Ludvig Forssell's expanded score for Death Stranding is the definitive version of his work on the original game. "Once, There Was an Explosion" opens with the weight of Kojima's apocalyptic premise, and "BB's Theme" remains one of the most emotionally devastating pieces of video game music written in the last decade.
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That simple melody carried an entire game's worth of paternal anxiety and love. "Beached Things" and "Claws of the Dead" are pure dread, the sounds of BT encounters rendered in strings and electronics that make your controller vibrate in your memory.
"Heartman" and "Fragile" are character themes that capture their namesakes with surgical precision. "Stick vs Rope" distills Kojima's central philosophy into music, somehow. "A Final Waltz" is exactly what it sounds like, elegant and terminal.
The expanded edition adds material that the original release left out, filling gaps in the score that players noticed. "Cargo High" captures the oddly addictive satisfaction of a perfect delivery, "Porter Syndrome" nails the compulsive need to help strangers, and "Mules" brings the frantic energy of those cargo-obsessed enemies.
"Frozen Space" and "The Timefall" are atmospheric pieces that make the game's hostile weather systems feel personal. This is the version of the score that the game deserved from the start.