When I was approached by one of the developers for 'A Demon Killed My Babushka' I could tell this project would be something special. As part of a 6 man group, they were developing a Russian themed action game as their masters project over in the US and asked if I'd like to be a part of the team, working on both music and sound effects.
After a talk about the scope and direction of the project, I was unsure in my ability to provide the music they requested. The brief was a tricky one, to produce an intense action piece with dark themes but featuring comedic overtones in a Russian folk style. After a night of independent research, studying the folk style, instrumentation and history, I went back to the devs and accepted the project.
Early Concept Photo
Music
First Track
In line with their goals and submission date, I worked closely with the team to ensure they had what they needed in time for their deadlines. For the first piece of music I blended a traditional folk style with modern rock over the duration of the piece, Steadily progressing and swapping out a Russian Balalaika for an electric guitar and drum kit by the end of the track. The composition of the track was very important for this project.
As the developers were building their own game engine, they were not using a traditional middleware software, which allow the sound and music to be implemented to a complex degree. To cater for this, I build the tracks into long loopable sections, including panned and scatter instruments, in an attempt to make the music sound as complex as possible, whilst being implemented as easily as possible. The track is also structured to match the visuals, with the first few sections focused more on light melodies and focusing the player on the storytelling of the visuals. Towards the end of the piece, the track intensifies, enhancing the bloody style of the game and giving a strong soundtrack for the player to kill their way through the level to. Fine tuning the project with the developers feedback throughout production meant that they were very satisfied with the music.
Second Track
The second track was similar to the first in structure, again working in loopable sections and fitting the storytelling timeline of the games visuals. The brief for this piece was a more intense combat track, therefore I jumped straight to an immersive track with drone notes surrounding the player and a pumping kick drum mimicking a heartbeat. With a tempo change over time at the beginning of the track and building to a punching electric and orchestral theme by the end.
Submission Gameplay
See also: 'A Demon Killed My Babushka' SFX
