We had the pleasure of interviewing Nacho González Nappa, the composer of Kingdom Rush Vengeance by developer Ironhide Game Studio.
- How did you get involved with Kingdom Rush Vengeance?
Developer Ironhide Game Studio was looking for a composer to score the music of the new Kingdom Rush, and I was lucky to be just in the right place, in the right time, and prepared. They touched base with me and asked me to submit some demos. They liked them, and then they hired me. - Were you given specific directions as to the music score or were you given free license once you learned what the game was about?
It was a mix of both. There were some parts of the game where they were very specific, and others where they asked me to try crazy stuff. I was lucky that the main producer of the game happens to be also a great musician, so he knew exactly what he wanted. Ironhide Games has an incredible team, and they’re all super passionate about music. There were many people testing the tracks, and checking the whole experience of playing the game with the music. It was a very detailed work, and we’re very proud of the final product! - How much music did you create for the game?
I wrote around 40 minutes of orchestral music. It was a lot of work. In some tracks we also included some hybrid synthetic sounds, but it was mainly within the symphonic pallet. We had both very “small”-chamber sounding tracks, and obviously epic battle big orchestrations. - Is this your first time composing music for a video game?
Yes, it was my first time. It was a big responsibility because the game is really big, with a huge fan base. There are people who have been waiting for years for this game, and they already know and love the music of previous editions. I come both from a jazz and classical background, but I also have produced pop, tango, and different Latin American genres. I knew I was capable of writing the music, but it was a great experience in terms learning more about the industry, and making friends with so many talented people who work in video games: developers, designers, story tellers, musicians, etc. It opened a whole new world that I want to keep exploring. The video game ended up being number 1 in the Apple Store in the US, and number 3 in China. It’s mind blowing that now there’re millions of people listening to the music that I wrote in my studio! - What were some of the challenges of working with an international team?
It was not a big challenge. Today it’s easy to be connected in real time and coordinate multiple teams in different countries. However, one of the sessions we did in Venezuela was a little bit challenging because of the political and social situation that the country is facing. We love working with musicians from there so we stick with it. The musicians from the Orchestra Simon Bolivar and El Sistema, where Gustavo Dudamel was trained, are some of the best in the world. - What was your favorite part about working on this game?
One of my favorite parts was a level that was added after the official release. It’s the level of the toads. The score has some weird sounds and noises from the orchestra that was really fun to do. This is what I love the most about video games: it pushes your imagination to places that you’d never imagine.
Check Out the The Music of Kingdom Rush Vengeance Video:
You can find out more about Nacho González Nappa by visiting here: https://www.nachogon.com/ You can also check out the Baby Steps music that he composed right here.
KINGDOM RUSH VENGEANCE is available via the App Store and Google Play. For more information about the game, visit the official website.
I'm a published author and proud US Army veteran who happens to be a gamer, so I decided to combine the two and love every minute of it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and I'll be sure to get back to you.
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