About the Soundtrack: "SimAnimals" is a new release in the Sims videogame franchise and opens up a whole new world of interactivity with its theme of wildlife environments. On to write the score for the videogame is the talented, Winifred Phillips, a composer who has carved out a nice niche in the genre of game music. Available commercially, some key purchase options include Amazon.com and iTunes for listeners who seek to take the music out of the forest and into their media players!
What You Need to Know: The Sims franchise must be a bit of a challenge to write music for due to the real-time nature of it, but Winifred (and producer Winnie Waldron) created a warm, atmospheric score that is in tune with the needs of the production. At first, I was taken aback by some of the sound effects (e.g.- birds chirping) but once I was able to embrace the audio effects, I became accepting of the flow and responded to the music in a very relaxed fashion.
The interesting part about "SimAnimals" is the integration of its music into the very fabric of the gameplay. While some of it doesn't translate as well to just listening to it on its own, one gets the sense that the music is very much in tune with the development and trajectory of the possible storylines that develop while playing the game. This is very much a score that pays attention to detail.
The moments on the soundtrack that clicked best with me are the uplifting cues that push across the warmer tones of music. A track such as "Trailhead" sets an effective baseline in this regard with soft melodies mixed in with gentle background effects. A blend such as this creates a rather dreamy effect and in some sense, reminded me of New Age music. Truly, "SimAnimals" is in no hurry to speed you through the listening experience, rather, it's set up for the listener to enjoy the journey in an unrushed manner.
The overall style of the score is simplicity by design. The orchestral instruments don't flourish in great numbers, rather, individual instruments are highlighted throughout the cues of the soundtrack. Nothing overbearing here! With that, I also think this would be a neat album to play for those of you who have little tykes at home; there is a sense of innocence about the work which I think little ones would respond favorably to.
Final Score: "SimAnimals" may not fit in with fans who relish more of a cinematic flow with their scores, but there is a uniqueness about this soundtrack that should be sought out and appreciated. At the very least, this is the type of work that one can muse to.
