Revenge of the Savage Planet: The Music of its Secret Planet Explained

by

The music in ‘Revenge of the Savage Planet‘ instantly conveys to players that they are marooned on an extraterrestrial world. It’s rich and organic, resonating with the sound of banjos and acoustic guitars. However, once players penetrate the mysterious fifth planet hidden within, the atmosphere shifts. The soundscape transforms into something more electric, as if the player is ensnared in a colossal arcade or pinball machine. This transition is a calculated and successful one, fitting perfectly with the game’s environment.

Game Rant had a chat with Cameron Jarvis, audio director of ‘Revenge of the Savage Planet’. He shared insights on the development of the game’s music for the fifth planet, unveiled in a short teaser trailer. According to him, it seemed like an intuitive choice to deviate from the rest of the game’s music to create a strong contrast. Describing the sound as more harsh and electric, he said this change was intended.

The Music Contributes To The Planet’s Artificial Feeling

In contrast to the original game, Journey to the Savage Planet, Revenge offers a broader exploration experience with five distinct planets instead of just one. The initial four planets are predominantly outdoors and offer a variety of natural terrains such as forests, hills, plains, and others. However, the fifth planet in Revenge introduces indoor environments, referred to as “shrines” by the development team, that deviate from anything previously encountered in Savage Planet.

As I ventured through these digital sanctuaries, the tunes that filled the air were a stark contrast to what I’m used to. Instead of the soothing strumming of acoustic strings, the background music pulsed with the rhythm of electric instruments. This electronic melody gave each shrine an otherworldly ambiance, maintaining a sense of artificiality that was both captivating and immersive.

Within the shrines, we allowed our composer freedom to create a symphony of synthesizers, and incorporated plenty of electric guitar sounds that were sharp and vibrant. This not only resulted in a distinctive, edgy atmosphere but also complemented our vision of the shrines as an artificially constructed entity within this primarily untouched alien star system.

The outcome is quite successful: The music, reminiscent of tunes in games like Cyberpunk 2077, keeps players tense as they venture further and deeper. This fifth planet conceals many secrets, possibly even the solutions to Revenge of the Savage Planet’s most profound mysteries—and plenty of peril too. It seems fitting that a soundtrack featuring varying degrees of upbeat, unsettling, and eerie synth and electric guitar melodies should accompany players on their expedition.

Read More

2025-01-28 19:27