"Don't you want to remember it, and have it 𒁏affect you long afte💞r you finished it? I think that's the kind of stuff that is really exciting to make."
takes its players through a striking, emotional journey. Addictive gameplay aside, much of the game's emphasis is on emotion, atmosphere, and engaging storytelling. Gareth Coker, Wills of the Wisps'ꦯ composer, masterfully cr♎afted a beautiful soundtrack – tailored brilliantly to the needs of such an immersive project.
Fortunately, I was able to talk to Gareth about his creative process when composing. For Wills of the Wisps specifically, he first focused on absorbing three key elements: its gameplay, visuals, and characters. "The gre💃ater the understanding you have, the greater the chance you have of be🐬ing able to deliver a fully cohesive score." For instance, Gareth stated, "I always wꦉanted Kwolok to be represented by a bassy instrument. It's even more appropriate because Kwolok lives in a swamp that his instrument is reed-based – i𓃲t's a bass clarinet."
Playing through the game and listening closely to its musical accompaniment reveals Gareth's intelligent use of motivic scoring. Each creature seems to have its own characteristic theme, voiced by a fitting instrument. "With a game like Ori, it is primarily a melodically driven score. So each creature does need at least some kind of motif or feel." In opera, motivic scoring is used to enhance audience's immersion into its world and story; in Wills of the Wisps, the music functions similarly.
But it isn't always a catchy theme that gets the job done. In Shadows of Mouldwood, for example, "what makes it work is all of the undulating tonal string effects t💛hat exist for the entirety of that track." Sure, there is a clear tune in the piano, but the section's powerful atm♑osphere is created by the unnerving strings. "I literally wrote out a part for every single violinist in the group... it was like 12 different violins, five different violas, four different cellos, and three different bases. So they're all doing the same thing, slightly differently." As a result, Mor�꧃�a the spider is personified by an entirely unique musical mood.
As well-received as Will of the Wisps is, that wasn't set in stone during its creation. In fact, the team at Moon Studios was adamant about taking risks from the start. "We all have differ𒈔ent tastes and aesthetic stylܫes; we're not always right... but we stuck to our guns. Everything in the game feels handcrafted, for better or worse." Gareth wanted to make sure that in Will of the Wisps, players felt something significant. It didn't matter if everyo🎀ne liked it or not – it simply had to be a standout, memorable experience. "There's nothing worse to me than putting something out there, and it's like, 'oh, that was nice.' It🌠's in one day and out the other, like the equivalent of eating a McDonald's hamburger."
I personally resonate with that philosophical outlook on making games, as I'm sure many others do too. Gareth and I recalled unforgettable moments in Supergiant Games' Bastion, Playdead's Inside, and even Ori & Ku's reuniting in Will of the Wisps – not to spoil too much!
To make those moments special, Gareth maintains that "you have to have ebb and flow. One of the reasons why the Silent Woodlands section works so well, is because you've just cleared out the watermill, which is an escape sequence." He made sure that within his꧟ score, the amount 💦of contrast between highs and lows was just right. "When everything is at 10, then nothing feels like 10. And if everything is zero, then nothing feels like zero. It's off. It all feels the same."
Lastly, I had to inquire about Gareth's few years spent teaching English in Japan. "On the surface, it may not look like it had anything to do with my music career. In fact, it has everything to do with my music career." He spoke to the cultural importance of collective effort in Japan. Garet𒁏h was deeply affected by "seeing how much they value respect, how much they value other people's opinions, how much time is given and consideration to others... it was also a good removal of ego. It's not dissimilar to how Moon Studios works." To Gareth, experiencing the world firsthand has profound, positive🦩 effects on the work of creators. "Expanding your horizons and expanding your culture informs your taste🧸, and it's only your taste that can inform the art that you create."
Gareth's thoughtful, complete approach to scoring is incredibly effective in Ori and the Will of the Wisps – and while he couldn't reveal the details of a "pretty well-known" project cominౠg soon – we can't w꧅ait to hear what comes next.
To keღep up with Gareth Coker and his work, be sure to and . This interview was conducted via Skype, June 25 2020.