Pull up a chair and quaff some hearty ale, for today we’re going to look at Blizzard’s game-within-a-game-universe, Hearthstone. Now, Hearthstone’s soundtrack is a lovely, generally mellow experience, but that’s not what I wanted to explore.
I mean, maybe some other time — Blizzard certainly doesn’t skimp on its music — but a while back I started to clue in to the fact that the Hearthstone team had way too much fun creating these catchy and clever jingles for the game’s trailers. These trailer songs usually bounced from genre to genre, delivering high-energy tunes that often reveled in the zany and bizarre. That seemed very much worth a column, and so after listening through the entire list of trailer songs to date, I pulled out eight of the best that deserve a listen or two.
Goblins vs. Gnomes
This one is kind of opera mixed with a children’s Saturday morning cartoon theme, and the result is a snappy but oh-so-short ditty that sticks in my head for days.
Kobolds & Catacombs
I like the bardic style of this trailer that creates this epic tune… for Kobolds. Plus, that musical stinger is absolutely appropriate for this race’s greatest obsession.
Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
Can you dig this sleezy, gangster-inspired track? It’s like something that came out of a demented lounge full of unsavory types. Wouldn’t you want to hang out here too?
The League of Explorers
I think that the League is one of the greatest NPC groups ever created by Blizzard, and they have an appropriately stirring group song. As with many of these trailer tracks, I simply wish that it was longer, but at least there’s the replay option!
Rastakhan’s Rumble
This right here might well be my favorite of the whole bunch. It’s got an insanely catchy riff and by the second playthrough, I’m singing loudly along with it. “One victor wins the confrontation…!”
The Boomsday Project
How hilarious is this ’80s style infomercial? Of course there’s a lot of reverb and a simple but effective jingle involved. Also, explosions and disclaimers.
The Witchwood
This track reminded me a lot of a classic Disney animated movie tune. There’s a neat back-and-forth between a man and woman, and I adore their voices merging together in the second half.
Saviors of Uldum
Speaking of ’80s tunes, obviously the team drew a lot of inspiration from that era for this song. I mean, can’t you imagine this popping up on MTV in 1986? If Murlocs had been a thing back then, of course.
MMOs are meant to be heard as well as seen, and chances are that music ties your memories to these games more than you might realize. Every two weeks Jukebox Heroes listens through a game soundtrack and picks out the highlights to share and discuss. And if you like this column, then don’t miss the author’s MMO music podcast, Battle Bards!
