Discovering the Deus Ex soundtrack, I tried to recall the game’s music. I couldn’t, but I swore it fit perfectly with the cyberpunk dystopia of the game. Upon first listening to the soundtrack, I was not impressed, and I thought perhaps that my memory had created a falsely perfect conception of one of my favorite games. After spending more time with the music of Deus Ex, however, I realized its ingenuity: subtlety.
There was a reason I could not remember the music in specific terms, only the atmosphere it generated. The Deus Ex soundtrack is a quiet, subtle one, lacking in cinematic flair and boisterous orchestral crescendos. Instead, the soundtrack features subdued sounds and hidden melodies that percolate over time to produce a sense of dystopian near-future complete with cybernetic implants and mechanical oppressive machines. Many of the soundtrack’s selections exclusively convey this image, such as “Intro Sequence” and “UNATCO.” Others add variations upon the theme, such as the Asian influence in “The Synapse” and the borderline classical feel of “Paris Streets.” There are action tracks as well, although the soundtrack is at its best in the very beginning with the main title theme, one of the best to date.
In all its subtlety, the Deus Ex soundtrack might not make a perfect listening experience outside of the game, but even then it begins to seep into the wrinkles of one’s brain like so many pleasing cybernetic implants. In the context of the game, however, the soundtrack will make you think back and remember inspecifically how badass the music must have been…
