Composer Tom Salta talks about his extremely frightening music for The Outlast Trials, the third installment of the Outlast series. It’s always a joy to have Tom on, and I manage to learn something new every time we talk! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this…
During our Next Level discussion about this very episode, our friend Sacha counted up how many times we’ve had Jason Graves on an episode of Level, and Level’s friend, Top Score. Six times on Top Score, six times on Level, and this marks the 13th ep dedicated to his music. Best part is, we know…
Composer Steve Pardo got to write music for one of the most musically famous franchises of all time in Cypher 007, the newest game from James Bond. And it’s great! I love how the soundtrack fits seamlessly into the fabric of the stealthy Apple Arcade game. Steve and I talk about how neat that is,…
When you think of your favorite video games, what comes to mind? Immersive worlds, epic battles, and memorable characters, right? But have you ever considered the role of music in enhancing your gaming experience? Prepare to be blown away as Level with Emily Reese delves into the cosmic beats of the Guardians of the Galaxy…
Composer Ross Tregenza is back for a deep dive into the music and sound he created and composed for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We also talk about his music for Deathloop, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and his ubiquitous music in Cyberpunk 2077. I love every minute of all of it. And I…
Voice actor Morla Gorrondona has created some iconic characters in games, from Eris Morn in Destiny 2 to Naafiri in League of Legends. It’s such a pleasure to hear her talk about her process of creating a new person or creature for a game. You’ll hear samples of her acting in the show. Yay! You…
Composer Darren Korb‘s music for Hades properly beloved. It’s a great blend of metal with acoustic Mediterranean instruments to take you through the deep story of the game. Darren adds his voice acting talents to the game as well, voicing the main character, Zagreus, and the training dummy, Skelly. Hades is one of my favorite…
The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The person largely responsible for how audio worked in that original Xbox and what the Xbox would “sound” like was Brian Schmidt. We’ve had Brian on the show in the past, most recently to talk about Game Sound Con, which he runs in LA every October. In…
It’s always a fascinating discussion with composer Maclaine Diemer. In this episode, we talk about Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the newest expansion in the MMORPG. The last time he was on Level to talk about Guild Wars 2, we spoke of the End of Dragons expansion. Maclaine’s music for End of Dragons…
It’s been far too long since we had composer David Housden on the show. Last time, we talked about Thomas Was Alone and Volume. David’s music for Disney Illusion Island is quite different from those scores, as you’d expect. Complete with cartoon humor and sweeping melodies, it fits perfectly. The game is a multiplayer platformer/Metroidvania…
This is Part Two of my chat with scntfc / Andy Rohrmann about his music for Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. And it’s another episode packed with music and back stories. We can’t wait to have Andy on the show to talk about more music in the future! You can support Level with Emily…
Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals are fantastic games with phenomenal music. The games are scored by scntfc, a.k.a. Andy Rohrmann. And I can’t ever get enough of Andy’s music. I love these games so very much, from the art and story to the music. If you haven’t spent time listening to these scores, treat…
Composer Doyle Donehoo wrote a fantastic score for the newest game in the Alien franchise, called Aliens: Dark Descent. His music shares several hallmarks but is uniquely his music, and his fandom for this franchise runs so deep it comes off as a gorgeous, if not appropriately creepy, love letter. Doyle saw the first film,…
Composer Wilson Brown is part of an audio studio called Antfood, and the studio is responsible for the delightfully chill soundtrack for the Minecraft-esque roguelite, Let’s! Revolution! One of my favorite parts of the soundtrack is the percussion – a lot of organic sounds, like body percussion, Latin, South American and other world instruments, mixed…
It’s always a delight having Oleksa Lozowchuk on Level. This time, we’re talking about his music for Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores. I love hearing him dig into his process for composing. We talk about the important soloists on the soundtrack: singers Julie Elven and Melissa Kaplan, along with cellist Blair Lofgren. Quick ask: we’re…