Players with an affinity for Super Meat Boy know it’s been about five years since the game launched on Xbox 360, and maybe five years since the 2D platformer was perfected. The jumpy, chunky little guy is finally coming to the PlayStation 4 and Vita on October 6, but, as with any meat that’s been out awhile, there are some tricks to its preservation.
“Long story short, we couldn’t secure the rights to include the old soundtrack with the release of the game on PS4 and PS Vita,” writes Tommy Refenes, one half of developer Team Meat. As a result, the invigorating music of Super Meat Boy - composed by Danny Baranowsky - has been left behind and replaced with a new score on PlayStation.
According to the PlayStation Blog, the new composers accompanying Super Meat Boy through his deadly gauntlet of sawblades and splooshy jumps are Ridiculon (The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth), David “Scattle” Scatliffe (Hotline Miami) and Laura Shigihara (Plants vs. Zombies). There’s a sample of the collaborative soundtrack available now, but the big question is why a rights situation lead to this, an independent game getting a new soundtrack so late in life.
Original composer Danny Baranowsky says his working relationship with Team Meat is over “for many reasons.” The proposed music licensing deal for the new versions of Super Meat Boy didn’t convince him to change his mind. “I didn't feel like the license fee and exposure through PSN they offered was enough to make me seriously consider accepting the deal,” Baranowsky writes on his blog. “I decided to decline their offer. I wish them and the new artists the best of luck with the game.”
You’ll be able to hear the new soundtrack in full when Super Meat Boy launches as a cross-buy game on PS4 and Vita next week. The game is also being offered as a freebie to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
