The Sound of Rebellion

Music is more than just a background track. It enhances every beat of the world you play through whether it’s building tension as you scout through a bandit camp or the rain trickling over your first shelter as your settlement grows.

With our newest update underway, we knew this region needed a new unique voice to fit the atmosphere alongside the new challenges and secrets. Capturing that feeling is our composer Jakub Pietras. To showcase this we have a behind-the-scenes video where you can watch as Jakub discusses his creative process and demonstrates how he builds and blends instrumentation with modern composition to bring the Halmare isles to life.

VIDEO HERE

When you are faced with a new area or specific game moment, what’s the first step for you? Do you choose a specific instrument or melody to capture the theme of the area?

It really depends, but usually when I start a new area I don’t look for one specific sound. I try to find a sound pallet, so really, a mix of instruments or textures that can later define that region and once the pallet feels right then the melodies often come together organically

Can you describe the sound of Halmare Isles overall and the themes you wanted to go with when making these compositions? The sound of Halmare Isles was meant to remind you of the sound of mediterranean islands. To stay true to that we researched the music of that region and worked with real musicians who knew about traditional Greek music. But we also had the freedom to add our own modern twist to it and to sort of make it our own, as you know Bellwright isn’t really a historic game. Was there anything specific when it came to the concept art or lore of the isles that sparked any musical ideas for you?

The first thing I saw was early gameplay footage and that actually helped a lot. I could feel the pace and mood of the place right away. So I saw the open fields and settlements, cities and beautiful coastlines and all of that said a lot about how the music should behave. So I knew right away that it needed to feel organic, but also spacious and feel like it’s part of the environment. When you’re struggling to find the right sound for an area, what do you usually do to overcome that “block”?

If I get stuck, I usually just step away. Sometimes I go outside, walk my dogs, clear my head a bit. But for Bellwright specifically, I listen to a lot of traditional Greek folk music and Byzantine music that helps me get into the right mindset a lot.

How do you decide on the instrumentation for your composition? Do you include specific instrumentation to match the historic significance of the authentic medieval feeling of Bellwright? Yes definitely, for Halmare Isles I tried to keep a healthy balance between instruments that were historically present around the medieval Greek islands. So the instruments like the oud or the Cretan Lyre and a bit of freedom to expand that pallet. Because I was encouraged to experiment, I also brought in instruments like the Cretan Laouta as well which are much, much younger instruments. So even though Bellwright isn’t strictly historical, I like the idea that everything you hear could exist in some version of that world.

What is one specific tool you can’t live without when it comes to making these compositions?