Miami Nights 1984 - Gunblaze Assault

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Miami Nights 1984’s Gunblaze Assault carries me away to the days of my youth with a jazz fusion-influenced blast of Japanese-style video game music. This soundtrack to a game that never existed combines a superbly woven atmosphere, ear-pleasing melodies, and a sense of action punctuated by short moments of chilled-out respite. Miami Nights 1984 manages to capture the excitement, joy, and nostalgia of classic mech shooters in a way that I find irresistible.

The first thing that attracts me to Gunblaze Assault is the way in which Miami Nights 1984 skillfully evokes the atmosphere of a classic mech shooter. The types of synths he uses and the sound palette form a compelling picture. I can see the thrilling cutscenes of space battles, envision the shop screen as you upgrade your equipment, and imagine the excitement as the game unfolds and carries the listener away into its world.

Another excellent element of Gunblaze Assault is the melodic content. Miami Nights 1984 captures the jazz fusion-influenced work of many Japanese video game composers and adds his own twist. The melodies create a strongly visual impression of action and emotion, conveying the different states of mind experienced during gameplay. There's a freshness and spontaneity to the melodic composition that keeps me listening and brings me closer to the music.

I also enjoy the way in which the album moves through the different states of gameplay that one might experience. There's the anticipation of the battles to come, the adrenaline-pumping moments when one is fighting those battles, and the short segments in which tranquil melodies and soothing sounds flow to give the player a chance to rest and recover before another blast of excitement and action.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

"Loadout" comes to life with a bursting explosion that growls before quickly leaping drums and gnarly bass shift into motion. A ringing, string-like synth carries a drifting melody that hovers with tremulous ease. Trumpeting notes flash as the funky bass interlocks with smoothly shaping drums.

The bass adds an ear-pleasing groove that I enjoy, while sparkling notes cry out with lambent grace. A medium-high synth introduces an urgent pulsation, blending with the throbbing bass and tiny digital sounds that shiver in the background. The string-like synth slips through the music with breezy smoothness, creating a sense of calm.

Bell-like notes flash in the distance as the bass continues its rhythmic pulsation. There's a sense of growing anticipation in the music that draws me further into it. The song ends with the pulsing bass and trembling notes, leaving a resonant impression.

An actively leaping synth with a xylophone-like quality is joined by slap bass and rushing air to commence "Aerial Combat." The funky bass moves alongside an echoing synth flow, joined by brassy notes that flash out in a melody bursting with active motion, capturing the feeling of ripping through space in a freewheeling combat flight.

Effulgent synth notes trickle out in a melody that evokes weightlessness, while vibrant notes intertwine below it. The main melody has a smooth, floating quality as it unwinds, filling me with a sense of freedom. A rounded, twisting synth cries out above the popping slap bass and rises in a whirling dance before tumbling down again. The drums and bass pump onward as the gleaming synth unfolds, twirling through the music with acrobatic elegance before the track ends.

“Big City Air Drop” commences as a spiky synth moves in rapid pulses and the sound of a helicopter shifts in the distance. The drums and bass are a rushing charge as a computerized voice echoes out. The drums and bass become a broken beat as they speed out underneath the open voice and smoothly gliding synth.

The low end is a blur, creating excitement as a jazz-inflected, rounded synth carries a melody that falls and climbs in a rapidly trickling cascade, then whirls outward madly and bends. The low end is joined by funky slap bass as flanging synth notes spin out through the music. In the distance, angular sounds flare outward as the drum and bass beat rattles underneath. String-like synth entangles with luscious luminosity and metallic piano keys add another element of brightness.

I enjoy the way this track generates drama and thrilling emotion as it unfolds. The quickly trembling synth in the distance expands outward with sharp edges and gem-like notes ring out. The low end continues to tap and flick with the slap bass moving before silence falls.

A steadily pulsing, rough-edged synth moves along with a tapping snare drum and rebounding bass to start “Robotics Laboratory.” The exploratory melody comes in on a sonorous, string-like synth as sharp-edged notes glow into the music and slap bass twangs.

Open-sounding, trickling synth dances in a circular pattern, adding motion. Radiant notes cut into the music as the slap bass adds a funky quality, and the low end continues to move with unstoppable energy.

A wandering melody, carried on a bending synth, has a glowing glide to it that draws me in as it twists past and the low end guides the music. Vibrant strings call out as the slap bass pulses, sliding past in a lustrous motion. The track slowly fades away on the bass pulse.

“Fire It Up” begins as a propulsive slap bass pushes the music forward and a minor-key, metallic synth calls out in a dramatic melody. Ghostly voices call out as the driving low end pushes forward, and the enigmatic melody unfurls on the softly shining synth. A xylophone-like synth flickers past, adding speed and subtle light as the haunting notes twist and wriggle.

I am drawn in by the way this track evokes both speed and a feeling of impending danger. The drums and bass glide along as elevated, alien-sounding notes bend past, rising and falling. The tension is wound up as the main melody continues to move in nervous lines and the low end is unstoppable.

A fluting synth cascades through the music with smooth ease, infused with a jazzy feeling as it leaps. The low end and the bassline continue to rush forward as the synth spins wildly before piano-like notes carry the minor-key melody to the end.

The heavy drums collide with irresistible weight as a tightly wound synth spins out and the snare drum ticks rapidly to kick off “Barometric Pressure.” Synth flashes cut into the music as the drums and bass collide and a piano melody—softly touching—skips through the music like a leaf on a breeze. The low end drives forward with dynamic life as a wandering, taut synth swirls through the music to add another level of tension.

Luminescent piano chords move above the skittering drums and pounding bass, further adding to the sense of flight and blurring motion. Now, a medium-high, sharp-edged synth carries a melody that unwinds with twirling liveliness, carrying me along with it as I imagine free flight. The synth solo is intricate and full of whirling energy and the piano twinkles before silence falls.

“Thank You For Playing” starts as tranquil, widely sweeping synth chords echo into open space. A pervasive sense of calm infuses the music as a hi-hat ticks lightly and the rounded synth carries a peacefully hovering melody. Electric guitar twangs into the music and the bass begins to add more energy as the main melody sails out with relaxed sensations pouring from it.

The twanging guitar and pulsing bass move the track forward as the burnished lead melody glides past. An elevated, cleanly cutting synth carries a hopeful melody that expresses a sense of relief above the quickly throbbing bass. The dance guitar adds another element of sharpness as the track washes into silence on a glimmering synth.

Conclusion

Gunblaze Assault is a superb homage to some of the best Japanese video games of the 1990s. It captures their galvanizing dynamism and the jazzy melodic soundscapes created by their soundtracks. Miami Nights 1984 brings together the best elements of those games and creates an exciting and wonderfully nostalgic trip down memory lane for me.