On the night of 24 February, most Ukrainians were sleeping peacefully until explosions shattered the silence outside their windows. From that moment, our lives changed forever.
I've tried to capture the anxiety of that night, disrupted by the sounds of air defence systems and explosions, in a reworked melody of "What a Moonlit Night":
Watch on YouTube
About Creating the Game Soundtrack:
My 12-year-old son Askold and I are developing a game about the first year of the full-scale war in Ukraine—Threads of War. We aim for the game to be engaging independently of its theme. At the same time, I want to reflect and communicate the feelings of war through visuals, specific game mechanics, and music.
To create the soundtrack, I decided to adapt well-known Ukrainian melodies into an 8-bit style reminiscent of late-1980s gaming consoles.
My objectives were:
- Preserve the beauty of the original melody.
- Convey the emotions and sensations of the first year of the war through arrangement and unique melodic elements.
- Adhere strictly to 8-bit style constraints: only four audio channels may play simultaneously (two square wave channels, one triangle wave channel, and one noise channel for percussion). Avoid effects like reverb or echo and refrain from using realistic instrument sounds—only authentic 8-bit tones.
- Maintain a track length of approximately 5 minutes for extended gameplay immersion, ensuring the composition remains varied and engaging throughout.
I hope you enjoy it!