While I haven’t played it, the 2.5D surreal platformer Spate looks incredibly intriguing. The steampunk-esque visuals bore resemblances of American McGee’s Alice as well as shades of Beetlejuice and it things like that draw me in a great deal. But what also draws me in is a solid soundtrack, one that adds to the feel and atmosphere of a game.
Listening to the soundtrack, it seems like composer Mike Raznick was able to accomplish that in spades. Utilizing a live orchestra with a strong focus on a string quartet, the soundtrack is eerie, hypnotic, and very mysterious.
Raznick comments, “The inspiration for this soundtrack lives in an early 20th-century classical impressionistic world of rain, psychological fragility and instability, ranging from moments of clarity to epic absinthe-induced hallucinations. The story encompasses a steampunk journey where our protagonist, Detective Bluth, attempts to investigate the mysterious disappearances that have occurred on an island offshore.”
Game director Eric Povan adds, “Composer Mike Raznick dove into the world of Spate with an inspiring amount of enthusiasm. He came up with the wonderful idea to have the music evolve along with the game’s storyline. With this idea as his template, and an incredible understanding of the game, he was able to create the eerie and melancholy tones that bring Spate to a whole new level of gaming experience. I believe this soundtrack to be a unique mix of Mike Raznick’s skill, talent, and passion. Much like the game, this soundtrack is a journey. One that I believe people will want to take time and time again.”
Head below for more information and to stream the full soundtrack, which you can purchase via Bandcamp.
Raznick continues, In early discussions regarding the music style, we knew that this would be a low to medium impact game where the role of the music would be to enhance it’s dark, rainy atmosphere while allowing the player to feel the emotional arc that Detective Bluth experiences during his slow descent into madness. The soundtrack would be epic, but it had to be ambient, atmospheric, ethereal, and sometimes atonal. Rather than drive the emotional experience of the game, it would subtly immerse the player.
“Very early on in the scoring process, the idea to feature a string quartet was discussed and seemed an appropriate direction that would communicate an emotionally charged, yet somber and damp mood. This became the centerpiece for the score. Track 13, entitled “A Choice” was the first track written for the game and was recorded by an A-list string quintet. The other piece performed by this group is track 07, entitled “A Dedication to Rain”.
“Around this time, I had the opportunity to meet and work with renowned cellist, Martin Tillman (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, Transformers). He was excited to collaborate with me on the score and created many of the wonderfully haunting textures and performances that are woven throughout the soundtrack. I believe Martin’s performances set the bar for the incredibly top notch contributions from all of the musicians featured on this recording.“