Risk of Rain OST

Risk of Rain OST
Risk of Rain OST Album Cover
Chris Christodoulou
Released	04 September 2013
Recorded	2013
Genre	Multi-genre
Length	1:01:32
Label	Bandcamp
Producer	Chris Christodoulou

The Risk of Rain OST was composed by Chris Christodoulou and consists of 17 instrumental pieces, 16 of which can be experienced within the game. The pieces (made loop-able within the game) feature progressive, experimental, acoustic, electronic, and rock elements mixed with 8-bit sounds and lo-fi saturation. You can buy the entire OST here.

Tracks

1. Risk of Rain

   (plays on the main menu, and associated menus)

2. Dew Point

   (plays during teleporter events)

3. Tropic of Capricorn

   (plays on Magma Barracks)

4. Monsoon

   (plays on Desolate Forest)

5. Cyclogenesis

   (plays on Damp Caverns)

6. 25.3oN 91.7oE

   (plays on Sunken Tomb)

7. Hailstorm

   (plays during teleporter events)

8. Moisture Deficit

   (plays during teleporter events)

9. Intermission

10. Tropic of Cancer

    (plays during teleporter events)

11. Aurora Borealis

    (plays on Dried Lake and Ancient Valley)

12. Surface Tension

    (plays during teleporter events)

13. Arctic Oscillation

    (plays on Temple of the Elders)

14. Precipitation

    (plays during the Providence fight)

15. Double Fucking Rainbow

    (plays during teleporter events)

16. Coalescence

    (plays on Risk of Rain [UES Contact Light])

17. Chanson d'Automne..

    (plays on Sky Meadow and Hive Cluster)

Namesakes

One of the most remarkable things about the Risk of Rain soundtrack is the names of the songs.

Composer Chris Christodolou gave each one of them a name related to rain. Whether it’s in plain sight or a bit more elaborate.

Track	Meaning/Explanation
01. Risk of Rain	The name of the game. A risk of failure or bad things happening.
02. Dew Point	The point when a body of air starts to condense into water vapor because of its temperature. Depending of the temperature and volume of the body, it can turn into the aforementioned dew, fog, ground frost and even clouds.
03. Tropic of Capricorn	One of the circles of latitude that defines the Tropics (aka Tropical/Torrid Zone), the other one being the Tropic of Cancer. The Tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. These particular regions receive more sunlight and generally can be seen overhead, hence why they tend to have two main weather seasons: a dry season and a wet (rainy/monsoon) season.
04. Monsoon	The term is used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The term is also used for the rainy phase between seasons or to describe heavy but short-term rains. In Risk of Rain, Monsoon is the highest regular difficulty of the game and its sequel.
05. Cyclogenesis	Term that describes the development or strengthening of cyclonic circulation in the atmosphere, often what causes some sorts of cyclones. Depending on the type of cyclone, it can even develop into a tornado.
06. 25.3°N 91.7°E	These are the coordinates of Cherrapunji, a town in India formerly known as the wettest place on earth. Even though Mawsynram (another town in India) now holds the record, Cherrapunji still holds the all-time record for the most rainfall in a calendar month and in a year.
07. Hailstorm	A thunderstorm which produces hail that reaches the ground. By itself, hail is a form of solid precipitation that produces balls or irregular lumps of ice.
08. Moisture Deficit	Related to the balance of moisture in the soil and the moisture a precipitation produces for said soil. Moisture deficit specifically is a term to define when there’s a lack of moisture in the soil. For example, a moisture deficit of 10 mm over a time period means 10 mm of moisture that was removed from the soil through evapotranspiration was not replaced by precipitation during said period.
09. Tropic of Cancer	One of the circles of latitude that defines the Tropics (aka Tropical/Torrid Zone), the other one being the Tropic of Capricorn.
10. Aurora Borealis	Auroras are natural light displays in Earth's sky, in the form of dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers. Aurora Borealis specifically is the name for auroras that occur in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. Basically, it’s just the northern lights.
11. Surface Tension	It’s the tendency of liquid surfaces at rest to shrink into the minimum surface area possible. In simple terms: Liquids like water tend to spill all over the place and expand their own surface since they don’t behave as a solid, which has a fixed surface and exists in one place. However, liquids have a natural resistance to expand their own surface, called Surface Tension. Surface tension gives liquids the smallest “solid” surface a liquid can have, allowing things small and light enough (like certain insects) to just float or walk on water without ever submerging.
12. Artic Oscillation	Refers to a variation of the atmosphere in the form of a belt of strong westerly winds or low-pressure surrounding the Artic region. It’s known for having two phases that bring positive and negative effects on the weather, all related to humidity, snowfalls and rainfalls.
13. Precipitation	The textbook definition for condensed water that falls from clouds any given time. Including drizzle, rainstorm and monsoon.
14. Double Fucking Rainbow	Pretty self explanatory. Might also be a reference to a viral YouTube video in which a man gets too excited about the sighting of a real double rainbow in the sky.
15. Coalescence	The joining or merging of elements to form one mass or whole. Two things coming togheter to create something bigger than themselves. Like clouds.
16. Chanson d'Automne...	Also known as Autumn Song, it’s a poem by French poet Paul Verlaine. One of the most known poems in the French language. French English Les sanglots longs Des violons De l'automne Blessent mon cœur D'une langueur Monotone. Tout suffocant Et blême, quand Sonne l'heure, Je me souviens Des jours anciens Et je pleure; Et je m'en vais Au vent mauvais Qui m'emporte Deçà, delà, Pareil à la Feuille morte. The long sobs Of violins Of autumn Wound my heart With a monotonous Languor. All breathless And pale, when The hour sounds, I remember The old days And I cry; And I go In the ill wind That carries me Here, there, Like the Dead leaf.

Trivia

• The 9th track, "Intermission", is literally an intermission with the words "End of part one" embedded in its frequency spectrum.
• Other than Providence, all boss fight/teleporter event music is randomized from the following: Dew Point, Surface Tension, Moisture Deficit, Hailstorm, Double Fucking Rainbow, and Tropic of Cancer.
  • These are named musicBoss1a.ogg, musicBoss1b.ogg, musicBoss1c.ogg, musicBoss2a.ogg, musicBoss2b.ogg, and musicBoss2c.ogg respectively in the game files (with musicBoss3.ogg oddly also being Hailstorm).