Introduction

In order to enhance the mood of this post-apocalyptic game, we have composed a soundtrack to accompany various aspects of gameplay.

Inspiration

Because our game's visual design is based on pixel art, we decided that to main consistency we could compose music that also pays homage to the 8-bit gaming era. We didn't necessarily enforce strict compliance with chip tune sounds, but instead had sections which were inspired by classic titles.

In seeking inspiration, we listened to the soundtracks of two games that were created in the last decade to see how modern games can evoke the aesthetic of older games.

Viewer Advice: The following sections feature the use of musicology terminology.

Undertale (2015), composed by Toby Fox

Undertale (2015) is a popular 2D role-playing game that pays homage to earlier days where computer hardware limitations necessitated pixel art and ‘chip tunes’. It employs the following compositional techniques:

Accompaniments

• Broken Chord
• Repeated note accompaniments

Exploration into existing styles and genres

• Japanese scales (Uwa!! So Temperate)
• Jazz, Swung rhythms (Ghost Fight)
• Polka dance (Nyeh heh heh!)
• Heavy metal (Burn in Despair!)
• Dance music from other cultures I can’t immediately identify

Rhythmic techniques

• Changing meter (Spear of Justice)
• Use of ostinato

Melody

• Memorable melodies with variations
• Leitmotifs associated with characters
• Use of countermelody (Determination)
• Bass line melody

Other

• Highly distorted instrument sounds mixed with piano
• Highly variable instrument texture depending on desired mood

Night in the Woods (2017), composed by Alec Holowka

Without spoiling too much of the plot, Night in the Woods (2017) tells the story of a college dropout who has returned to her small, sleepy hometown etc etc insert nefarious happenings here.

Anyway, some observations I made while listening to the soundtrack:

• Instrument layering using loops to vary texture throughout individual pieces
• Clear use of major and minor scales
• Blues walking bass (Gregg, Snack Falcon)
• Use of a mix of synthesised and acoustic instruments

Composition

The soundtrack was written by Renée (@NightingaleUQ) and James (@BungyStudios) using MuseScore 3.6.2. Please contact them if you wish to obtain a copy of the project files used in this soundtrack.

Unfortunately, the storyboard and game design were not finalised to sufficienty inspire us to write matching music. However we wrote some tracks that were used in this sprint's user testing phase.

Guiding principles in writing the soundtrack were:

• To use different compositional styles to signal changes in mood where appropriate
• Maintaining some form of consistency with the main theme through at least one of the musical elements
• Incorporation of timbres associated with chip-generated music
• Ability to be played in a loop

The following soundfonts were used to synthesise the instruments in the soundtrack:

• Jummbox (edited by William Santos): https://musical-artifacts.com/artifacts/1587
• Aegean Symphonic Orchestra (compiled by HED Sounds): https://sites.google.com/view/hed-sounds/aegean-symphonic-orchestra

Level 1 & Level 3

Composer: James

This track was written in the style of a Russian carnival/cabaret, with pizzicato Violin and Cello used as the primary melodic voice with the primary goal of maximizing "sneakiness." A bassoon trill was also added to heighten tension and glockenspiel was added to an aesthetic "cherry on the cake."

Level 2

Composer: James

The harmony mostly consists of 4 repeating patterns of different chords. With different instruments such as the French horn introduced near the end to construct a "grandiose" atmosphere towards the end of the soundtrack. The track was enhanced with alternating melodic harmonies of violin, cello and glockenspiel.

Safehouse

Composer: Renée

This track was based on the title screen melody composed by Brian (@DancingBrian) for the first sprint. We built on this motif by harmonising the melody, highlighting the chordal structure using a glockenspiel and adding percussion. Each instrument would be layered as if a loop pedal was used, just as in the soundtrack of Night in the Woods. The theme creates a sense of temporary safety; the player cannot remain in the safehouse forever.

Final Boss

Composer: Renée

As of writing (15 Sep.) the design of the final boss or battle has yet to be finalised. As such, we attempted to write a short track anyway, and it can be heard in Level 3. Based on a whole-tone scale, its lack of tonality creates a sense of unease in the player. It begins with a set of repeated notes of increasing pitch height to create tension that is released a few seconds later in a raging waterfall of arpeggiated whole-tone chords. It then ends with a coda resembling the opening four bars before looping again. The rapid succession of its musical structure is to simulate a boss's attack and cooldown cycle.

Game Over

Composer: Renée

Originally written for the first level, this theme features the pipe organ in a manner that test listeners described as 'gothic' and resembling the tension in Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. It was for this reason that it was decided that it would suit the Game Over screen better. Written in B minor for pipe organ and tubular bells, the scene evokes the stereotypical graveyard found in popular culture. We felt that going with this would quickly establish the grungy post-apocalyptic scene that is this game.