Hi folks, I’m Peter and today we’re shaking things up a bit and bringing you a ‘behind-the-scenes’, or in this case, a ‘behind-the-speakers’ view of Fogpiercer’s music, which has recently been nominated for Best Audio at the prestigious gamedev conference Reboot Develop Blue in Dubrovnik.
However, before we have to read some more, let’s listen first:
In a Nutshell
I could mention the obvious inspirations of industry titans, but a review summarized the music as being ‘a combination of Ben Prunty, Chris Christodolou and Vivaldi’, and I feel I couldn’t describe it more concisely if I tried.
A Musical Duel
As far as the instruments go, I have tried placing a great deal of importance on sonic uniqueness of the individual characters and bosses. For example, Lojzo, the menace who uses his huge speakers to yell at you and disable your carriages, has a huge blaring synthetic foghorn that pierces through the 15/4 rhythm. On the other hand, while playing as Monica, each track has a chilly overdriven violin. This way, when you’re fighting a boss, you can really feel the instruments going head to head as you plan your next step.
My Train is an Instrument
The music itself is made to sound like a train, whether it’s the delayed snare evoking a steam locomotive hurling forward or the clangs of a train crossing keeping a steady beat. While some of these rely on twisting and turning already existing musical instruments, a lot of them do not. That is when my field recording experience came in handy. Using a combination of the Slovak-made Geofon and Uši microphones, I took several trips by train, recording both the inside click-clacks, as well as the outside thundering of a train engine. These then made their way into the game not only as sound effects, but also as an integral part of the musical texture.
The wonderful Geofon by LOM – similar microphones were originally made to pick up seismic vibration, they now lend their abilities to capturing the game’s sonic essence.
Sonic Feedback
If the player manages to draw a Malfunction card and it is still in your hand when you end your turn, your locomotive will receive damage, forcing the player to smartly play around it and make sure it is discarded. Holding a Malfunction card is a run-threatening event and the player is notified of its significance by the aforementioned steam-snare entering the musical environment, letting you know the pressure is ON.
Technical Solutions and Variability
Since the game focuses on repeated runs, I wanted the music to be something that does not get stale after a run or two and can accompany you on your entire adventure through the frozen wastes. This meant coming up with musical ideas that can slot into each other, while at the same time lead the player on a musical journey that makes sense from a compositional point of view.
When fighting Marauder – our second boss and Monica’s old enemy – I wanted the player to truly feel the struggle. That meant the ebb and flow of tension had to be tightly controlled, while not getting repetitive. This screenshot illustrates the madness this required – stems jumping around with cascading probabilities to switch to a different point in the track, which then again escalates the tension and puts either Monica or Marauder center-stage.
Ever Forward!
One of the core tenets of the game is that the train is an unstoppable machine, advancing ever forward through the icy planes. The music reflects that, requiring in-game tracks to seamlessly switch between the game stages – from building a train, through throwing bandits off of cliffs, all the way to falling silent while you deliberate your upgrades at depots and chop shops.
The individual game states are organized horizontally, not unlike a train, where each stage is connected to the next one, eager to respond to the changing gameplay.
Powerful, yet 'Thinky'
However, this is, first and foremost, a game about masterful planning and execution, which is not always the easiest thing to do with electric guitars chugging along. That is why I introduced dynamic mixing that makes the music take a backseat when it’s your turn to crush the bandits, facilitating those wonderful tactical moments of genius that clear an entire lane of enemies. In addition to a small volume change, the music also responds by gently rolling off the highs, to allow you to get ‘into the zone.’
More to Come
While this already has us giddy with excitement whenever we see players tap their foot to the rhythm, a lot of work still remains. In the future, you can look forward to more drivers, each having their own instrument representing their powers and personality, new bosses challenging you on your way to your final destination and generally, just MORE music to hum along with while you outwit bandits on the grid.
If you’re interested in chatting further, whether it’s about the music or the game itself, stop by our Discord, we’d love to chat!