MIDI Week Singles: "Ruth" - INDIKA (VSD)

 [Semi-Disclaimer:  I received a review copy of INDIKA through Keymailer, a 3rd party website that connects publishers and developers with content creators.  While I did receive a free review key for the game, I purchased the soundtrack with my own money and I could only access the soundtrack through Steam if I already had access to the game.]

"Ruth" from INDIKA on Windows, Linux, Xbox Series S/X, & PlayStation 5 (2024)
Composer: Mike Sabadash
Album: INDIKA: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Label: 11 bit Studios
Publisher: 11 bit Studios
Developer: Odd Meter

Related to Friday's article as we look at religion in INDIKA, I did look up to see who Ruth was in the Bible and to see if there could be any specific link between the character of Ruth and Indika, the events in the game, or something to do with the music.  Well, I have some bad news on a couple of fronts.  First, I could not find a genuine link between Ruth and Indika, and I cannot remember specifically where this music cue happens in the game.  Is the cue used in its entirety or only portions of it?  I think it might have been used in the "Kudets" chapter when Indika and Ilya cross through the wood mill (I think it's a wood mill) and run across the large wolf again.  Maybe it has something to do with Indika's kindness towards Ilya, but if there is any significance between Ruth, Indika, and where this song happens I cannot say for certain.

What I do like about this song on its own is that more than most songs on the soundtrack incorporates the beautifulness that you find in songs like "Genesis" and some of the unsettlingness from songs like "Joshua" or "Isaiah" with their dissonance used to create a stark contrast between the Indika's movements and the overall somberness of the visuals.  Like "Genesis," there is an etherealness and otherworldliness to the song that nearly invokes something closer to Vangelis' score for Blade Runner, but more foreboding and less optimistic.  Maybe I'm wrong or just reaching.  

As much as I don't like a fade-out, I am normally fine with them on video game soundtracks where the songs will typically loop, but I like what was done here instead, with just a harsh cutoff that fits well within the soundtrack itself, and the overall tone of the game.  I'm not normally a fan, but it works here contextually.  Or at least I think so.

~JWfW/JDub/The Faceplantman/Jaconian
Damnation My Insane