Jim Guthrie once again has done a very successful job. This will probably end up on the IFMCA nomination list for “Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature”.

Score: 9/10

Maybe You’ll Get Some, Maybe You Won’t - 5/5 Syncing Feeling - 5/5 Army of Assholes - 5/5 A Row Of Circles - 4/5 Proof Of Something - 5/5 Toy Computer - 5/5 A Glow You Know - 5/5 The Red Bull - 4/5 Last We Spoke - 4/5 Monsters - 4/5 Lobby Music - 4/5 The Fantabulous World Of Jimmy 3 Guts 4/5 The Other Castle - 5/5 Young Lungs - 5/5 Waiting For Gomez - 4/5 My Deepest Flaws And Vulnerabilities - 4/5 Big Win - 4/5 Trust - 5/5 Chips at Sea - 4/5 Forever Beta - 4/5 Harsh Tags Pt 1 - 4/5 The Maelstrom - 4/5 Harsh Tags Pt 2 - 5/5 Sympathetic Syntax - 4/5

The world of Indie Games is rising very fast nowadays and the reason for this is that this kind of games don’t have boundaries, are very unique and always try and bring something new in the game world. This documentary, created by James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, follows 3 separate stories for the games Super Meat Boy, FEZ and Braid. The documentary opens up the door into the crazy world of Indie Game development and shows the pressure, hard work and in the end the happines that this people are going through to create their game and realize their dreams.

The score is composed by Jim Guthrie who is very popular among indie gamers and game music listeners. He is a Canadian composer/singer best known for his album “Now, More Than Ever” and for scoring an indie adventure game called “Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP” which makes him a perfect choice for this documentary. His experimental distinguished style from “Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery” is all over this soundtrack.

The soundtrack starts very strong with a very sweet melody played by a xylophone in “ Maybe You’ll Get Some, Maybe You Won’t” (1). In the second part of the cue comes the synth and opens the cue at which point your inner child will jump. The same melody continues in “The Other Castle” (13), but it’s more quiet and closed.

“Syncing Feeling” (2) is a dark motif cue with a simple piano expressing those awful moments of the developers in the movie. It’s one of those cues on the soundtrack that you don’t want to hear on repeat. Right in the next cue “Army of Assholes” (3) the fun continues with a filtered trumpet in the beginning and then joining in a xylophone which is featured in a couple of tracks on the soundtrack and a guitar pad. It’s a simple and effective cue.

“Proof Of Something” (5) is a very thoughtful cue playing in the background when they show Johnathan Blow, creator of Braid, for the first time in the movie. The beginning of the cue sounds like you are listening to it backwards, which absolutely captures the sound and dynamic of Braid.

Jim Guthrie has a very minimalistic approach but that’s why he excels in sound design and creates mesmerizing sounds which with a little guitar here and there or other instrument capture the moment perfectly making things easy and enjoyable for listening. “Toy Computer”(6) and “A Glow You Know” (7) are the cues that integrate everything that is in the previous sentence.

“The Red Bull” (8) reminds me a lot of the Tron Legacy Soundtrack. Maybe it’s because of that synth sequence in the beginning or maybe because it has a similar buildup. “Monsters”(10) has a very nice guitar but it’s very short and doesn’t reach a culmination. The guitar plays a significant part in the next cues especially in “The Fantabulous World Of Jimmy 3 Guts” (12).

“Young Lungs” (14) is my favorite cue from the soundtrack and I can listen it for hours (already have done this). It starts quietly with simple chords on a guitar and then comes the second part of the cue when a synth, drums and an awesome guitar melody collide and create an unforgettable experience. The second best is a tie between “Trust” (18) and “Maybe You’ll Get Some, Maybe You Won’t” (1). “Trust” (18) is an original song from a previous album from Guthrie called “A Thousand Songs”. It’s a lo-fi indie song that plays when the credits roll tricking you to stay just to finish listening this great song.

“Chips at Sea” (19) is an interesting cue with a choir in the background for a couple of seconds and is the closest thing to a chiptune cue. “Harsh Tags Pt 1” (21) and “Harsh Tags Pt 2” (23) are very enjoyable cues with a cameo from Jim Guthrie’s cat in the background.

With “Indie Game: The Movie”, Jim Guthrie once again has done a very successful job. In the movie the score works very well and excels every moment when it sweeps from the background. Just the soundtrack is also enjoyable, clearing your mind and making you relax. Game music listeners, synth lovers and open minded will enjoy this soundtrack more than the non synth, only orchestra lovers. This will probably end up on the IFMCA nomination list for “Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature” and it won’t be a surprise even if it wins.

Buy it from: Amazon or iTunes