Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding has been one of the most anticipated games in recent years. I caught up with composer and audio director Ludvig Forssell while he was in Los Angeles for The Game Awards, and he told me that it's exciting to finally be able to share what he's been working on for four years. The game is set in a not-too-distant post-apocalyptic future, filled with terrifying creatures. The player follows Sam Porter Bridges, who is tasked with a crosscountry journey to reunite the far-flung cities across America.
Ludvig's soundtrack mixes alien sounds sampled from everyday items, mixed with synths and the human sounds of live strings and voice.
Ludvig built the sound library from samples he and co-composer Joel Corelitz gathered at a fun shopping trip to Home Depot. He says the most surprising sounds they got came from small items, like a paint roller, that they were able to turn into epically huge sounds that add a massive scale to the instrumentals.
Everything Hideo Kojima creates is unique, including the nearly eight-minute launch trailer for Death Stranding (note: this trailer is rated M)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_bd0kIUZRU">
Ludvig has been working with Mr. Kojima for eight years, and appreciates Hideo's different approach to game creation, which includes giving him the freedom to write music he knows will be perfect for the game, without a lot of micro-managing.
Ludvig's soundtrack is available from Apple Music, Spotify and other digital sources.
Episode tracklist:
All tracks by Ludvig Forssell
Death Stranding: BRIDGES; Chiralium; Chiral Carcass Culling; The Severed Bond; Alone We Have No Future; A Final Waltz; BB's Theme; The Face of Our New Hope; The Timefall; Strands
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Thanks to Dick Roberts for production assistance and Colin Yost at Sony Music
