I have to put in some more time on Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine to really get a good sense of it, but so far I’m lovin’ it. It’s been in development for years by Andy Schatz and his Pocketwatch Games: a team smaller than the one responsible for the credit scroll in Bioshock Infinite. It has a handcrafted feel, full of the kind of detail and personality that’s only possibility from a small team of developers.
The game is a candy colored caper movie with a Pac-Mac/Frozen Synapse style to it. Watch the trailer to get an idea of how it plays, but for this post I want to point you at this link for the soundtrack by Austin Wintory.
Wintory already has one Grammy nomination to his credit for his soundtrack to the game Journey, and his ragtime-style silent-movie score for Monaco should net him a second. I tweeted about it to Joseph Susanka, who declared that he had now found the soundtrack for the rest of his life. Play the title track while you’re doing anything–say, washing the dishes–and all of a sudden you’re Douglas Fairbanks. It’s just a whole lot of fun, particularly if you’re a fan of silent film.
You can buy it straight from the composer for $6, or I also found it streaming on Rdio.
UPDATE: Austin Wintory tagged me on Facebook to bring my attention to this offer, which includes the soundtrack and an additional collection of music inspired by the game for only $9 total. And it has a great commercial:
K-tel, eat your heart out.
NOTE: Posts are going to be short and scattered as I finish my semester and take finals. Should be back on schedule soon.
Wonderful Things 