Maken X is one of Atlus's most underrated experiments -- a first-person action game directed by Kazuma Kaneko on the Dreamcast -- and its soundtrack is a fascinatingly dark, atmospheric affair that perfectly suits the game's globe-trotting conspiracy plot.
Read more
The location themes are the real stars here, each one capturing a distinct sense of place as you "brainjack" your way across the world. "Hong Kong" pulses with urban energy, "Istanbul" layers in Middle Eastern-influenced textures, "Transylvania" goes full gothic dread, and "Amsterdam" has a cold, electronic edge.
It's like a musical world tour filtered through Atlus's signature occult lens. "Brainjack" itself is a brilliantly unsettling piece that captures the body-horror concept at the game's core -- the idea of a sentient sword possessing people is creepy enough, and the music leans into that discomfort.
"Andrei's Infiltration" sets the opening mission's tension perfectly, while "Airship Invaded by Enemy Forces" and "Airborne" deliver propulsive action scoring. The boss themes hit hard, with "Last Boss" in particular bringing a sense of apocalyptic stakes that matches the game's wild endgame about reshaping reality itself.
The more understated tracks deserve attention too. "Kei" provides a rare moment of human warmth in an otherwise cold and cerebral soundtrack, and "Research Institute" builds an atmosphere of clinical unease across its three variations.
"Washington" and "The Forbidden City" bring gravitas to the game's political dimensions, while "Other Space" ventures into abstract, alien territory for the late-game levels. For Dreamcast enthusiasts and Atlus completists, this is a genuinely distinctive late-90s soundtrack that sounds like nothing else in the company's catalog.