The Wizard's Journey

This soundtrack is for an imaginary video game called "The Wizard's Journey". It's a fantasy setting where you collect different spells in order to become stronger. There is an emphasis on exploration in this game similar to "Metroid". I wanted to invoke feelings of wonder, whimsy, and awe with this soundtrack.

This soundtrack was made using Logic Pro X, a Korg Prologue-8, and a Yamaha VSS-30.

Splash Screen:

The splash screen is hear when booting up a game, I grew up playing a lot of Gameboy/GBA games so hearing the jingle when you turn on the console is always very nostalgic for me.

Of Little Renown:

Of little renown is supposed to bring about a sense of resolve and determination. I think these kinds of tracks are something that really pulls me into games and makes them feel more meaningful when I come back to play them later on. This would be something that gets played in the intro to the game, maybe like an opening dialog or something.

Sand Wizard:

Sand Wizard is meant to be a boss theme. I wanted it to sound mysterious and also kind of spooky in a way while also giving a desert vibe. I thought it would be fun to play with the idea of a desert level by using the byzantine scale even if it's a little cliche I think it came out sounding pretty cool. That patch was actually one that I programmed on the Korg Prologue.

Don't Give Up (Continue):

I think that game over screens are something that we see a lot of so I feel like making sure that the music sounds melodic and pretty is important. I like the idea of game over being kind of a respite from the challenge but being encouraging in a way. That's what I was aiming for with Don't Give Up.

Metal Pipe Wizard:

I had this idea to take a random sound effect and make a bit-crushed sample for it on a song so I sampled this "metal pipe falling" sound effect. It's pretty silly but I think that silliness adds a bit of whimsy to the soundtrack. So this one ended up becoming another boss theme. I thought the idea of a wizard that just uses a metal pipe instead of a staff to cast spells was kind of funny 😆

New Spell:

"New Spell!" is for the moment when you obtain a new ability and encapsulates how it feels when your character progresses. I think of how there's fanfare that plays when you get upgrades in Metroid, when you get an item in Zelda, or when your Pokemon evolves. I just think it's a fun little detail in games like that and it's memorable too.

Teleportal:

Teleportal would be something like a hub area for fast travel. There's a motif from the opening track in that song. I was thinking of this as a transitory kind of aesthetic. It's hard to describe the details of it because I was in kind of a creative flow when I came up with it but I really like how it came out.

Artwork by "Shmoop".