It’s a pity I haven’t played Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion more than I have. It was a fantastic blend of the scale of a Master of Orion style game with real-time strategy, and did a lot of great things. It was streamlined in just the right ways, the factions featured some interesting differences, the whole system of bounties and pirates was genius, and the interface made controlling everything a breeze.
I’ve got a particular soft spot for the soundtrack though. The soundtrack is hampered by the fact that it’s all being played by a digital orchestra, but Paul Schuegraf’s work still, in my mind, makes for a brilliant accompaniment for epic space combat. He composed a couple hours’ worth of music so that the game could dynamically shift to different tracks based on the action taking place on screen. It works very well, partly because everything he’d composed for the game just screams EPIC SPACE OPERA with every melodramatic note and brass fanfare, but also because each of the three races featured a distinctive musical style.
You can hear them in the Rebellion re-release theme: first the overture, and then we move into the TEC’s heroic strings and militaristic marching drums. Next is the plucked strings, blaring brass and muted percussion of the Vasari, the remnants of an ancient empire. Then comes the Advent’s vocals, contrasting with their own take on a menacing military march. Finally it’s wrapped up with a return of the opening Rebellion theme. It’s incredibly melodramatic and frankly over the top at points, but I love it all the same.
Plus, if you haven’t already noticed, Sins of a Solar Empire is probably one of the best video game titles ever.
