The sound of the reapers in this song is one of the most intimidating things I've ever heard. The trilogy does such a good job at making the reapers something to be feared, almost to the point where you're just in awe of the sheer destructions this race of machines can cause.
This is something I loved about Mass Effect. You cannot win. Whatever you do, is futile. You're facing a foe that has squashed millions of civilizations, and yours will fall like any other. Only, that doesn't happen. This time, the Reapers are defeated. I loved that.
@@SargeRho It's so rare that a 'doomsday' plot genuinely does make you feel like "how tf are we going to beat this" but the mass effect trilogy did it so incredibly well.
The constant pulse throughout the song, that you described as an alarm, always struck me as a distress signal. You can hear Earth and humanity crying out for help, but you're left with no choice but to cover your ears and hold back your tears as you turn away. To seek aid, yes, but there's no forgetting that you're leaving countless innocents to their fate. This song is a defeat, a crushing one, and it never fails to make me cry.
Honestly, while I enjoyed ME3, I knew from the first minute that something was off. Finally the reapers are acknowledged, and the conversation where this happens is like a minute long with most of it on -rails dialogue. ME3 has its strength, but man, if only those greedy fucks at EA had given these poor Devs another year or two. It wouldve been a masterpiece.
I enjoyed mass effect 1 and 2 but didn't like 3 . The trilogy could have been amazing if 3 wasn't rushed imo. Mass effect isn't in my top 10 of games but I'm not saying it's bad there is just so many good games out there.
Oh man... Mass Effect series and its music mean so much to me I can't express enough. And this piece in particular gives me chills each time I hear it, no matter how many times it's already been. It's just amazing. We can feel the Commander's pain and their internal struggle in this very moment as the Normandy is taking off. And, seeing what is happening before our eyes, before the Commander's eyes, that the Reapers are killing, harvesting people down there, and we can't do anything at this moment but leave, pardon me if it's out of place, "for those we can yet save"... This was one of those moments I've experienced in games when I felt so helpless I wanted to cry (and I do every walkthrough). Also the mission on Thessia later gave me the same feeling. There's one dialogue with Garrus in ME3 that always makes me remember the beginning of the game and Leaving Earth, about if it's better to try to save everyone, or to sacrifice less people to save more. "And ruthless calculus..." This is a question that doesn't have a correct answer I think. And no matter what answer we choose in that dialogue it always has this most bitter taste. But, returning to Leaving Earth itself. Besides despair, there's still hope to be felt. No matter how dark things are, while one is alive, something can be done. And this is what the Commander has accepted taking the tags from Anderson and agreeing to leave. To return. And return they will. "Guns blazing, the whole galaxy behind us". The task Shepard has accepted is enormous and incredibly difficult, but in the end only this person is capable to do what has to be done, along with the closest friends and allies. With them and for them. And for everyone alive. And this is what the whole series shows us, not only this track. And for this, Mass Effect will always have a special place in my heart. There is still much that can be said, but I'm afraid my thoughts are already quite a mess. So yeah, even when it seems that all hope is about to be lost, you still have to fight. This is the most valuable lesson I've had in my life. Thank you Marco for picking this piece and for great, as always, analysis. Keep up the good work ♥
Still crying every time I hear this OST, this one and "Farewell and Into the Inevitable" definitely hit the hardest for me. Finished it so many years ago and it was like leaving behind another life, which I still remember with nostalgia and some bittersweet feelings. It's heartwarming to see that it has resonated with so many people in the same way. Thank you for reminding us of the masterpiece that was Mass Effect
This track and "Farewell and Into the Inevitable" always hit my heart like tridents no matter how many times I hear them. So many powerfully melancholic songs in Mass Effect 3, it's an embarrassment of sad riches. I think the soundtrack is one of the many reasons behind why I've played ME2 far more than ME3 in the years since finishing the trilogy; ME3 is just so goddamn depressing and that's not what I need playing videogames these days. Appreciate your analysis as always regardless; insightful as always. Cheers!
The opening scene along with this song really set the tone for the whole game. For me the most striking part of the opening scene was when the Normandy was leaving earth and you saw tons of what looked like little meteorites falling to earth and then the scene where the Normandy leaves earths atmosphere and you realize those meteorites are the wreckage of earths fleets after trying to fight the reapers. That opening scene showed that we werent losing to the reapers but for all intents and purposes we had already all but lost.
The sounds for the Reapers were specifically designed using frequencies and tones that cause fear and anxiety in humans and they did it using a metal trash can.... Highly recommend you check out all of the reapers SFX here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vpa3F99xY4s.html
Mass Effect’s trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart. Such a beautiful, lived-in universe. Such a deep, impactful story with love…strife…pain…and wonder. I don’t think any game will make me feel what mass effect 1-3 did.
I'm not sure if someone has said this yet but the high piano notes remind me of a sonar or radar ping. Perhaps representing the large number of ships are approaching/leaving
Clint Mansell has been one of my favorite composers since Requiem for A Dream. The Fountain has one of my favorite original soundtracks ever, and I was absolutely blown away when I realized he'd done some composing for Mass Effect 3. Leaving Earth is right up there with some of the best stuff he's ever done, and that's really saying something. Wish he'd do more composing for video games.
A fellow The Fountain enjoyer ^^ Clint Mansell is a beast and I'm sad that this movie in particular is not more known. The Soundtrack and the pictures are just the perfect combination of raw emotion, love, despair, obsession. It's beautiful.
I remember this piece clear as day. The invasion of The Reapers was devastating to watch no to mention, Levaing Earth. Seeing an innocent boy being caught in the crossfire right in front of Shepards eyes was a devastating sight to behold and experience. _OOooof the emotions..._
This soundtrack is so emotional, specialy when you know the context. Its one of those moments where the visuals and the music and sound effects, everything combined elevates the scene to be more then just a cutscene to inform you what happens. It sets the tone for the entire game and forshadows everything that is comming.
4:19 How did you know? I can't help it. EVERYTIME i hear Leaving earth i cry. It's a beautiful piece but also it tells you "It's over". I've played the entire trilogy and seeing how everything was in vain was painful. F the council! They didn't do shit until that last very moment.
No matter how many times I've played this game (and it's a lot, ME3 and the Shepard trilogy is my most favourite game franchise of all time), that intro still makes me cry. Such an effective way to set the tone and show the stakes of the story. The much better facial animations for Shepard really pushed the scene further too.
Thank you for bringing up Mass Effect games, they are precious to me, and feel like not enough people talk about them nowadays. This trilogy definitely is not perfect, but still such a memorable experience for a player, characters feel like real friends to you, story grips your heart so tightly, makes you care so much about this virtual galaxy, it's insane. Music was really good too, hope you will consider making video about Vigil theme, which plays mostly in ME1, and a couple times in ME3. Really curious what you will say about it.
the Mass Effect trilogy games are "one" of my favorite games, it's a piece of art as a whole, ending included, even though they aren't perfect. personally i prefer the synthesis ending, but what really matters is truly the journey
That song definitely leaves a mark on you throughout the game. The emotional power in the instruments seems to transfer across songs, to the point that a single piano or brass note can evoke the same feeling. It’s like emotional shorthand.
When you pair this track to when the Normandy departs, amongst the invading Reaper fleet and the burning remnants of the human fleet, hits alot harder.
I've listened to this track so many times it's not healthy. Mass Effect 3 was one of those games I was almost scared to play because I was so very excited for it. This opening sequence is absolutely one of my favorites in all gaming. Thanks for the great insights!
I’m not a musician nor fluent in the language of music, but that single note - plin plin plin plin - in the background, sounds to me like a distress beacon echoing into the void. Pretty apt for Mass Effect!
Those 3 piano keys always make me think of an SOS. Even when cut off by the reapers, it continues to play throughout the song uninterrupted. It's like a tiny ray of hope for as long as it keeps playing, you know Earth is still fighting.
Mass Effect 3 music is heartbreaking and it's one of the elements that make that game so deep. I played all three games and I must say nothing left such a strong impression on me at the point that at the end of ME3 I was in tears.
I listen to this constantly, especially when I'm sad and want to cry but can't. It just makes it easier to cry when listening to this. I like the Reaper parts too. Terrifying and also powerful. Thanks for your analysis.
While mass effect 1 and 2 were more about making the tracks sound epic and energetic, mass effect 3 really brought in the emotions with it's beautiful tracks and revealing how serious the reaper invasion is. I'm not ashamed to admit that the tracks such as leaving earth and I'm proud of you definitely made me shed tears in spite of them being short. Man I love the mass effect trilogy!
to this day the mass effect music never fails to bring emotions up in me. such good composition and themes that when paired with hundreds of hours of playing through a massive universe with amazing characters is something that just can't be compared. every time i hear a track from any of these games it makes me want to revisit the whole trilogy again and met characters i consider old friends all over again.
Mass effect 3 really pulls at my soul. I grew up with these games. I fought and lived through those events. Me and my friends bonded over these games. I will never turn my back on mass effect
What i love most about the scene is that Earth has ZERO plot armor. Earth is invaded by the Covenant in Halo? One city is devastated, the invading fleet destroyed mostly. Additional fleets arrive, Earth holds out for months. Here? The Reapers are coming. You pissed them off, and now theyre coming faster than light, faster than any ship in the galaxy. Your interstellar communications are cut immediately, followed by probes in the outer solar system. Minutes later, the Moon is attacked. Then, with as much fury as the song here has pain, the Reapers attack. Two of the five fleets in Earth's orbit are obliterated, debris raining down on cities across the world. The Reapers have no mercy, no remorse, no pity. The worst part about it all is the hopelessness. Shepard has warned everyone for YEARS about this day, but nobody seemed to listen. And in this final moment, as you are leaving Earth to seek help, the dread sets in. People are being slaughtered by the millions, and theres nothing you can do about it. Not a damn thing.
Yessss.... I remember mentioning Leaving Earth on the previous ME3 video. ME3 was one of my first experiences in gaming and this opening track and cut scene will be ingrained as a really emotional and maybe even jarring moment. When the camera pans from the exploding space pods to the meteors and aliens descending into the atmosphere is when you really realise whats at stake and mentally prepares you for the rest of the game. Something about having to leave your homeworld behind as it burns is so tragic and hopeless. ME3 was a masterpiece of gaming.
In the part where you talk about "Regret and Suffering" those 3 higher pitched notes were always the sound of hope for me in the face of destruction, tragedy and sadness. Like a flowerbud about to bloom sending you on a journey. The continous high pitched notes you described as an alarm go hand in hand with the 3 notes i mentioned bfore for me. They are continous and stand for that. That your journey continues with hope. Its subtle because at the moment you cannot really feel happy but it shows you that you will again in the future. Sadly i cannot describe it better since english is not my native language but i tried. Thanks for your awesome videos. I learn a lot about the usage of music in cinematics and games and really like how you talk about it with your own opinion and musical knowledge
I love the Mass Effect saga, if I would get a pill that would make me forget the game so I can play it again and feeling it for the first time again I would. It left such a mass effect in my heart (Kappa)
My first thought when listening to this theme is not Shepard fleeing earth, but the Reapers leaving. Specifically after Shepard pursues the control the reaper ending, where the Reaper Shepard vows to either protect the innocent, or to destroy the conflicting factions and lead the Galaxy. The Reaper scream/horns a kin to a victory/war song, with the piano lamenting Shepard's loss of humanity.
I have to admit I'm not a fan of mass effect. Never really was. But I highly acknowledge the love and care people have for the series and music. This is one of the best pieces of video game music
One of the only music in a video game that ever had me cry, hearing that while seeing home being burned and being unable to do anything about it hit hard Try "An end once and for all" a true musical masterpiece
One of my bands (and likely a ton of others I have no doubt) used to walk out to a brief edit of Mansell's requiem for a dream and I had hoped to use An End Once And For All to open our final show because it evokes such a feeling of sadness, and loss but also a definitive end. However, like many others, we didnt get a last show or rather we did, we just didnt realize it at the time. Anyways, amazing game series, fantastic and forever impactful narrative (emotionally scarred by the disappointing and hollow ending tho), and the compositions that made up the soundtrack..... I have no words..... Tho ive just now used many lol
Mass effect 1, 2 and 3, transferring saves between them, building such an incredibly story, seeing amazing things and meeting characters that felt truly alive... I wish games were still like that. well, not "games", no. these things were STORIES.
I think that B-E-B motif represents Shepard's inability to save everyone. It shows up here, those notes "haunt" the dream music, and "an end once and for all" has it too.
Mass Effect is my favorite video game of all time. Leaving Earth is truly sad and haunting. Other notable cues are: Lair of the Shadow Broker and the combat music in Project Overlord, which is also used in Rescuing the Scientists and Duel Reacters. The theme for David Archer is also noteworthy.
I love Mass effect. I am one of the newer fans as I got Into the series when Legendary edition was released and I am so glad that I did. These are easily some of the best games I've ever played. Leaving earth did make me a bit teary eyed when I first heard it, it is a powerful song and such an emotional moment.
I love your analysis of this. One thing I would like to add, the high 'bingbingbingbing' doesn't sound like alarms or klaxon to me. It's to soft and 'peaceful', it sounds to me like dissociating. The sound portrays the feeling of 'this can't be happening, this can't be real'. The sound starts right when the reaper shows up and the little kid climbs into the shuttle. Then the sound briefly fades in the moment the shuttle is blown up, the music has a big low boom, like you collapse, something worse than you can imagine is happening and you can't comprehend it. Then the bingbingbing (dissociating) is back along with a sad/angry/determinded/desperate buildup. Shephards head is a mess, 'I can't believe this happend' in combination with desparation, grief and a lot of anger. In short the bingbingbing sound, is the sound of trauma to me. And Shepard did get ptsd from the ordeal as we all know. As someone with ptsd, this song hit me soooo hard the first time I heard it
1) That loud hornlike sounds is Reaper's Horns, to be more specifick. As a signal "Sol, we are here, we came! And you are all compleatly fucked up!" 2) And this piano tear-like sounds is a like moments of life counting..... After HORNS it's just "How long coud we can resist?" 3) And this "Sun-down" on the planet's enge is very emotional moment. Like "Light is off for you!". Like a losiang any hope, last light oh hope and safety.
Totally agree with you. This theme REALLY had the feel of ".....we've lost didn't we?" and it being 20min {at most} into the game is like HOW do you win this?!
despite the criticism of how ME3 ended. it still was one of the most impactful games i’ve ever played. broadened my perspective. the music was haunting. not unlike John Dreamers - Rise for assassins creed.
The first time I played Mass Effect 3 was an absolute discovery to me. I was like "yeah this music is nice!, i'll keep it!" As I haven't played the 2 pre-episodes before, I haven't quite understood much things then... The final battle was lost because of the random choices... I thought to myself: "no way, how could we lose this?". But When I played Mass Effect 3 for the second time after completing the 2 episodes before, including the dlcs, that music stroke me to my soul, it hurt so much! All the efforts I put to join forces and make alliances was ruined by the invasion. The whole scene became heartbreaking when I realized the enemies wiped all was accomplished to save the galaxy and the different worlds. The final battle was a victory thanks to the alliances I made from the 3 episodes, including important choices. That was a relief to finally end the war... The Mass Effect saga story is still so epic! One of the rarest game series that became a legend, like the Star Wars saga.
I've played MASS EFFECT 3... I've cried so much, I did many choices, try to change scenario, I was so dellusional. I choose the end with the Coexistence
I also wanted to mention the banging noise is impactful because in the context out of the songs scene it can be interpreted as a few gunshots. People making their last stand who are almost certainly doomed. But in context of the scene it’s these normal soldiers sending off people who are almost guaranteed to die as they are leaving. While they themselves stay behind to fight. Even while the reaper is right there blaring down on them. They make no attempt to board the ships themselves.
@MarcoMeatball Can you follow up this video with "An End Once and For ALL" from the same game? As the song pairs up both thematically and musically, I'd love to see your reaction.
I suggest to react to a "Planetary Annihilation" track. Its an RTS game and the music is mostly classical. I rocommend "Preservation", "Invictus" and "Planets Collide".
The "Bing Bing Bing Bing" sound referenced in this video could be an SOS. As the Normandy leaves Earth's atmosphere, we see ships falling, destroyed. In a way, I like to imagine that the "Bings" are SOS messages from satellites or communication devices.
I have played Mass Effect 3 so many times that I've lost count, and every single time I hear the Reapers "BWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMM" it always instills a sense of fear, of awe, of despair. I've beaten this game so many time, that I know how to beat them, that i know the outcome to all of this. But that has never stopped me from feeling that awe, fear, despair every single time I restart the game.
this track makes me tear up. the ME3 music, frankly the music for the entirety of the Shepard Trilogy and Andromeda is just so freaking on point. And ME3's matches the tone of the game so perfectly. chills and tearing up in equal measure. for like every track...though I admit a bit of bias cause I am so obsessed with Mass Effect...
Ive played through mass effect series countless times, and the music is by far my favorite among most. this song I wish was so much longer so that I could just drown in it. it makes you feel so much in just a span of 2 minutes, but thats about as long as it took for the negligence and ignorance of the council and human leadership to ultimately allow the reapers to come and start their mass extermination. The music, mixed with the knowledge of all the politics, and the way things are in the world, the galaxy its just so much more. a lot of people hated the ending. I loved it it was just enough to let the player choose based on what they would do in that situation. what kind of future would you give the people, yourself?
Mass Effect 3 is a game that always leaves me feeling so conflicted. On one hand, it started off so amazingly, and I'd argue like... 99% of it is a masterpiece. But damn if that 1% doesn't suck BAAAAAD. Like, they really were absolutely knocking it out of the park and then just fumbled at the end SO HARD. I still do love these games, and they are fun to revisit, but damn if the knowledge of where it all ends doesn't linger in the back of your head the entire time.
Gotta say, I don't watch your every video, but I absolutely LOVE the ones I do. Such an amazing understanding and dissection of music. Thank you dearly for what you're doing!
My pleasure. :) I don’t expect people to watch every one. So don’t worry. But hear me out. What if you mute the videos you like after you watch them once and let them play 3-5 times…….. lol jk. Thank you so much!
A friend of mine never played any Mass Effect game maybe i should just have em listen to this also Day 119 of recommending Stay Gold from the Arknights OST
As for many gamers on the planet Mass Effect has a very special place for me. It is the only game which actually managed to force my gameplay through how it affected my emotions : ---------- (SOILERS !!!) ---------- I was doing a Renegade Trilogy run ; as a completionist I picked every renegade option out there rigorously. I did not miss one. Until the Scene in which Thane was dying in the hospital and his son Kolyat was beside him. And he offered me to read the last rites of their religion for his father. The renegade answer was to not do it. I simply could not press that renegade button. No manner of completionism could force me to do that. I had to go for the paragon choice, because thane was my companion, who stood with me in countless hardships, and I was shepard.
Leaving Earth and An End Once And For All are my absolute fave music tracks along the triology. Both tracks hit me really hard. Mass Effect was the first game that brought me to tears at the end and I had have never felt this roller coaster of emotions again for an other game yet.
Beautiful track. I love the way the drums - militaristic, drilled into us forever as the percussive marching backbone of human coordination and might, is just drowned by the reaper horns so completely it is utterly wiped from the track. Gutting.
ME2 & ME3 are just two of the best games ever made, at least if storytelling in games is an important part of the gamin experience to you. Certainly not bashing on ME1, it's a great game in its own right, but the two next ones just took everything to another level for me. Do a reaction to segments of the Leviathan score? Gave me chills first (and second) time I played through it.. Actually I would really love to see that story be translated into a tv show. It wouldn't have to be tweaked too much to work on the screen, and those tweaks would even make it a fresh experience for those of us that already know the story. Too bad it would just be super expensive to bring it all to life and look as good as it deserves...besides, there would probably be a femshep vs male shep uprising anyway 😄
That soundtrack impressed me years ago. I played mass effect 3 for the first time back then. Now i just watch news from my neighbour country that attacked by Russia. Real reapers are much more terrifying. That song is devastating.
ME was definitely quite an experience. The end was rough but overall the adventure was more than worth the hours spent. As for the OST, I’ve always felt it to be pretty appropriate, though nothing ever really stood out to me in the trilogy besides the first game’s OST, though I’d attribute some of this in part to my never noticing anything standout in 2 and with 3, the horrible drm system they had with the OST on the collector’s edition soured me from bothering to put in the effort to obtain the music for personal listening as my brother used my CE code on his account and the music was thusly tied to his profile and that specific console and I never bothered to think about looking into the ost on RU-vid or other places as I just wanted to wash my hands of the matter since few tracks stood out to me from playing unlike with 1 with Virmire, the various other areas, the final planet, and especially the extremely memorable credits theme M2 From which will always live rent free in my head and be the first track that pops into my mind when the trilogy’s music is mentioned. -Edit Not that I have anything against the music of 2 and 3, they do fit and I find the music was appropriate enough that it just didn’t get me to think about it, which means it did it’s job perfectly fine as far as the prevailing Western development philosophy of games was at the time. It’s just to get me really going into something I need some very unique and experimental tracks in the bunch if it isn’t simply decently made rock or metal, which ME1 had in spades through its heavy use of techno or off-kilter themes to evoke a proper sense of fascinating sci-fi and alien mystery, intrigue, and horror.
Yes dude you reacted to one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time!! Love the mass effect trilogy so freaking much. Don't know if you have already but you should react to spikeroog from the Witcher 3, unless you have already. 👍
I can't believe it took me 4 months to see you did Leaving Earth, it is definitely one of my favorite tracks in Mass Effect but the one I recommend the most to people and that I always bring up is "An End Once and For All." Not only is it the final track played in ME3 but listening to it feels like a never ending build up to an epic finale but when the music reaches its apex/climax it trails off... The track to ne fits the ending so well especially if the cannon ending is destroy and max war readiness with Shepard still alive it feels like the build up to a story that isn't quite finished yet. Like we are laving as soon as we reach the peak and didn't have time to come off the high.
If you were to describe this entire piece in a single word, it'd be "helplessness". You know everything around you is going to hell, and there's not a single thing you can do to fight. You're running away, eyes closed, holding back tears, ears covered as to not hear the despair around you. But you still hear the Reapers' screech, loud and clear, cutting through your whole body, because they're just that powerful. You're so helpless you're not even entitled to silence.
The ME series has so many phenomenal tracks that really help carry it even further into the realm of one of the best sci Fi franchises out there, but ME3 really just hits different. Leaving Earth may just be the track that is on par with Vigil from ME1.
This is wild to hear since I just finished ME3 for the first time yesterday. There's a lot of really good, empty sounding tracks in ME. I have to admit, the opening really threw me for a loop, since the opening state of the game is literally worse than other 'point of no return' moments in past games. I really enjoyed the game until the final 4 enemies though!
Please Marco do a reaction for Bael Zebul Summoning Song from Bayonetta 3. The song is called Fertile Rondo and it's one of the main demons singing it :)
I've played them all but I really don't like the latest one, Andromeda, it is too different from the original trilogy. Also, there is another one coming soon that's supposed to go back to the roots.
Just hearing the music just brings back the cutscene to mind, the shuttle blowing up, and as the music rises at the end you can feel a sense of shepards anger and determination as he heads back up the ramp...
