"Game directors and producers have too much power in their hands." Final Fantasy composer says there’s less creative freedom in game music nowadays

I’m noticing music is having the same drawbacks as graphics in video games.

People keep “adding more” just because they can, not because it’s necessary or improves the final product.

Anime also has this issue with most modern animes having music playing 90% of the time because they can afford it. It reduces the integrity of the art down to that of a slapstick comedy.

I agree. Modern developers use technology to cover up for creative bankruptcy.

I’d almost like for more of the control to go the other way. A director could negotiate with a composer about what mood is being asked for a particular moment in a game, leading to the composer making ideas for leitmotifs and buildup. Then, the game gets some number of adjustments or early planning to account for it.

It sounds insane to reconfigure everything to match the music, but honestly, from some of my favorite moments in gaming, it can make a lot of sense. Some of the crescendo periods of Final Fantasy XIV felt incredibly well-earned from the way they had used the expansion’s whole soundtrack as a sort of ballad, repeating a few certain themes both story-wise and in the music.

One example of a game that I think developed this dissonance is Ace Attorney. The main confrontational “gameplay” of those games is when you’re cross-examining a witness. The “Cross Examination” themes are some of the fan favorites - and since the beginning, they’ve had a second theme, Allegro, for when things are getting more intense. The Investigations games decided to put in a third theme, Presto, which goes loony for the sake of a culminating showdown of wits with the murderer, who has one last excuse as to why accusing them is impossible. It feels EPIC.

Only one trouble; Ace Attorney is often a comedic series, and side characters are still acting stupid and making flat-falling jokes during that last cross examination, often breaking the mood of that great track. In my view, a “musically-directed” Ace Attorney would be fine with keeping up its signature silliness at all other points in the game, but keep the tone completely serious when that “Presto” theme is playing, to make it feel like a really personal boss fight.

Imagine having this legend in your employ, and not giving him absolute freedom to create.

Really depends… Lots of indie games have incredible music.

Off the top of my head, Expedition 33 has amazing music as well.

Wait what? Stewart Copeland composed the Spyro soundtrack? That’s wild

Nobuo is one of the greats. The first song I learned to play was one of his, more than 15 years ago. Music direction is incredibly important and I do very much lament it being given the backseat in so many modern games.

seems like a common theme in most creative industries: the more money that flows in the less congenial to experimentation and deviation the industry becomes.

To quote a giant piece of shit, “Don’t Fuck With The Formula”

Pacific Drive has amazing music. So good that I started following some of the bands behind it. The Smoky Brights are a new favorite of mine.

Clair was much more of a vibes based hiring and management process. Crazy how letting creatives do their thing results in interesting content people want to experience.