I greatly enjoyed SFB Games’ 2019 murder mystery Tangle Tower, but their 2026 sequel The Mermaid Mask showed me how much more love I have to give. As I wrote in my Mermaid Mask review, the underwater investigation does everything better — more characters, more puzzles, more story, more color, more jokes, more textures, more incredible music!
England-based SFB Games, co-led by brothers Tom and Adam Vian, expertly weave together the work of many different contributors and artists. They’ve partnered a few times now with Swiss composer Raphael Benjamin Meyer; his work on the original 2014 Detective Grimoire game was nominated for the Jerry Goldsmith Award, which highlights scores and soundtracks. Meyer did a wonderful job with Tangle Tower, and I was delighted to hear (literally) Meyer had returned for this game.
A Soundtrack of Theme Songs
Meyer’s original soundtrack (OST) was recorded with the Budapest Art Orchestra, which records music for content from around the world. Together, they’ve done an amazing job in The Mermaid Mask, and it’s already become one of my favorite video game soundtracks since the game’s release in July.
Upon entering the first room in the submarine, I recognized Meyer’s style even though I’m not the most musically savvy person. I wrote this in my review:
Each room has its own musical theme. When you enter the Parlor, there’s a lustrous creepy jazz song playing — Sally comments that it sounds like “music that would play at a party for vampires.” In another room, I recognized one song that played during a pirate puzzle mini-game as a twist on “Whiskey in the Jar,” a classic Irish trad song. The OST for The Mermaid Mask is so catchy that I’ve just been listening to one character’s theme on repeat as I do emails!
Similar to Tangle Tower, every room in The Mermaid Mask has a different soundtrack (along with stunning color palettes). Each of Meyer’s tracks balances the nautical flavor while also giving the player a sense of the unique personality of each character.
Sinthia is the new submarine captain, even though she’s just a teenager — her track is wistful, but drops into a haunting heaviness in the latter half, indicating her nerves. Retired circus performer Madam Tadpole’s track features haunting vocals from the Budapest Art Choir and slide whistles, capturing that slippery other-worldly performance. Wandering storyteller Mariana Moon camps out in the storage room. Her song is appropriately mysterious and full of rising tension. Dr. Zephyr’s OST glowers just like he does, filled with dramatic Star Wars-esque rises and falls. His track gets under your skin as you look at his room of curious objects, especially that mystical orb he really does not want you to touch.
But, as I alluded to in my review, there’s one track that stands above the rest for me.
Godrik Gripp’s Theme Song Is Excellent
There is one track in particular that I cannot stop listening to: The theme song for a very scatter-brained, hopeful navigator named Godrik Gripp.
Gripp was born and raised in a quiet seaside town, but he dreams of seeing the great big world. Still, he is quite scared, and he clutches a wooden stick with a drawn-on face for emotional support. He has decided to open a navigation shop in the steam room of a submarine. He tries to pretend that his business is thriving (it’s not) with cardboard cut-outs and decorative signs.
Meyer’s OST for Godrik Gripp perfectly captures the character’s irreverent personality. Just a few seconds after the song begins, there is a sound effect (perhaps a slide whistle) like a spring uncoiling. This sets the Vaudevillian tone for the rest of the track. I can just imagine Gripp walking down the street flamboyantly, tripping epically, and then getting back up with a smile.
Because the music is recorded with an orchestra, the entire OST feels expansive, grand, and dramatic in a way befitting the characters’ adventures. Meyer utilizes a variety of instruments to convey Gripp’s Around the World in 80 Days-like optimism with romantic flutes, building trumpets, and plucky guitar strokes. I’m not a band expert by any means (nor am I always sure what instrument I’m hearing), but I can feel the grandeur.
Early in this track, there’s a quiet undercurrent of drums, perhaps indicating Gripp’s nerves. A violin’s highs and lows feel like a speed-dial to Gripp’s soul. Between 1:10 and 1:30, Gripp — and the player — swells with confidence. The music becomes bombastic. This guy can travel the world!
I have frequently listened to this song when I need to get work done, channeling the spirit of adventure for conquering emails and boring chores. For the majority of the track, there is a sort of hapless, relentless positivity, which represents the kind of delulu courage necessary to take on any kind of difficult challenge.
But, like anyone on a journey, the doubt inevitably creeps in. Starting around 1:35, the backing woodwind gets quite reedy. It warbles in and out of sharp notes, like a person on a tightrope wire. The slide whistle comes back in at 1:48, as if it’s Gripp shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Oh well!”
In the last 30 seconds of the track, the piano returns with familiar notes and a steady rhythm, neatly hooking back into the song’s beginning. Since this is a visual novel video game, each song needs to line up well to be played on a loop. Meyer expertly composed an OST that is exciting without being annoying, and Gripp’s theme is particularly perfect to listen to on repeat. I need it on Spotify as soon as possible to add to my work playlist.
The Friends We Made Along the Way
I admire that SFB Games commits to their long-time collaborators. In addition to Meyer, SFB Games has continued to partner with character and environment artist Catherine Unger and returning voice actors like Edwyn Tiong and Amber Lee Connors for detectives Grimoire and Sally, respectively.
Indie games have a limited budget, but I love seeing how SFB invests. The Mermaid Mask is an audiovisual delight (and it happens to be a very good mystery game, too).
The soundtrack for the game, especially Meyer’s theme for Godrik Gripp, affirms that it’s lovely to have big dreams, and even if we stumble, we can get back up and keep going.
The Mermaid Mask, developed and self-published by SFB Games, released on July 16, 2026, for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch 1 & 2. MSRP: $19.99.
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, solve mysteries, punch bad guys, play as a cool female character, and/or have a good cry. She began writing with The Punished Backlog in 2020 and became an Editor in Fall 2021. Amanda also does a lot of the site's graphic designs and podcast editing. Amanda's work has been published in Mothership, Unwinnable Monthly, Poets.org, Salt Hill Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Learn more about her writing, visual art, teaching, graphic design, and marketing consulting at www.amandatien.com.
