A Virus Named TOM Soundtrack Review

• Reviewed by: Mark Goninon
• Name: A Virus Named TOM Soundtrack Review
• Label: Misfits Attic
• Composer(s): Ian Hicks (Anoctave)
• Number of Tracks: 8

I mentioned before how I acquired the puzzle game A Virus Named TOM via the Humble Freedom Bundle earlier this year; what I didn't mention is that I happened to get the soundtrack included as part of the package – choice!

The soundtrack to A Virus Named TOM only contains 8 tracks of 192 kbps MP3s. All of them are composed by a chap named Ian Hicks (Anoctave) who has worked on music on games such as Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball, Soundodger+ as well as a bunch of Namco Bandai and [adult swim] games. Despite not containing many tracks, I'm pretty sure that it contains all the music that features in the game (well, all the ones that aren't in the cinematics) so you shouldn't be missing out on too much. On the soundtrack's Steam page, it says that the soundtrack is inspired by the likes of Daft Punk and while it's definitely got its fair share of funky and groovy tracks, I think the ROCKETSROCKETSROCKETS soundtrack emulates the Daft Punk sound better than this one.

Unlike the game which I found to be a bit too difficult for my liking, I found it quite easy to get into the soundtrack since just about every track is a winner here, except for maybe "Mind Games" which I feel is a bit too short and while its playful mix of bass and cymbals works well, it's not as strong an offering as other tracks on the album. One of my favourites has to be "Norton Provirus", not only because it's a pun, but also because it has a lot of funky syncopated rhythms, similar to the first track on the album "Infiltrate". The rest of the soundtrack has toe-tapping 90s dance vibes thanks to "Ghost Machine", robotic Daft Punk style numbers such as "Badvoca", oldschool disco inspired tracks like "130 Little Viruses" and VGM-style tracks such as "Facepalm" (which has a Mario/chiptune feel) and "Galaxy Collides" (an aggressive, dubstep inspired track with an Alexander Brandon MOD sound to it towards the end).

Score – 9/10

There's really not much more to say here besides the fact this soundtrack is awesome and well worth the $3 USD. Despite the album being quite short it's very much quality over quantity especially for those into VGM, chiptunes and funky syncopated rhythms.

If you're interested in purchasing the soundtrack, it's available for $2.99 USD on Steam.