Interview: Composing 'Darksiders III's' Epic Soundtrack With Cris Velasco
12/02/2018 09:40 pm EST
The Biggest Challenge For a Darksiders Soundtrack
What's the most challenging part when it comes to putting a score like this together for a game?
A game like this has so many character themes and melodies. It becomes a balancing act of using the themes enough so that they stay memorable, but not overusing them in fear of things sounding cluttered, confusing, or just outright annoying. There was also a lot of combat music. It can be easy to fall into the trap of getting complacent on this type of material. I really tried to make sure I kept the music interesting and varied for each encounter. In particular, it was very important to give each of the Sins their own identity.
Do you have a particular favorite soundtrack when it comes to the work you've done over the years? Or are they all something that you feel an attachment with in some way?
I feel an attachment to most of my past scores in some way or another. It's usually the latest project I'm working on that I like the most, but I guess I do have a few favorites from over the years. The Invisible Hours, Clive Barker's Jericho, Bloodborne, and Company of Heroes 2 are ones that come to mind right now, all for different reasons.
Do you have any other favorite composers that work on soundtracks out there?
There's no pedestal high enough for John Williams in my opinion. Besides him though, I'm really into John Powell, Marco Beltrami, and James Newton Howard at the moment.
More Darksiders, and Cris' Dream Franchises
Are there any franchises you haven't worked on yet that you'd like to?
The one big one that I always mention when someone asks is Star Wars. That is top of my list for franchises I'd like to work on. I'd really love to work on a Harry Potter project too. Finally, the number one person I'm passionate to work with is Guillermo Del Toro. We have some friends in common, and we're both areinto collecting a lot of the same art. I feel like it's just a matter of time until that happens. So pass the word along to GDT next time you see him please! ?
If Darksiders sees a fourth chapter, would you like to return for another go-around?
Absolutely! I think it'd be a fun challenge for sure to figure out what the score for Strife would sound like. Plus, I just really loved working with everyone at Gunfire Games. I'd work with them on just about anything.
Finally, any clue on what you're working on next? Or are you taking it easy for the holidays?
I just wrapped up some more music for The Long Dark. I'm also just getting started on the music for the first Darksiders III DLC. I've got the usual "can't talk about it" stuff too. I'm definitely looking forward to some time off for the holidays though!
Darksiders III is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Be sure to check out our review!
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