That lonely nylon-string guitar tone basically redefined what a game soundtrack could feel like. Gustavo Santaolalla's score for The Last of Us on PS3 is built almost entirely on space and restraint, and it hits harder than any full orchestra could.
Read more
"All Gone" is maybe four notes but it carries the entire emotional weight of the story. The different versions, [Aftermath], [No Escape], [Alone], each one peels back another layer. "The Path" builds with this slow, inevitable tension that mirrors Joel's arc perfectly.
"Vanishing Grace [Innocence]" being so delicate it almost disappears. The restraint here is the whole point. If you've been sleeping on game scores that prioritize feeling over spectacle, start here.