We love a good bit of video game music. Whether it is keeping us company throughout a gruelling boss battle or stuck on in the background while we make our dinner in the evening, there is something about these tunes that just hits different. Despite all of these hours getting familiar with the scores, however, very few of us know what goes into making a track. Until today.
Setting out to uncover this very mystery, the wonderful Felix from-Nintendo-Life-here was recently lucky enough to sit down with Eastward composer Joel Corelitz to discuss the process of making music for a game.
Corelitz has been one of the brains behind a wide range of scores, from the 2021 Zelda-like and its recent Octopia DLC to big AAA releases including Halo Infinite and Death Stranding. In short, he knows his stuff.
In the above video, you can hear Felix and Joel chat about all things to do with scoring a video game, from where a composer might find inspiration, to how melodies are implemented into the game itself. It's a fascinating discussion and one that is well worth a watch from anyone who has ever left a game on the pause menu just to vibe out the music (come on, we're all guilty of it).