Hello again Steam friends! It’s very nearly launch day. In less than one day, you’ll be able to rise to the challenge of raising your very own daughter in Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator. Do you feel ready? Is anyone ever truly ready for parenthood?!
By now, I hope you’ve got a good idea about what to expect from this unique simulator - but one thing we haven’t gone into too much detail on so far is the music. This week we've been livestreaming a little mixtape of the soundtrack over on YouTube, so I would highly recommend that you stop what you're doing right now, and head over to our channel so you can preview it for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BemR0owUqWE Cool, huh? While you're listening, please keep reading so I can tell you just how much I LOVE the music of Ciel Fledge. It’s probably my favourite thing about the game and I could talk all day about how eccentric, charming and varied its soundtrack is. Across the game there are all kinds of songs that accompany Ciel’s adventures, and they range from upbeat funky beats and lush 80s synths, to relaxing jazz suites and grand sweeping string themes that whisk you away. It’s just brilliant.
However I am only a fan, and I don’t actually know anything about how to make music. So instead of just making you read my enthusiastic descriptions of the soundtrack, I thought it would be much more informative to talk to the composer for the game: Jasmine Cooper. You can read our full conversation below, which is filled with insights into writing songs and what it’s like to make music for a video game. So I hope you all find it as interesting as I did!
GB - Hi Jasmine! Thanks for talking to us about your work on Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator. First of all, could you tell us a little bit about what it means to be a composer for a game?
JC - Hm.. that's an interesting question, especially since the answer could vary depending on who you are talking to. For me, I would say being a composer for a game means to create music that evokes the moods and tones that a player will or may experience while playing.
GB – How did you end up working on the game? Have you worked with Studio Namaapa before?
JC - I ended up working on Ciel because I had worked with Studio Namaapa before! I scored their first title, Nusakana, and I also scored a small game jam project they created called Surge Nereia.
GB - How long have you been making music for?
JC - I've been writing music (that can be found online) since I was fourteen, but I have been writing for media for about seven years.
GB – The music in Ciel Fledge feels very eccentric. What was the initial process like conceiving such a unique collection of songs?
JC – So, the first step we (the dev team) took was figuring out what we wanted musically for Ciel Fledge. Ciel has three growth stages (child, teen, adult) and I knew that I wanted the music to outline that format to some degree.
I thought about Ciel initially being one style that evolved over time, but after brainstorming different genres that influenced the story, setting, and art, we thought about taking another approach. Rather than have one style that evolved, why not have the music evolve completely? As a person grows, they contain remnants of their former selves (melody) but their outward appearance and mindset grow with time (genre). So, we decided to have three styles, where one style would be featured in one of Ciel's three life stages. The binding agent would be maintaining the same melody throughout each variation.
Riz and Jason were on board with the idea and I therefore went ahead and started making sure I could execute it.
GB - What’s it like to write music for a video game? What are the challenges?
JC - I am answering this in the sense of 'how does writing for a game make you feel?'. For me, it's empowering. You're given a problem, a problem with numerous ways to be solved and executed, and you're given the opportunity to solve said problem in as creative a way as possible. To me it is a constant challenge of skill and perception, and I love that. For me, the biggest challenge is letting things go. It is quite easy for me to get hung on perfecting a piece, or expecting more of myself. I don't think there is anything wrong with having high expectations, but it can become a hindrance when you're on a schedule.
GB – What was the recording process like?
JC - The recording process for Ciel was a bit erratic. There was my own personal recording process, which basically includes doing a rough sketch of the parts then recording over them when I have a clear understanding of what I want. It's pretty straight forward. There was also a second process, which was outsourcing musicians. This had multiple steps (sheet music, recording 'packages', research, scheduling, budgeting). One of my personal goals for Ciel was to collaborate with session musicians, though. It was extra work, but WELL worth the experience.
GB – Is there a favourite instrument or sound you used in the music?
JC - I don't have a favorite instrument or sound, but I can definitely say the favorite part of my process in Ciel was working with session musicians. I am officially addicted!
GB – Do you have a favourite song you composed for Ciel Fledge?
JC - There are two. The final battle theme and the ending theme. Both because I had the opportunity to go way out of my comfort zone, which included pushing my skillset by working with a session musician in a different setting than what I am used to. I mean, I love the compositions, too, haha.
GB - You’ve cited ‘Japanese City Pop’ as an influence on the soundtrack for Ciel Fledge. Can you tell us a bit about this genre?
JC - From what I glean from city pop, it's essentially really chill and laid back Japanese 70s/80s music.
GB – Are there any artists or songs that were a particular inspiration? Do you have any favourite City Pop songs?
JC - Now, I felt city pop was a bit 'too' chill for childhood Ciel, so I wanted to take that and give it a more innocent, boppy feel by combining it with some quirky pop of that time, which struck a better balance for me. As for city pop influences. Now, some really good artists that I believe would fit in the city pop genre - Tatsuro Yamashite, Hiroshi Sato, quirky pop - Akiko Yano (TADAIMA), Harumi Hosono
GB - Are there any soundtracks from other recent games that you admire?
JC - Yes! Don't Give Up by Brandon Liew, A Plague's Tale, and Gavin Oscar's current displayed work for Hytale.
GB - Finally, why should everyone play Ciel Fledge?
JC - You should play Ciel Fledge because you get the opportunity to raise a daughter in a post-apocalyptic world, in a floating city, all while experiencing a soundtrack that grows as you do!
Thanks again Jasmine! We’ll have our Ciel Fledge radio mixtape live on YouTube here for the next few days, so feel to bookmark it in case you need some smooth City Pop beats to relax or raise a daughter to.
And thanks as always to you Steam friends, for reading and for supporting Ciel Fledge: A Daughter Raising Simulator in the lead up to launch (which is TOMORROW, remember!). We hope you enjoy checking out the game, and please do share your playthroughs with us on Twitter by tagging @PQubeIndies.
Have fun raising your very own daughter!
PQube & Studio Namaapa
