L2 is one of many games on Idea Factory’s “Otomate” label for graphic adventures. The game’s concept and character art looks supremely interesting, but the real blessing here is that the soundtrack was done by Yuki Sugiura and his band, Heinrich von Ofterdingen. The opening track, “eli lama asabthani” has a very intentionally religious meaning behind it. Also rendered “eloi eloi lama sabacthani,” this is the Aramaic phrase believed to be uttered by Jesus as he was dying on the cross, also found written by David in Hebrew hundreds of years before in Psalm 22: “My Lord, My Lord, why have you forsaken me?” So we have the goth undertones of religious allusion mixed with a dark rock sound. That should help give you an idea of what you’re in for with the opening track and, indeed, the entire OST.
Not that the soundtrack is a big goth rock fest, or even entirely in a minor key (though most of it is minor). There’s a lot of ambient/mood music across this soundtrack. But it’s not bland. It’s not vanilla. There’s something in every track that gives a little bit of spice for your ears. And the faster tracks, the intense tracks? How do I describe it? Take a listen to track 12. Electric guitar is present of course. And two forms of percussion are present: the standard trap set, as well as a looped synth percussion built on a keyboard and/or tracking software.
If you wanna hear some cool ultra-synth groove pieces, stuff that reminds me of Shoji Meguro’s “chill” tracks on the Persona titles, check out track 16. This is one of many examples of Sugiura’s diverse compositional skills.
You’ll also find some obligatory “Asian ethnic” tracks on here. Track 23, for example, sports tabla drums and a sitar. It also has hand claps on 2 and 4, so it’s still a dance track, to be sure.
All in all, this is a wonderfully reflective bit of music. Seriously, the image that comes to mind is looking into a dark but clear pool of water. It’s not necessarily a happy or fulfilling experience, but it is honest and unclouded. There are “filler tracks” on this 36 track OST, as is to be expected. But there’s also a lot of great music, some of it rivaling the great Takeshi Abo from KID (Memories Off / Infinity series). Definitely a soundtrack worth picking up.
