PushSquareSotD Death Stranding 1

We’re listing the ten best Soundtracks of the Decade. These are the ten PlayStation scores released over the past decade that we believe left the biggest impression on our sonic palettes. Whether it’s Journey's Grammy nominated masterpiece or Destiny’s 8 movement symphony, these are the soundtracks that hit the best notes across the last ten incredible years of gaming. Head here to see the complete series.

Seeing 'A Hideo Kojima Game', or some variation thereof, on the package for a game usually brings with it certain expectations: a convoluted but engaging story, interesting characters, exhaustive attention towards small details. And, of course, a good soundtrack. The Metal Gear series has some of the best known music in gaming, but thanks to the combined efforts of composer Ludvig Forssell and band Low Roar, Death Stranding offers up a new benchmark in excellence.

While the gameplay of Death Stranding has proven to be rather divisive among fans, it’s hard to argue the soundtrack as anything but sublime. Forssell’s synth music zeroes in the general feel of the world Kojima has crafted. The synths backdrop many of the scarier moments in the game, and ultimately end up perfectly encapsulating the pure horror set-pieces that you can stumble your way into when there are any BTs afoot. Even just listening to the soundtrack in isolation, the music brings such a sense of dread with it, that it’s difficult to not be enraptured by the soundscape.

However, the game is obviously not purely a horror experience. The game’s walking simulator aspects offer something a bit more relaxed, and as such a different sound enters the fray. This is where the delightful, calming music by Low Roar comes into play. Death Stranding features more than 20 tracks from the band, and they have a knack of kicking in during the game’s most beautiful moments. A game as beautiful as this deserves beautiful music and it gets it in spades between Low Roar and Forssell.

And that’s to say nothing of the handful of additional bands that contributed music to the larger world of Death Stranding via an additional supplemental EP. Featuring bands like Bring Me the Horizon and CHVRCHES, there's plenty of licensed audio in the outing, and is rather fantastic in its own right, but it’s not used with the same precision as that of Forssell or Low Roar.

How did you feel about Death Stranding? Did you fall on the "love it" side or the "hate it" one? How about the music? Let us know in the comments.