Hi All,
Before we get to the main attraction of this devblog... We are now 45% funded on Kickstarter! Please support us if you haven't yet (pledge, share, pretty please 🤡): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/klabater/the-amazing-american-circus
You can’t have a good game without great music, and that’s a fact. Whether it’s an oldie and/or indie chiptune or a rock’n’roll riffing on the car radio in GTA or Cyberpunk, music is a must. That’s why for The Amazing American Circus we’ve teamed up with a fantastic Polish composer: Patryk Scelina.
Despite his young age, Patryk is a media and trailer music veteran, who’s built a sizable catalogue of music for one of the biggest publishing companies, BMG Production Music. His music has been used in multiple TV and Netflix productions, as well as video games, such as My Memory of Us - a previous game by the Juggler Games, Klabater’s partner in creation of The Amazing American Circus (you can get it when you choose some of the pledges!). Patryk’s soundtrack for My Memory of Us was appreciated by the Digital Dragons jury and nominated for Best Game Soundtrack.
Check these two short samples from TAAC recording sessions:
https://youtu.be/QidPiCRL1Ks
https://youtu.be/zFbVUEQS9G0
Music-wise, The Amazing American Circus is a true challenge. Unlike many other games which need a specific type of sound or style, this one needs three:
--> circus show tunes which require more conventional, classical march music
--> travelling soundtrack, inspired by traditional American folk music
--> dramatic, moving, and powerful score, to accentuate the plot-related feelings and emotions of the characters
According to Patryk, that latter is his favorite part. “I wanted it to feel a bit more modern, while still keeping some obvious American folk influences. It is also not an easy task to make it work with a text-driven story.”
As he points out, in case of a movie, a composer knows exactly when something happens. In a game such as The Amazing American Circus it’s the player who decides when to continue a conversation with another character. Because of that the music for these scenes has to be powerful, but also universal, to fit any moment. Patryk called it a puzzle but bravely took up the challenge. After all, that’s what game development is all about: challenging yourself and then reaping the rewards of your hard work.
‘till the next time!