I’m currently working as the composer for an AR game in development by Lab 58. The game is unreleased, but in this article, I’ll share my insights about how design thinking impacted my composition.
Empathize:
In the empathize phase, I considered who would be the user of the AR app, and how music could improve their experience while playing. The overall aesthetic for the game is adventuring, space, and heroics, so those were kept in mind as key anchor points for the work. The target audience is younger kids, so I wanted the music to be fun and exciting, but not too intense or dark – even in the most dramatic moments of the gameplay.
Define:
The team was a fantastic help in the define phase where I was sent dozens of inspirational tracks to pull from. Lots of the inspiration music was classic early chiptune gaming soundtracks. Songs from Megaman, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Zelda, and more were referenced and the team discussed which parts would be good fits for the game. From these conversations I built the following lists of must-haves for each game level type:
Boss Fight:
- Intense, energetic
- Two phases of intensity, speed up for the final section of the fight
Action Level:
- Synth-bass driven
- Emphasis on arpeggiated synths
- Separate layer that can be faded in for heavier sections
Exploration Level:
- Lower energy
- Mysterious, ambiguous
Lobby:
- Calm but not sleepy
- A longer melody so as to not be too repetitive on loop
Ideate:
Drafts of each song were shared, discussed, and revised for feedback. Some songs were started over from scratch if they didn’t fit the aesthetic of the game, but most were tweaked to incorporate revisions. On more complex songs like the boss fight, a basic version of the song was shared with the team, then once that was approved the more complex sections were added.
Prototype:
Prototypes of the songs were made using Propellerhead Reason and sketches of how songs may be implemented were made in Google Slides. Below are the prototypes of each track along with implementation graphics.
Test:
The soundtrack will be tested as the game enters user testing in the future. I’m interested to see how testers respond to the overall intensity of the music, especially the younger players. The boss fight and the action level themes are definitely pushing against what I thought would be acceptable for the target audience.