Associations: Task III vs Omikron

Task III (C64) and Omikron: The Nomad Soul (PC)
Task III (Commodore 64) and Omikron: The Nomad Soul (PC and Dreamcast).

With my past as a composer on the Commodore 64, naturally I was interested in all games with unique music back in the day. One of these was Task III from 1987 with great SID music by Frank Endler. Especially the high score tune had a special “mashing” style that I really liked:

It may be a little odd to begin with, but hang in there. There are a few cute changes here and there, especially at 0:41 and 1:00.

In 2001, I completed Omikron: The Nomad Soul on the PC. The game was actually released in 1999 on PC and was a bold attempt at creating a hybrid of third person adventure, fighting, as well as first person shooter. It was quite atmospheric and even had in-game music by David Bowie.

The title music was composed by Xavier Despas, and as soon as it started it immediately reminded me of the Task III music. Not because the composition nor any or the notes are necessarily the same; it just feels like it has the same “mashing” style:

To me, it feels like a homage to the style of the Task III high score music. Both are great tunes.

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