Hello Shopkeepers!
Last week, we showed you a little bit of behind-the-scenes with creating the main theme for the upcoming Moonlighter 2 with Chris Larkin. As his music will be present in all your future adventures, we decided to ask him some more questions. How does he create his music? What were his beginnings? What are his plans for Moonlighter’s soundtrack?
You will find all the answers to these questions below!:
Creative Process & Style
- When crafting a soundtrack like Moonlighter 2’s, do you start with melody, atmosphere, or emotion?
Well, technically, it starts with a conversation! This is held with the directors/developers. We discuss the kind of mood we want to set and also talk about the character and emotional aspects of the area or boss that the music will be used for. I use this to decide what kind of instrumentation to go for, and this often coincides with jamming some melody - maybe a riff, hook, or similar. But then, every track is different. On one track, I started hitting my cheese grater and other things in my kitchen, and this became the foundation for one of the tracks.
- If you could summarise the music for Moonlighter 2 in one word, which one would it be and why?
Adventurous. Because, like the protagonist Will, I feel like I’m venturing out into the unknown and (hopefully) capturing the wide range of colours and styles that echo the world the game is set in. Early on, Digital Sun - and then audio director Alex - highly encouraged going beyond the stylistic scope of the first game (though we do pay homage to that, which I can elaborate on later). The emphasis has been that Will and the other characters find themselves in a new and unfamiliar world, and thus the music should echo a sense of unfamiliarity and newness. This has taken the score from guitar-led orchestra to folk, to electronic soundscapes, to industrial metal, and everything in between.
- If Moonlighter 2’s music were a place or landscape, what would it look like?
Hopefully, the locations in the game! :D
- What aspect of your work on Moonlighter 2’s music did you find most challenging? Which one, on the other hand, came almost naturally?
There was one track, which is for the desert biome in the game, that has a lot of experimental percussion and weirdly treated instruments in it. I mentioned earlier that I used my cheese grater in one of the pieces - this is the one!
The enemies in this space are pulling together technology they don't know how to use and are weaponising it against intruders like Will. They are, however, clumsy, and their piece-together approach to the tech inspired me to go through my kitchen and sample every piece of metallic cutlery I could find. With the help of my assistant Hew, we made a small library of playable virtual instruments with these sounds, which is the foundation of the slightly Mad Max–inspired chaos in the percussion section of this piece.
The boss piece in the same biome takes the percussion to a distorted drum kit and guitar played by my brother Mitch, and some analogue synth leads run through a tube amp. This is very contrasting with the acoustic guitar and solo fiddle - played by Sam Leske and Rob Wallace, respectively - for the quiet and acoustic music in the town of Tresna. I guess each track presents its own challenges, and the music production processes have sometimes been quite different. Perhaps it’s a bit like method acting - embodying the character of the enemies, boss, or area to an exaggerated degree. Have we contrasted these tracks too much? Maybe - but then again, this isn’t a live-action feature film, it’s an action video game, and I think having the chance to dial the music up to 11 - both on the guitar amps and on the bow pressure - will reflect in a very unique and varied gaming experience for the player.
Not all tracks have come together straight away and sometimes need a re - do. This is part of the process, and I rely very heavily on Digital Sun to give me their thoughts on where to take things. In times when things aren’t working out - well, to be honest, I just wait for the deadline to get closer, which can induce a sense of urgent inspiration! That said, the other process of keeping the pen moving at all times - even if the content isn’t one’s best - is another trick I rely on quite heavily. Just hit the record button and see what happens!
Career & Collaboration
- How did you find your way into the video game industry as a composer?
I came from an indie film and video music background here in South Australia, with an education in classical music. While I was working on video and film projects, I was always keeping my eye out for opportunities to write music for games. I eventually got to work on a couple of indie games. The first one was the result of a friend of a friend making a game, and the next I met through that friend. There were some stepping stones and some really supportive game devs (Thanks Matt T and Chris J :D).
- Your musical credits include, apart from video games, some television work. What is the main difference between working on these two media for you, as a composer?
The major difference I have encountered is that music for games is often tied to location - or, in the case of boss battles or character encounters. Whereas in film and the moving image, there is a lot more room for the music to move linearly based on changes in the script, acting, events, or cinematography. These changes can also occur in games, but a lot of the time they are player input–dependent. Therefore, it is necessary for the music to occupy a broader range of colour and emotion within one single loop (sometimes two or three loops, before things start to get a bit complicated!). Finding the right type of colour or emotion in a music loop that ticks the boxes necessary for the location, boss, or in - game event is the biggest challenge for game music.
- How would you describe your collaboration with the Digital Sun studio? Does it differ significantly from working with other teams you’ve partnered with?
Digital Sun has been really great to work with. Their feedback has been clear, and they give me plenty of room to make suggestions. To be honest, they are not that different from the other studios I have worked with - with the exception that they are a larger studio, so I sometimes end up feeling like I forgot to tag the right person for the right thing in Slack! 😀
Connection to Moonlighter & Game World
- A composer of your experience and position surely has a lot of professional propositions going on. What made you choose composing music for Moonlighter 2 as your next great project?
I was drawn to Moonlighter 2 because of the strength of the style, mechanics, and music of the first game. The first Moonlighter had very pretty and striking pixel art, and the dungeon crawling and shop management were very addictive. Its score was also very good, and David Fenn laid a very strong foundation for memorable themes for the game series. As someone who strives to write strong melodies and (hopefully!) effective thematic variation, I think I’m in a good place to continue the story from where Fenn left off - while never forgetting that strong melodic mark! Speaking of, we have some references to some of the themes from the first game, and I look forward to sharing these with the fanbase 🙂.
- If Will, the protagonist of Moonlighter, had a personal theme or instrument, what would it be?
The mandolin. We included the mando in the main theme for this game as well, and I feel like this instrument - along with the acoustic guitar - has a special place for Will and the people of Rynoka.
- Do you believe music can shape how we understand a character or a world in games?
Yes, to a large degree. It can convey whether a character is friendly or hostile, happy or sad. Sometimes their character or intent (sometimes not always obvious from the animations, but more so from a script or directions from Luis over at DS) informs the style of music I write.
Influences & Personal Taste
- What is your favorite OST (film or video game) of all time?
I don’t have one, as there is way too much out there to pick any one, but the most influential would be Ocarina of Time on the N64, by Koji Kondo.
- Do you have any hobbies that help you reset your mind after work?
I’ve just started hot yoga, and I find it very good for resetting the mind. I only go 1 to 2 times a week, though, so I need to up my game 😀.
- If you could perform one Moonlighter 2 track live with a full orchestra, which would it be and where?
Actually, I would prefer to wait until the game is released and see what the audience would like to hear! While I enjoy music played live, I am absolutely here for crafting our score for our audience first. Maybe a Moonlighter medley could be on the cards in future?
~ Digital Sun & 11bit studios Teams
