Sound of Gaming

Louise Blain focuses on the theme of horror in gaming music, including Little Nightmares, Silent Hill, Dying Light and the Resident Evil series. Louise meets composer Jason Graves to talk about his music for Dead Space 2 and Until Dawn, and about his musical creation known as “The Instrument”. Also in the programme, a sneak preview of Bobby Krlic’s new score for the forthcoming release, Returnal.

Louise Blain scopes into one of gaming's great pleasures: the acquisition and wielding of special powers, from telelekinesis to shapeshifting, teleportation and spider-sense. Including a cut-scene interview with Inon Zur, composer of the brand new Outriders game.

Louise Blain reflects on this week’s 2021 Bafta Gaming Awards, talking with the nominees and featuring the music - considering them as a possible litmus test on the shape of gaming in the 2020s.

Music featured in the programme is taken from the nominees for the Best Gaming Music category, which are: GHOST OF TSUSHIMA by Ilan Eshkeri, Shigeru Umebayashi, Peter Scaturro; HADES by Darren Korb; THE LAST OF US PART II by Gustavo Santaolalla, Mac Quayle, Scott Hanau; MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES by John Paesano, Scott Hanau, Alex Hackford; ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS by Gareth Coker; and SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE by Jay Waters, Joe Thwaites, Joanna Skorupa.

Nominees for the Game of the Year include ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS which has proved such a hit during a year of lockdown.

Louise looks at these, and more, listing the winners.

In Louise’s words:

"Gaming was such a lifeline for so many people over 2020 and the 2021 British Academy Games Awards nominations reflect that. I don't think many of us would feel quite as connected to friends if we hadn't spent months fishing together in Animal Crossing: New Horizons or sharing the emotional web of The Last of Us Part 2. Vitally, 2020's games are a clear indicator of the diversity possible in this industry. I can't wait to explore the incredible scores nominated in the Best Gaming Music category. From the heroic joy of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales to the indie sword-spinning action of Hades, these are soundtracks to define a year like no other."

Jumping, climbing, running, Louise Blain focuses on music for platform games, from Donkey Kong and Mario to the present day. Lena Raine, composer of the award-winning 2018 game ’Celeste’ joins the programme to talk about that and some of her more recent work, and there’s music from Rayman Legends, Cuphead, and Ori and the Blind Forest.

Music for a gallery of gaming villains and, in particular, Boss Scores - the underscore and themes for the final nemesis between player and antagonist. And we also showcase some of the quieter music that prepares the player for their biggest battles. This week's edition includes a cut-scene interview with Stuart Chatwood, the composer of Darkest Dungeon and Prince of Persia. Presented by Louise Blain.

With the release of the eagerly awaited Cyberpunk 2077, Louise Blain immerses herself among the sounds of RPG (Role Play Games) and meets composer Marcin Przybylowicz.

Role Playing Games are some of the most creative and empowering gaming environments that there are. Games which let the player pursue a fictitious destiny as someone other themselves Where they get to choose and sometimes even create their own avatar. Louise focuses on games that offer a real potential for character creation in an exploration of the musical world of RPGs. Featured game scores include World of Warcraft; Pillars of Eternity; Eve Online; Dragon Age - Inquisition; The Sims; Fallout 4 and Final Fantasy.

This week's CutScene features Polish composer Marcin Przybylowicz talking about his music for Witcher 3 and also about his score for the greatly anticipated newly released games Cyberpunk 2077.

There are many theatres of war, a fact not lost on the gaming world. Louise Blain meets Call of Duty composer Jack Wall and looks at how the score helps bring these games to life.

It's a useful attribute for the gamer and a whole sub-genre of gaming. Louise Blain does 'stealth' and looks at The Pathless, released this week, with a new score by guest, Austin Wintory

Sound of Gaming returns to Radio 3 with a much-anticipated mix featuring some of the very best and newest gaming soundtracks out there. And with new scores comes a new voice. In the first of two programmes, gaming journalist and music enthusiast, Louise Blain, guides us though the many worlds of ‘action adventure' games, as evoked by the music. She looks forward to the release this week of the latest incarnation in the Assassin’s Creed franchise - ‘Valhalla’ - with a storyboard inspired by the Viking invasion of Britain and boasting a sonorous new soundtrack by this Louise’s guest, Jesper Kyd.

Jessica Curry's adventure into the exhilarating, joyous world of video game music continues with guest Paul Wolinski of band 65daysofstatic.

Music played in podcast:

Yuka Kitamura - Soul of Cinder (Dark Souls III)