A note landed in the Codex inbox over the weekend from Seth and Michelle, collectively known as 8 Bit Weapon. I am not going to pretend I needed much persuasion to click through the link they provided:

Hi Codex Fam,

I hope all is well! We crafted our take on the Ultima VI soundtrack for the C64.

Enjoy! https://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/album/ultima-vi-the-false-prophet-commodore-64-soundtrack-20

Take care,

Seth & Michelle
www.8bitweapon.com

The album — Ultima VI: The False Prophet Commodore 64 Soundtrack 2.0 — went up on Bandcamp on September 7th. It is a passion project, and as is the case with all Bandcamp albums there is a “name your price” option if you feel like tipping them a bit for their efforts. All the sounds, they note, come from MOS 8580/6582 SID chips; the original Ultima 6 score was composed and arranged by Todd Porter, Herman Miller, Ken Arnold, and David Watson, and the twelve tracks on the album are 8 Bit Weapon’s versions of their favourite pieces. The C64 port never got a proper full soundtrack the way other platforms did, so they have built one meant to be played alongside the game.

I have had a listen to every track, and they are exceptional. Ultima 6 — music included — is easily my favourite Ultima, so I am not a neutral party here, but “False Prophet Theme,” “The Stones,” “Engagement & Melee,” “Audchar Gargle Zenmur,” and the rest of the set land exactly where they should for someone who grew up with that score in their head.

You’d do well to start at the Bandcamp album. If you want to tip them for the work outside of that platform, they point to PayPal donations as an option. And I’d encourage you to check out their other music as well!