Survios’ latest VR title, Battlewake, sets gamers free on the high seas as they embark on a swashbuckling quest to overthrow the Queen, whom has taken their lands, freedom, riches, and power. Players can choose between four Pirate Lords to play as (Calavera, Diego, Rev, and Zhang), joining each other in a 20-chapter story that can be played entirely on their own or co-op with up to 3 other players. Adding to the immersive VR experience is the score by composer Jeremy Nathan Tisser. When discussing the score Tisser says, “The entire score draws on my heavy metal background. I actually bought myself a 9-string Ibanez guitar just for this game. You’ll hear everything from Metallica/Iron Maiden inspired tracks to Meshuggah inspired polyrhythms.” To learn more about the game’s music, read an exclusive interview with Tisser below. The Battlewake score will be available later this month.
-You have scored a lot of VR games in particular, why do you think that is?
I’m really drawn to the VR world in particular. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had this fascination with virtual reality, 3D, and anything else that was out of the normal. Then in 2011, when I was a graduate student at USC, I had the opportunity to write music for a Disney-style VR attraction. It was truly mind-blowing! I got that same feeling the first time I put on the Head Mounted Display (HMD) as I did the first time we saw the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park in theaters, or the first time we saw Neverland in Spielberg’s Hook! That was the feeling I always wanted on a project. I’ve been hooked ever since.
-You scored the Survios game Raw Data. Did you have any idea it was going to be such a hit when you were making it?
Oh man, we knew we were building something special, but that was crazy! Watching it hit the #1 spot, and then it just stayed there! It wasn’t just the #1 VR game, it was the top game on Steam! And what’s more, that was for an early access demo that lasted 10 minutes! When they came back to me and said “okay, we’re expanding the game into a full experience”, we all knew from then on how high the bar needed to be. I’ll never forget that experience.
-Is there anything that you did in Battlewake that you hadn’t before in your other games?
Well, I bought a 9-string guitar and wrote a series of swashbuckling orchestral pirate metal tracks. I’d say that tops the list of things I’d never done in a game before. Survios really lets me try something completely different with each game I score from them, so I’m really anxious to see what they’ll let me try next!
-How closely did you work with the game’s sound designer?
Quite close actually. Because this score needed to be interactive, I was in constant communication with Shane Kneip and his team. They were also in almost every creative meeting I had with James Iliff, the Chief Creative Officer of Survios. James was my Creative Director, and Shane made sure that everything I wrote could be properly implemented. The three of us needed to be on the same page at all times to make sure we all knew what was going on, so that the music could function properly as the game evolved and began to take shape.
-Battlewake has four Sea Lords for players to choose from: Zhang, Diego, Rev and Calavera. Did you give each of these characters specific themes?
Actually, I scored the four environment types that you’ll see in the game. When I was brought in, the characters hadn’t been finalized yet, so I ended up writing almost all the music based off of concept art for some of the different levels and environments.
-If so, do you have a favorite character theme?
My favorite environment theme was probably the music I wrote for the Arctic levels. I had the distinct pleasure of working with my good friend and world-renowned cellist Eru Matsumoto. She brought her electric cello, and played the melody on this track as if it were a vocal track to a metal song! It was awesome! Take a listen to “Battle of the Frozen Bog” on the soundtrack to hear it.
-In Battlewake there are single player modes and multi-player modes. Does your score differ depending on what mode the player is on?
I’ll be honest, I’m not entirely sure as I haven’t really gotten to play much multiplayer mode just yet. However, I can imagine that the music loops more and is less interactive than it would be in story mode.
-What do you think players are going to be most surprised about the game?
I think they’ll be surprised at how much fun it is to release the Kraken!! It’s every kid’s dream to be Captain Barbosa in Pirates of the Caribbean, when he shouts that phrase out. And now, you can realize that dream!
-You have a long heavy metal background. Did you bring any of that expertise to this game score?
Absolutely! The entire score draws on my heavy metal background. I actually bought myself a 9-string Ibanez guitar just for this game. You’ll hear everything from Metallica/Iron Maiden inspired tracks to Meshuggah inspired polyrhythms. We even listened to some Mongolian metal bands to draw inspiration for some of the environments. Take a listen to “Battlewake: The Boatman’s Call” and “War at Urth’s End” on my Soundcloud account as well as the soundtrack when it comes out in October.
To learn more about Battlewake, and other Survios upcoming titles, please visit www.survios.com or join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, or the official Survios Discord.
Related: BATTLEWAKE Available Now Worldwide on All Major VR Platforms
I have always enjoyed playing video games and am a programming team lead for a video game company. I co-founded Gaming Cypher because I enjoy the gaming community and would like to provide the best news service around. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will make sure to get back to you quickly.
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