A Symphony of ShadowsInterface
wfmag.cc \ 23the sacrifice that the assassins go through to
become who they are. That’s what that theme
represents to me now when I listen to it.”
This year sees the return of the Borderlands
franchise, the open-world RPG shooter series,
which Kyd has scored since its inception
in . An entirely different proposition to the
likes of Hitman and Assassin’s Creed, the series
has evolved since .yd first came aboard, from
a gritty, realistic art style to the cel-shaded look
and feel that has come to define it.
UNSETTLED SCORES
ȊAt the time, I hadn’t written a tonne of music, so
it didn’t really affect me in a big way,ȋ .yd recalls.
“But it did suddenly become something that
looked a little more ‘gamey’, a little more fun.
That’s how I see BorderlandsȐ It’s a good
time. And that’s something that I really feel
Borderlands 3 represents as well.”
The franchise’s expansive apocalyptic setting,
combined with its RPG elements, also granted
Kyd license to experiment with sounds that
are led less by a linear narrative and more by
the player’s own choices. “I very much felt I was
given more creative freedom, because there
weren’t so many restrictions due to all of the
little gameplay things you have to play with.
It was more like an open world, and I interpreted
the different environments and wrote themes
for them.”
Borderlands 3 has provided Kyd with an
opportunity to branch out further with a new
music system, which integrates music and
interactive elements in exciting ways. “I’ve
had to write music in ways that I’ve never had
to before,ȋ he explains. ȊA lot of the music is
constantly evolving and never goes backȐ
The first few music cues were written completely
outside of the music system, in order to put all
the focus on finding the sound of the score first.
Once we had the sound, I started to focus more
on making the music work with it... I’ve really
been striving to find what the Borderlands sound
is and what it represents for me. And I think that,
with this one, I’ve come closer to that than any of
the other Borderlands games.”
For now, Kyd is focused on the upcoming
Symphony of the Shadows concert at the
Game Music Festival in Poland this October,
which celebrates his contributions to both the
Assassin’s Creed and Hitman franchises. It follows
a series of celebratory concerts marking
Assassin’s Creed II’s tenth anniversary and its
enduring musical legacy – something that .yd is
still touched by to this day.
“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s quite
amazing to think something that was written
that long ago still remains a type of blueprint,”
he says. “It’s a great thing that the fans and the
game players have kept this music alive. The fact
that it’s out in symphony halls around the world
and is being played by orchestras – that is really
something that blows my mind.”“WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING THOSE ESCAPE SEQUENCES,
WE WANTED IT TO FEEL LIKE THE ANIMUS WAS
BEING PUSHED TO THE LIMIT” The groundwork laid down
ƹʰ ¶ʰǁ on the first ǹour
Assassin’s Creed games
can still be heard in the
franchise today.A Symphony of ShadowsInterface