interview

Signs of the Sojourner, created by Echo Dog Games, is all about building relationships, making connections and exploring the wider world. As the main character, you are tasked with restocking your late mother's store in the quiet town of Bartow. Composer Steve Pardow of Skewsound says this was a dream project to work on. He created an intimate folksy sound, giving each intriguing town you visit its own character.

It's 1907 and President Teddy Roosevelt has been kidnapped! That's the premise of Barttlow's Dread Machine, a fantastic creation by Tribetoy and Beep Games, which looks as if the mechanical game actually dates from 1907. Now that the full game and soundtrack have been released, I caught up with composer Steve Kirk, who filled me in on how he created a (mostly) authentic soundtrack with period instruments including a temperamental banjo.

Camelot has fallen, and King Arthur's knights of the Round Table scattered to the winds. Guinever has retreated to a nunnery. Pendragon, Inkle Studio's retelling of the legend of King Arthur, lets players choose to be Sir Lancelot or Guinevere on a quest to return to help Arthur defeat his mortal enemy, Mordred. Laurence Chapman provides a soundtrack that keeps the player company on their journey, as a band of troubadours might have done.

The turf war between the Morello and Salieri crime families in the 1930s has been brought stunningly back to life in Mafia: Definitive Edition by Hangar 13 and 2K. Composer Jesse Harlin incorporated a whisper of the game's original theme, then expanded his soundtrack to reflect the Old World history of the two mafia dons as well as the younger generation of the characters, including taxi-driver Tommy Angelo, who gets pulled into working for the families.

Final Fantasy VII is regarded as a landmark game by, well... everyone! Created by Square Enix in 1997, it marked a departure from typical games of the era, with a sophisticated story, compelling characters and awesome music by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. Remaking Final Fantasy VII  in a modern game engine for a new generation of players and long-time fans has been a multi-year project for Square. The remake also reimagines the original music.