video game music – The Concordian

The city’s game developers compose music that feels retro yet futuristic

Montreal has an abundance of video game developers who have created huge franchises, like Assassin’s Creed, and small, independent games, like The Shrouded Isle (2017) and SuperHyperCube (2016). The soundtracks of these games are outstanding, perfectly reflecting Montreal’s unique identity—vibrant and eclectic. The music ranges from cyberpunk synth to whimsical orchestration and retro-inspired beats.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011), by Eidos Montreal, depicts a dark, neon-lit world polarized by augmented humans programed to wield special abilities. The game is set in the year 2027 in Detroit—home to a new technological boom—and the orange-tinted streets of Singapore. Michael McCann’s soundtrack further enriches the cyberpunk world of Deus Ex.

McCann balances high-octane tracks, like “Everybody Lies,” and moody, atmospheric pieces, like “Detroit City Ambient.” Tension is created during strategic combat sequences, which are amplified by the game’s clever use of music. Although the soundtrack takes inspiration from Vangelis’ Blade Runner (1982) soundtrack, as a lot of sci-fi media does, the world of Deus Ex is dramatically augmented by McCann’s stellar music.

Several years ago, French developer Ubisoft released a succession of experimental and artsy games, starting with Rayman Origins (2010). Out of that initiative, Ubisoft Montreal’s Child of Light (2014) was born. Hand-drawn, impressionistic art brought the game’s fantasy world to life. A palpable difference from the formulaic fare of other Ubisoft creations could be felt throughout the game, which was a decidedly new direction for the developers. It was a distinct change from the high-budget games Ubisoft is known for, like the Watch Dogs series. The soundtrack was no different.

Composer Cœur de pirate, a Montreal-based singer-songwriter, melded melody with whimsy, which can be heard on the track “Aurora’s Theme.” The song features lush cello instrumentation and a gorgeous piano sound. Unlike other Ubisoft games, Child of Light’s soundtrack is more subdued and has the ability to create transcendent moments for players.

Montreal indie developer Polytron released its hit game, Fez, in 2012. The game fell somewhere between retro and modern. The developers created a bright and colourful world, reminiscent of games made in the 90s. And yet, the game pushed the aesthetics and gameplay into territories that would never have been possible in that era. Navigating the world of Fez requires curiosity, a motivation to explore and the ability to think spatially in order to solve complex puzzles. Composer Disasterpeace also straddled the line between retro and classic.

The soundtrack was composed of familiar chiptune sounds—the crunchy electronic synths found in older games—but with a modern twist. For example, the track “Compass” fuses wavy electronic synths with a rhythm typically heard in classic games. “Majesty” features a chiptune melody combined with ambient synth pads and a drum machine—a sound so familiar yet so mystifying. The soundtrack felt inventive, yet it gave the game a warm sense of nostalgia.

Ubisoft Montreal’s Watch Dogs 2 is a game about hacking, dismantling big tech corporations and revealing the corruption of these conglomerates. The game is set in San Francisco, home to Silicon Valley and hundreds of startup tech businesses. A CTOS (Central operating system) controls the city and its inhabitants. The developers satirically portrayed the culture of Silicon Valley, skewering the pretensions of the corporate higher-ups. Despite how mediocre the game turned out, the soundtrack was phenomenal.

Composed by producer and DJ Hudson Mohawke, the music was influenced by contemporary electronic music. Mohawke used sampling, synths and a drum machine to produce a danceable and exciting soundtrack. “The Motherload” features distorted synth beats and an off-kilter drum sound, accompanied by a choir and handclaps. While the track “Cyber Driver” could have been a Run the Jewels beat, it harnesses a lovely synth sound that reminds me of the opening Playstation tune. This is one case where the music is definitely superior to the game.

Music is an essential part of the way people experience games. The more inventive composers get, the more memorable the soundtrack becomes. The aforementioned games took on a unique approach to music, showcasing the ways sound can affect the whole vibe of a game. And each of them exemplified the spirit of Montreal—a city caught between two cultures, a city of awe-inspiring art and architecture and a city that integrates old and new.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin

Chronicling an evolution, from primitive to a seminal artform

Video games and music complement each other harmoniously. Many people have specific memories associated with the music that plays during a particular video game level, especially if it was a more difficult one. With each new generation of video game systems, sound chips, sampling fidelity and storage capabilities have influenced the sounds and textures that can be produced in a game.

Originally, video games had no music. Games like Pong (1972), Space Invaders (1978) and Breakout (1976), only had sound effects. According to a Gamespot article chronicling the history of video game music, Donkey Kong (1981) is one of the earliest examples of music in games. In 1983, with the release of the Famicom — known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America — video game music started to develop its own style. The opening minutes of Super Mario Bros. are iconic, partly due to the chip-tune music composed by Japan’s Koji Kondo. Many classic Nintendo games owe their sound to Kondo, including The Legend of Zelda (1986) and Punch-Out!! (1984).

My favorite tracks from that era are DuckTales’ “The Moon Theme,” composed in 1989 by Jake Kaufman, and Mega Man 3’s “Intro,” which was composed in 1990 by Harumi Fujita. Both tracks pushed the capability of the NES’s sound chip — which controls the way game systems output sound — to produce dynamic music that was melodic and atmospheric.

Competition was brewing as the 90s approached. Sega released a gaming system called Genesis in 1989, at the tailend of the NES’s popularity. The Genesis’ sound chip, the Yamaha YM2612, produced crunchy and grungy sounds, and gave composers more tools to work with. Sega’s whole aesthetic during that era was more “cool” and “punk,” and the music produced on the Genesis helped them achieve an edgier aesthetic.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) was the game, many fans will agree, that defined the Genesis and Sega — it was all about coolness, speed and amazing music. Even Sonic’s design took inspiration from the fashion sensibilities of Michael Jackson, particularly the buckles on Sonic’s shoes. Each level featured the rad compositions of Masato Nakamura, who had a background in Japan’s rock scene. Sonic’s soundtrack played a huge role in conveying the style the developers were going for. The dreamy bells and funky bassline of “Star Light Zone” make it a highlight from the soundtrack.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), or Super Famicom in other parts of the world, was released that same year. Nintendo tried to distinguish the SNES from other competitors; music played an important role. While Sega was all about attitude, Nintendo was more like 90s Disney — family friendly, yet experimental. The SNES’s sound chip (S-SMP) had a cleaner, crisper sound and better sampling capabilities. Amazing soundscapes were composed on the S-SMP. David Wise’s compositions for Donkey Kong Country (1994) were ambient and atmospheric, utilizing the sound chip to produce uniquely ambient and melodic music. “Aquatic Ambiance” is one of my favorite tracks from the game. Other games around that time, like Chrono Trigger (1995), Super Metroid (1994) and F-Zero (1990), ambitiously used music to convey grandeur, isolation and speed.

The later half of the 90s was all about 3D graphics and CD roms. Sony entered the market with the Playstation, a console that could fully render 3D objects. Therefore, it needed more storage. In order to store all the data, the system used CD roms. This allowed games to have better sounding instrumentation and the ability to use real instruments. Games started to become more cinematic in this era.

Games like Suikoden II (1998) showed off the newly available possibilities of CD technology. Tracks from the game, like “Reminiscence,” feature an orchestral sound that wouldn’t have been possible before. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) has one of my favorite soundtracks of the Playstation era. Composed by Michiru Yamane, the music stands out because of its unique gothic-rock sound.

Meanwhile, with the release of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, Nintendo decided to stick with cartridge technology. Although this decision caused some problems for the company — game developers preferred CD technology — some great music was made on the 64. The soundtracks for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) and Majora’s Mask (2000), composed by longtime Nintendo composer Kondo, have both become iconic.

Since the release of the Playstation, the trend has shifted to create more cinematic soundtracks. The Metal Gear Solid franchise even hired film composer Harry Gregson-Williams to compose soundtracks for several games. Now, soundtracks are more reactive to gameplay, changing according to the actions of the player. Nier Automata (2017) recently used an adaptive soundtrack, crafting dynamic action sequences that add and remove sound layers as the player fights a variety of enemies.

Despite technological evolution and changing industry trends, unforgettable music has always been produced by the video game industry — music that has been enmeshed in our memories. Just like the timeless games it soundtracks, video game music has so much more to explore.

Graphics by ZeZé Le Lin