Genesis: Devilish Soundtrack

[@barvobot]

Sega: it's a goth version of Arkanoid, you don't have to do anything crazy Hitoshi Sakimoto:

[@LunarDelta]

The power of Hitoshi Sakimoto and his sound driver are a wonder to behold.

[@CryingZombie666]

hi

[@LunarDelta]

Heya

[@jeremym9011]

I agree- I wish Hitoshi Sakimoto made a lot more games, including RPGs using his Terpschorian sound driver.

[@tonmasboy]

Hitoshi Sakimoto is composer...Was he a programmer too?

[@setsers1]

That is a REALLY good sound drive.

[@doloresdebeauvoir4960]

I remember Sakimoto-san wrote the driver himself. An absolute genius.

[@m.steward9146]

Absolutely. Sakamoto's Devilish soundtrack is a master class in chiptune composition.

[@SonicTheJackrabbit]

Oh my god, Clock Tower. Help, my ears are melting from awesomeness.

[@retrosoul8770]

This is the ultimate curse of the Genesis. Too many games with legendary soundtracks that were either not really must play games and/or no one played. Master of Monsters, Midnight Resistance, Vapor Trail, Gauntlet IV all fall into this trap as well. So most people only think of Sonic and Streets of Rage for having great scores when there is in fact so much more.

[@MadoKage]

Retro Soul I can say the same to Gaiares and Alien Soldier

[@yohkom.7988]

+Retro Soul I see what you mean but there is nothing wrong with the Mega Drive having a more hardcore, edgier library! Some of the must play games on the system are the likes of Ecco, Phantasy Star, Alien Soldier, Herzog Zwei, Kid Chameleon, Dynamite Headdy or Ranger X but all these games are clearly not for everyone! And this, IMO, makes the Mega Drive all the more interesting :) btw Gauntlet is an awesome port and a cool game, especially in multiplayer.

[@hermanncavalcante7616]

Around more "peripheric" audience, we heard this. Lots of pirate copies and some of them never came to the gaming press at the time. Shit. I'm 39 yo and, while I think SNES has great OSTs (TMNT4, Axelay, Chrono Trigger, etc) I still prefer Mega Drive.

[@CrossoverGameReviews]

I'll add one to the list: Verytex. It has one of the best soundtracks in the Genesis library but is the most mediocre game I have ever played.

[@xenobytek9583]

Totally agree

[@FlergerBergitydersh]

Delightfully Devilish, Seymour.

[@SpiralPegasus]

Steamed Omens, a family recipe!

[@NickRightAtYa]

From what region?

[@we-must-live]

@@NickRightAtYa of state Clock Tower!

[@KingLich451]

a classic

[@brorianszk]

I still can't believe how Seaside sounds pure and perfect. Perfection exists. We're not just brave enough to admit it.

[@1985dossantos]

This soundtrack seems magical to hear. I simply cannot stop of hearing it!!!

[@brorianszk]

I can relate.

[@DarKKnightt07]

Damn, the sheer quality of this music is just incredible.

[@GaliMercury]

WHOA. That choir in the Stage 7 theme! It sounds way, way too realistic to sound as if it's coming from a Mega Drive. The amount of depth here is unbelievable.

[@GaliMercury]

Actually, no! It's just two FM channels with one of them being detuned by ten cents and delayed by a second, basically. This game's driver PCM capabilities aren't so good, so a choir sample would probably sound awful through the DAC channel.

[@6581punk]

FM can do choir sounds. There was a stunning one on the Yamaha Montage synth I had, obviously infinity more powerful FM in that than the Genesis.

[@Jordan_GoryJory_Lurie]

Not only one of the greatest scores on the Genesis but, honestly one of the greatest scores in gaming. Sakamoto's work is just an absolute stunner -- and all for a bloody pin-ball game! "Prairie" would be right at home on Keith Emerson/Goblin's score for "The Church."

[@Arazi124]

This soundtrack is absolutely fantastic and so nostalgic to listen to, it takes me right back to the mid 1990's whenever I hear it. The whole of it is great but I'd highlight Intro, Waterfalls, Clock Tower & Prarie. Intro & Waterfalls are both stunningly beautiful. Clock Tower is majestic & Praire is so powerful & epic. Hitoshi Sakimoto created a masterpiece.

[@dominon929]

Such an underrated SG game but it has super mesmerizing background music.

[@kabutops87]

This soundtrack sounds likes its from a lost Castlevania game. I love it

[@Vysethedetermined2]

Years ago, I mentioned that Devilish was definitely in a league of its own when it came to sound clarity and richness for a Mega Drive game...MD possesses games with terrific soundtracks, but the quality and clarity of Devilish always stood out amongst the rest...glad to revisit the music many years later and see that my opinion and thoughts on the sound will not change any time soon. Hitoshi Sakimoto is one of my top composers...probably in my top 5, and I'm not too keen on "top" lists.

[@Esteban_LeGrafx]

Vysethedetermined2 Still one of the highlights of the entire Genesis/MD library of soundtracks. Absolutely phenomenal. Bravo.

[@yohkom.7988]

+Vysethedetermined2 Technically, Devilish is up there for sure but is not alone, still among atmospheric music, Gauntlet IV or Master of Monsters are of the same level (both also by Sakimoto) and without solely sticking to atmospheric music, there are plenty of others Mega Drive soundtracks which are also up there such as Thunder Force IV, Batman & Robin, Castlevania Bloodlines, Vapor Trail, Elemental Master, Wiz 'n Liz or the unreleased Time Trax. And there are also all the unofficial works, just check out Savaged Regime or ChiptunedRaijin youtube channels to see what I mean. But music doesn't necessarily need to be crazy technical to be good, some of my favorite Mega Drive music are also the likes of Aero Blasters or Columns III which aren't especially technical but are still freaking sweet!

[@hikaruk.981]

I'd put Verytex up on that list, too. Sakimoto used his own sound driver for the Gen/MD and was able to make it sound like the more fully-featured X68000 FM.

[@6581punk]

FM synthesis was difficult to understand. When mastered it can do a wide range of sounds well.

[@BATTIS94]

Sega Genesis sounds awesome when people know how to use its chip.

[@supermariobro93]

Boy, Hitoshi Sakimoto can really make the Genesis' audio chips SING! (Both FM and PSG)

[@RAZKEN.]

HOLY SHIT! I can't believe this level of soundquality comes from a Genesis!

[@alienspacebat5218]

The waterfall theme is downright *majestic.*

[@dmenor686]

Underrated gem. This game is amazing

[@KimonoFlareonGX]

I'll say this right now, Sakimoto Hitoshi is a friggin' genius.

[@hikaruk.981]

A composer who wasn't afraid to use the PSG for all it was worth.

[@GaliMercury]

+Hikaru Kitsune He's smart. When he runs out of FM channels to use for delaying effects, he uses the PSG instead. The Air Passage theme is an excellent example, as he actually uses an FM voice very similar to the square waves the PSG chip produces and _then_ uses the PSG to carry an echo for that patch. It's absolutely brilliant. And since there are still at least five other beefy FM patches being used for accompaniment, it sounds extra full.

[@autumnbrushtail]

+Hikaru Kitsune And In the Waterfalls level, I swear he used Arpeggios a la C64/European NES games on the PSG channels. could be wrong though, It's what I hear.

[@autumnbrushtail]

+Hikaru Kitsune And In the Waterfalls level, I swear he used Arpeggios a la C64/European NES games on the PSG channels. could be wrong though, It's what I hear.

[@vuurniacsquarewave5091]

+Dane Hansen WTF I run into you here too... Yes it's arps... pretty unusual for 16-bit game music as a whole if you ask me. This stuff was more common on the Amiga if we're talking about non-8-bit, non-consoles doing arpeggios.

[@autumnbrushtail]

+za909returns Interesting... hmm... well, hi ^^; Well, considering that the SEGA Megadrive has 9 sound channels and The Amiga only having 4, there is more of a reason for using Arps or Something I like to call "Auto chords" but either way, It's a really nice sound. Hitoshi Sakimoto is my favourite composer of the 16-bit console era.

[@helldweller24]

Man the gameplay and story sound really weird.. but the soundtrack. This is what I want to hear in a Castlevania game.

[@CryingZombie666]

In an old school Castlevania game would be great.

[@marcelopires711]

Better yet, in a proper Altered Beast sequel.

[@DenkyManner]

Bloodlines had good music but nowhere this sound quality.

[@tommymorgan3749]

I agree Bloodlines would be awesome with this music!

[@DenkyManner]

I've been listening to a lot of great Mega Drive music lately, Vapor Trail, Thunder Force IV, Shinobi III etc but this is by far the most technically impressive. I don't think I would have identified it as Mega Drive, not sure what I would have thought, Amiga or something. Such a strange system, took such work to get great things from it yet when you think you've reached the limit, someone else pushes it even further.

[@danmakuman]

It can be abrasive or sweet sounding depending on the composer and/or the programmer experience with FM sound chips, and the guys behind the games you mentioned and this one are sure people who understand how to work with it, most of them worked on PCs or arcades with similar sound source. FM is so versatile and with almost infinitely posiblities with sounds. Can't say this sound like an Amiga game, but sure there are tones used here that can sound like they were sampled.

[@ODBHero1]

Goddamn, Seaside. Putting the vibes out there! 8:36

[@tonmaster189]

Sega genesis I'm proud of you

[@brorianszk]

There is a woman working on a portable Genesis VGM player: MegaGRRL Maybe you'd be proud of her work too.

[@ajbahus]

The intro title is just magical.

[@deodrejohnson6683]

This is very Incredible Hitoshi put his soul into the composition of his work 🔥🔥👌

[@darkdiguh]

I always loved the very first song. Now that im 30yo, when I look back at my childhood that very song plays on the back of my head, and it fills me with love.

[@ubernaffa]

I just heard this play at AGDQ, in the background... My WORD, what a soundtrack. I'm gonna give the game a shot, just on the basis of how good this music is.

[@VjRoboZ]

This soundtrack absolutely rocks, love this game

[@noahrentsch5062]

Oh man this ost slaps 🤟🏻🙌🏻💯 Mega drive at its finest

[@Bloodreign1]

I've said to people time and time again, the Genesis got a bad rep for sound because guys like this didn't get to do more to show people what a capable man could do with any system sound chip he got his hands on. Would've loved to hear what he could do with an SNES, considering how impressive his Mega Drive music compositions were like. He also did Gradius V's OST, the game itself I'm not as high on as it's prequels, but the OST is something that will be pleasant to your eardrums, sounding beautiful and epic at the same time.

[@plok7533]

When I first heard the music to this, and with an epic title like "Devilish/Bad Omen", I thought "Wow! This game must be so badass!" ...Until I played it.

[@plok7533]

The soundtrack went waaay above and beyond the quality of the actual game. It doesn't really fit it... but damn, is it a beauty to hear. I'm glad this soundtrack exists regardless of what game it's from. But this is just my opinion. I'm sure someone out there must've liked the unusually quirky gameplay.

[@brorianszk]

@@plok7533 The soundtrack is fantastic!

[@matthewmiguel8108]

Those sound design are lit! One of the best from the genesis.

[@recklesflam1ngo968]

Real shame this game was never released in PAL regions (except for a weird game-gear port)

[@Trid3nt861]

the intro is my favorite.

[@rockmanhunter]

Japanese Developer: Devilish, Thunder Force IV, Bio-Hazard Battle, Shinobi, Streets of Rage. American Developer: GEMS

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Also American Developer: Dune II and Comic Zone.

[@bellaambiens]

Such a good use of the MD soundchip...awesome !

[@battokizu]

What a devilish sound

[@carmasnature818]

Still with some angel beats to it

[@monsterjazzlicks]

Great patches !! esp. BASS in Intro. Brilliant ideas throughout actually !

[@GabasBrene]

man, This game was part of my childhood, thank you for posting this video

[@CryingZombie666]

hi

[@talitadelania5414]

pure gold

[@yohkom.7988]

Amazing! CD quality atmospheric tunes (stages 2 and 7), beats the SNES at its own game cuz here it's crisper and clearer (SNES is always muffled unless it uses the recent MSU1 chip) while on the other hand I've yet to hear on SNES something as good as Thunder Force IV or Adventures of Batman & Robin!

[@brorianszk]

Yeah, lots of SNES games sounded like it was recorded in a plastic box.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Plok's boss theme shows it can do Megadrive style music with the right composer behind it. But generally, the bar for escaping the usual limitations on either system was set too high for most contract developers to even attempt.

[@TotallyGoodatGames]

Absolutely mind-boggling that this is coming out of a SEGA Genesis. It sounds too full and too fat to be a Genesis! That's just plain incredible.

[@retrosoul8770]

Not at all, the Gen Yamaha 2612+PSG combo were always capable of such a clear, full sound, it's that American developers used an awful sound driver for the Genesis called "Gems", which made practically every game sound like thin cracks and farts, thus creating the terrible fallacy that the Genesis "has bad sound". But in capable hands as we see here and other places (mostly Japanese games), it's quite fantastic and holds up very, very well.

[@jeremym9011]

Exactly. This game system DESERVED to have the Japanese make games for it but did they? NO. Tom Kalinske knew the system was FAILING in Japan compared to Nintendo and the PC-Engine, so what did he do? Simple- Hire AMERICAN and EUROPEAN developers to make games for the system which was a bad idea.

[@retrosoul8770]

Well, having more devs produce games for your console isn't really a bad idea, but designing a piece of shi* sound driver and distributing that driver to every American developer...yes, that, was indeed an awful idea. So was the 32X, and arbitrary making games more difficult for god knows what reason, and launching the Saturn early and...you get the idea. Sega was a tragic mess of poor choices and decision making.

[@Jamie-yp7qz]

@@jeremym9011 Not all western devs made bad music on the Genesis. Red Zone was done by European devs, and that game had excellent music. There's quite a few more to choose from as well.

[@dytallixx1268]

I got chills on the Intro

[@tonmasboy]

I have bad omen that few people I mean few people will know these soundtracks

[@carmasnature818]

Must be an sign of signs omens

[@menordub2048]

Its potent its beautifull

[@TheRealHedgehogSonic]

The intro is one of my favorites in the soundtrack. It's a shame in the game it cuts off right as the good part kicks in.

[@bsdims]

Stage 5 is one of the best tracks in this game in my opinion

[@TheJasonCastle]

And a big fucking pain in the ass because of those jellies locking you in place over and over. Took me decades to get past it.

[@bsdims]

Dayum son

[@potatortheomnipotentspud]

I wasn't even playing the game, but when I was watching a longplay,when it got there, and they kept hitting the Salvador Dali masterpieces, even I got irritated.

[@alienspacebat5218]

It's one of the best underwater tracks on the Genesis too. I'm not sure it could sound as good on the Super Nintendo...

[@brorianszk]

My favorite. If there was a ten hours version I'd listen to it whithout even losing my focus.

[@glauberluis2926]

Volcano rules!!!

[@andersonandrade7994]

Air Passage! The best in my opinion.

[@kaishiden6181]

Masterful!

[@psyvientx7407]

This is nuts!

[@TriangularOrb]

Wow! This was on the Genesis? I didn't hear a single farty noise in the whole soundtrack!

[@Hayatenogotokuluey]

I think the composser was Hitoshi Sakamoto. Still popular Until now. He done GREAT works

[@hondacb400f5]

The composer is Masahiko Ishida(石田雅彦) . He also composed "Image Fight".

[@GabasBrene]

bad omen jogo da minha infância, me faz refletir por que o mundo ta uma bosta agora...

[@MindReader_PEI]

never heard of this game until this video, apparently this is a Breakout clone!? the soundtrack makes it sound like an action-platformer like wtf

[@brorianszk]

Yeah it's that kind of game but in Devilish you have to cross a level as fast as you can because of time limit. You control 2 bars and one of them can be used vertically.

[@Hayatenogotokuluey]

Not really but both of them are AWESOME!!! I couldn't tell who won.

[@FinalLuigi]

1:37 Someone needs to make a version that says 'Bad Hombres'.

[@GabasBrene]

puta jogasso esse bad omen, a pessoa que criou essa trilha sonora tem meu respeito

[@decapattack]

Hitoshi Sakimoto. O mesmo cara que fez a trilha sonora de Final Fantasy Tactics de PS1 e Odin Sphere de PS2, dentre váááários outros jogos. O cara é bom!

[@tonmasboy]

Midnight resistence and Verytex

[@ayhanamtrak221]

8:36 👍👍👏👏

[@teyoru]

this is the Final Fantasy Tactics guy, right?

[@Devyatto9]

A lot of people shitting on this masterpiece. Seems like nobody actually played it.

[@carmasnature818]

Yeah usually the music is like the pilot to get you to introduce yourself to at least the intro of the game

[@menordub2048]

Seaside

[@VjRoboZ]

The chords ma brada

[@Isoquant]

Hard to believe some of these sounds are coming from the old YM-2612!

[@falcolombardi6570]

Reminds me so much of the ThunderForce games.

[@carmasnature818]

Musically speaking I could guess to agree also too

[@takina7519]

7 stage good!!!

[@bach_saikou]

Masterpiece.

[@VjRoboZ]

Yeah ma brada a masterpiece

[@CNCGuy]

Devilish sega game - Prarie remix

[@bsdims]

Techniclly "time's Running Out" should've been infinite since it lasts literally forever making this vid the longest vid in humanity XD hah, i'm just joking around

[@Hayatenogotokuluey]

AGred!! Also reminds me of thunder force IV.

[@carmasnature818]

Defeat the boss Satan Final boss big boss God lord "times running out!"

[@netoantonio]

"intro" is great

[@carmasnature818]

Must be hot blooded

[@carmasnature818]

Hot bipolar type blood b

[@carmasnature818]

Bad omen bad damn bad sign

[@carmasnature818]

Hot blooded

[@desktorp]

I thought it said _Devilfish._

[@CompassionSaint]

I just like the remake of the video 🎮 game music some of these songs could be my theme song

[@Dark_Warrior99]

08:36 : I Feel Dreamy

[@carmasnature818]

Whom the bad omen and whom is the O ol good one?!?!the true she devilish one 😈😇

[@fosterglucose3214]

OMG who composed this!

[@m.steward9146]

Hitoshi Sakamoto

[@menordub2048]

Show

[@carmasnature818]

hot demon blood hot blood demon😈👻😇👿

[@we-must-live]

devilish!

[@eunaoseibrother467]

um absurdo musical, nem parece um jogo de Mega Drive mas sim de algo do NEO GEO, uma pena estar numa bosta de jogo, mas é interessante saber que o Tim Follin não foi o unico artista a ter um trabalho tão foda inserido em um jogo tão merda.

[@carmasnature818]

Bad omen fox hunt 🦊🐺

[@carmasnature818]

Hot blood of Zeus devilish bad omen satan 😇🌬⚡😈

[@carmasnature818]

hot bipolar depressive disorder 😈☮️👻☯️😇

[@carmasnature818]

Bad omen bad sins

[@carmasnature818]

Whom is super olen Olnan?!?!?!

[@underthepale]

Bad Omen is a bad game. ... With an amazing soundtrack. Mostly the boss themes.

[@the-NightStar]

It absolutely the fuck is NOT a bad game.

[@FinalLuigi]

The part at 3:53 kinda reminds me of the battle theme from Werewolf: The Last Warrior. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpi6pGuGmdSGpJo Same composer, perhaps?

[@decapattack]

Werewolf was a lost weekend for me. Good graphics, music and overall but it was bad. Hold B, charge "hadouken" and thas it.s

[@supermariobro93]

Different composer.

[@vectororbitex7866]

8:36

[@flaviatatiana1953]

Sakimoto >>Koshiro