most iconic protagonists for a reason, and she deserves an absolutely iconic theme. For variety's sake, I'll even drop what I think is one of the best versions, that we got thanks to Super Smash Bros (by the way, Sora is in Smash hype!).

It's so triumphant, it's so badass, it's so Samus. It may not capture the spooky vibes of Halloween, but damn is it good. I believe that the music of Metroid is actually quite underappreciated, as most people talk about the amazing game design, atmospheric world, great boss fights, and wonderful characters. Damn, this series is amazing. I gotta hit you with one more track. enjoy the amazing main theme of what is pretty much one of the greatest video games ever made, Metroid Prime.

Now THIS is some hype shit. Every time I hear this, I just want to strap a cannon to my arm and go shoot a bunch of space pirates in their dumb, weird, ugly faces! I really don't know what more I could say about this simply amazing tune. So I'll stop rambling and end with a plea.

If you own a Nintendo Switch, PLEASE buy Metroid Dread. Even if you don't want to play it, PLEASE buy it. We need more of this amazing series, and if this game sells well, I think we could get it. Alright, I'll leave you alone now. I hope your weekend is as amazing as these tracks, and I'll see you back here next week with another spooky selection from my Music Box. Stay Brutal, as brutal as Ridley eviscerating Mega Man and Mario in his Smash Bros reveal trailer which totally happened.