In the realm of action-adventure games, what truly fills you with the spirit of the game—all else considered—is the soundtrack and the fantastic world it creates around what you are playing.
While some simply complement the game, others truly immerse you to such an extent that you feel you have driven a ship or have been transported to Miami in the 80s.
Here are seven soundtracks from action-adventure games that not only create worlds in your head, but also linger in your memory years after you first heard it:
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
When composer Brian Tyler crafted a score worthy of the high seas for arguably one of the best games in the franchise, he did so understanding the idea of a "merry life and a short one".
Indeed, the score flows like the sea—turbulent and charged during fights on land and at sea, and soft and calm during pleasant weather around Great Inagua—with the use of not just acoustic guitars and violins, but also a range of percussion instruments for every level of intensity.
To round it all off, you have the sea shanties that Kenway's crew sings with a lot of heart, adding nuance to what is already a memorable score.
Watch Dogs
Unlike his avant-garde score for NBC's Hannibal TV series, which showed various stages of disturbance, Brian Reitzell's music for Watch Dogs tries to convey the constant battle of chaos and control that is at the heart of the game.
Using metallic synths and industrial beats, his music for the game sounds almost atonal, giving you a feel for Aiden Pierce's dangerous life in a postmodern, technocratic Chicago.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
If you weren't already driving a Ferrari Daytona through the streets of Miami, Lex Horton's score for GTA: Vice City is sure to take you there.
Being a Rockstar Games insider, Horton would have been perfectly placed to know what went behind making one of the franchise's most beloved games.
This led him to create a score that is straight out of the 80s—not just because of its synth-heavy theme song, but also songs on the radio from some of the best voices out of that time, such as Bryan Adams, Laura Branigan, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Richie.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
When Jesper Kyd worked his magic for one of the best trilogies in Ubisoft's history, he ended up making music that endured far more than the other games—to the point where it is still often used in social media reels of the other Assassin's Creed games.
Kyd doesn't just combine music from 15th century Italy and modern times by using both finger-played guitar and synths, you also get a wide variety of layers in between.
This includes martial percussion during fights, Gregorian chants, darker vocals, and more, and yet, it stays remarkably cohesive with Ezio's personality and storyline.
Ghost of Tsushima
One of the main reasons why Sucker Punch's beloved title is such a love letter to Japanese tradition—apart from the narrative and the art design—is the gorgeous soundtrack.
It sees two composers—Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi—take the utmost care to blend various aspects of the game into one set of scores.
While Eshkeri draws from traditional Japanese folk music to create character-specific themes, Umebayashi mixes tense rhythms with the occasional eerie score to create an edge-of-your-seat suite that adds to Jin Sakai's world.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
It takes more than just stereotypical Arabic music to get at the heart of what makes the Prince of Persia series fantastic in a literary sense.
Composer Staurt Chatwood from the Canadian rock band, The Tea Party, understood this perfectly, creating a crazed blend of Arabesque and Nu metal music for the game that set the benchmark for the future games.
Indian instruments, such as the tabla and the sitar, were also used to add flavour to the mix.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
When veteran composer Henry Jackman was roped into the last game of Naughty Dog's beloved Nathan Drake, it was imperative he deliver a score fitting for the send-off.
While many have debated whether he lived up to Greg Edmonson's sweeping orchestral scores, one thing is perfectly clear: Jackman's weathered, potent score easily stands on its merits.
By capturing the highs and lows of Drake's last adventure, it is truly a moving piece that gives you a chance at closure with not just him, but also the series as a whole.