This Marvel game soundtrack features an epic origin story

“Steve [Szczepkowski] and I had the same vision that we wanted to have an epic, intergalactic symphony and that would be one of the key elements of the music in the game,” Jacques told WIRED. “We wanted it to be recorded live with some of the best musicians on the planet, many of whom have performed in MCU movies, at one of the most celebrated studios in the world.”

Like Szczepkowski, Jacques didn’t want to emulate anything from the movies and instead set out to create something different that still sounded familiar. Guardians fan.

“From a musical standpoint, I know I’m not tied to anything in particular,” he says, “but I wanted it to feel like guardian, for a thrill and adventure. These unfortunate people often quarrel, and there is a huge element of fun in it. I wanted to make sure that all of these factors were reflected in the score. ”

The result is over six hours of original music and the sheet music, when printed, is thicker than many books. Recording live with a large orchestra of talented musicians made a huge difference to how players hear that music in the game, says Jacques.

“It elevates the gaming experience tenfold,” he explains. Working with a large orchestra, you get more dynamic range and vital human input in delivering every note. When we get to the studio and the players look at the track and ask what we want it to be [played], we can still fine-tune things and make decisions right on the floor during the day. When [the musicians] give feedback on posts, which is something that I take very seriously because I admire those players so much. ”

In addition to crafting the game’s initial score, Jacques had to navigate the complexities of navigating his work around the mountains of in-game character dialogue while making sure his parts weren’t sounds different along with any licensed Star-Lord music or tracks. And moving tracks around means Jacques might have to completely redo whatever he’s been composing for.

“I can give you a perfect example of where and when that happened,” laughs Szczepkowski. One of Star-Lord’s songs, “Space Riders With No Name”, was originally selected for the game’s opening scene. It was in the E key, but after Szczepkowski wrote the final song for the Star-Lord album, “Zero to Hero” took its place.

“For whatever reason, [the song] get everyone’s attention. The creative director said, “I really wanted it to be ‘Zero to Hero’ playing in the bedroom. I said, ‘Well, I’m pretty sure it falls into D so it won’t work, but let me ask Rich. [Jacques] it would be great if he would change the key to open…’”

“It’s fun making games!” Szczepkowski continued. “As Rich said, and I cannot stress the importance of this: Flexibility is key.”

“If I remember correctly, it was quite late when that change also came,” Jacques jumped in. “But these little things make all the difference in the flow of the game. All these little things that take time and effort make a huge difference in how the game is presented and therefore the experience for the players. It’s a challenge but a fun one! ”