interview

Gears Tactics is set twelve years before the original and now iconic Gears of War. Cities on the planet Sera are begininning to fall prey to a terrible threat emerging from underground, and it falls to reluctant hero Gabe Diaz to command his squad to defeat the Locust Hoarde. Tactics composer Edward Patrick White says his memories of playing the first Gears game, in a nearly-empty flat save for his Xbox and a kitten, infused his soundtrack.

Down the Rabbit Hole, a new virtual reality game by Coretopia Studios, takes to Wonderland before Alice ever visited, and it's just as strange! Composer Michael Gordon Shapiro says creating a musical signature for the game as well as the beloved characters was a really satisfying challenge. 

Composer Ian Chen says writing the soundtrack for the Chinese mythology-inspired Fantastic Creatures by Blue Callisto Studios was a dream project because he combined his love of traditional Chinese instruments with the myths he listened to as a child and his love of real-time strategy games.

He enjoyed the challenge of combining traditional Chinese instruments with Western ones to bring out the best qualities of both.

In Lost Words: Beyond the Page, Izzy deals with her grandmother's illness by writing her thoughts in her journal. As the game progresses and it's clear that her gran's illness is quite serious, Izzy's journal becomes an escape as she creates the fantasy world of Estoria. David Housden created a soundtrack that partners perfectly with this emotional story.

David says he looked to films by Pixar, Dream Works and Studio Ghibli for inspiration for the emotionally difficult experience young Izzy is going through.

Award-winning composer Peter McConnell is no stranger to the world of Plants vs. Zombies. Battle for Neighborville is his third soundtrack for the series. He's also no stranger to the banjo! He's been playing since he was 13, but when he spied a gorgeous 1928 Gibson five-string in a music store he regularly haunts, he knew it would be perfect for the Cheese Mines levels in the game.