A soundtrack 27 years in the making: folks, I give you Infinity!
Okay, that’s not quite the whole story. In truth, this soundtrack was nearly complete by 2001. In 2002, after the game was canceled, the team self-published a digital collection. Then, in 2016, Materia Collective worked with the team to publish an updated version of the OST to match the latest ROM release of Infinity, which was coming together but still not officially published as a standalone title. Now, in 2026, we have the OST in its complete form, including the newly written bonus track from Yuzo Koshiro, thanks to the game and soundtrack publication from Incube8 Games.
History lesson aside, the big question is if a Game Boy Color soundtrack can make a splash in 2026. Maybe not for everyone. However, I’ll happily acknowledge my bias toward chiptunes, especially from the NES and Game Boy. The hard limitation of three music channels and one noise/effect channel forces composers to write economically, making more out of less. For this project, lead composer Eric E. Hache, alongside audio engineer Mathew Valente, has made something worthy to join the ranks of classics like Final Fantasy Legend II or the Famicom Fire Emblem titles.
In terms of sheer musicality, there aren’t a lot of twists or turns. Most songs are in common time signatures (4/4, 3/4). Chord progressions and other harmonic choices tend to be simple and natural, with the exception of some battle themes (“A Deadly Foe”) or songs where a modal scale is appropriate (“Kassim Oasis”). But I cannot stress enough how perfectly Hache and Valente maximized the hardware’s strengths with catchy melodies, syncopated patterns, and voicing that stretched these chiptunes to their limit.
In this regard, the Infinity OST is every bit as strong as some of the best NES and Game Boy RPG soundtracks. I’d argue it’s notably stronger than many soundtracks from this era of 8-bit hardware, including Revelations: The Demon Slayer (aka Last Bible) from Atlus and SNK’s Crystalis. From the imposing and memorable title track “Infinity,” to the intriguing Ace Attorney-esque “Mysteries Afoot,” to the zany “Madman Parade,” Infinity comes out the gate swinging. If this were a frontloaded affair, I’d have to go on to lament a decline in quality from here, which I’ve often encountered with older soundtracks.
In the OST’s middle portion, we get plenty of great town and dungeon themes. “Cave Theme” is a deceptively simple piece of music with some fantastic bassline work, keeping the vibes eerie without sacrificing an enjoyable tonal experience. In “The Great Forest,” we get a great mix of syncopation between melody and bass, as well as a fantastic lift in the music with the power of modulation. “Frozen in Time” is one of my favorite dungeon themes, with Valente demonstrating expert use of the limited tools available to create an impressive 8-bit soundscape. I’m talking oscillation, reverb, even panning — something the NES could not do but Game Boy could, since NES audio was monoaural but Game Boy was stereo from day one! I love the synergy between Hache’s composing and Valente’s mixing on many tracks, but it’s most evident with “Frozen in Time.”
The final portion of the soundtrack is also packed with great music. But I’m going to zoom in on a single track, the most recently composed of the bunch. That’s right, with the power of Kickstarter crowdfunding, the developers were able to rope in veteran composer Yuzo Koshiro for one track! This is a special battle theme, “Another Challenger Enters.” And how fitting for it to be Koshiro, who in the last two decades became well-known for creating music on two levels: high quality synths and older sound sources (including 8-bit chiptunes). Koshiro’s work on the Etrian Odyssey series is legendary, and he doesn’t hold back with this fast-paced, rock-infused battle anthem. While I love the in-game version, there’s more to say about Koshiro’s contribution on the Arranged Soundtrack review. In this form, I think it’s on-par with Hache’s “The Final Battle.”
This is a relatively short game. On the easiest difficulty setting, I was able to clear it in under ten hours. On higher difficulty, and in seeking out all optional content, it took about fifteen hours. For RPGs of decades gone by, a shorter game means a shorter soundtrack. This soundtrack clocks in at just over an hour, putting it in the same range as Final Fantasy III on NES. Some tracks win me over more easily than others, but there isn’t a single miss on the entire Infinity OST. And, while I definitely appreciate the music more since I have the game’s context in mind, I think chiptune fans of all stripes can find something to love, so be sure to check it out!
