With Hazard Pay launching tomorrow, we're continuing our look behind the scenes at some of the people who helped bring the world of Hazard Pay to life.
This time, we're handing things over to Giuseppe, the composer behind Hazard Pay's soundtrack, to talk about the unusual mix of inspirations that shaped the game's sound, from hip hop production and spy thrillers to floppy drives and Abe's Oddysee.
"My musical work on Hazard Pay was my first “real” project as a game music composer, so this soundtrack will always have a special place in my heart. Back when we were exchanging first ideas for the soundtrack, Arran suggested I take a look at the “Abe’s Oddysee” soundtrack – which was a game that scared the s*** out of me when I was a little kid. But it also fascinated me a lot, which is why - if you listen closely - you will find a homage to the beginning of “This is Rupture Farms” in the Hazard Pay Main Theme 😊
One thing that stands out in “Abe’s Oddysee” is the use of dark, gloomy synthesizers and repeating, mechanical sounds that kind of give a “meditative vibe” to the player - perfect for a sokoban game! One thing the soundtrack should *not* do is disturb, so I wanted to create dark but simple, repeatable loops that support the game mechanics. Coming from a hiphop/beatproducing background, I naturally found myself programming hip hop drums and switched back and forth between my DAW and the early prototype of the game. I was glad to see and hear that it actually supported the game’s vibe! For the mechanical sounds I used a plugin called “Flopster”, which is a plugin that…well, simulates the sound of a floppy drive. I found it to be perfect for the game’s setting and is used throughout the soundtrack! Other than that, I also wanted to go into “spy thriller” territory. Because you are uncovering a mystery, after all! So If I were to summarize the soundtrack, I would say it’s a hiphop producers attempt to mix Abe's Oddysee and a spy movie!
Speaking of the setting: While looking for inspiration for the soundtrack I found a video with old Interval Signals of the Soviet Republics. I was fascinated by their lo-fi-ness (is that a word?) and wanted to replicate it in some way for the game. This is how I got the idea for “Level Successful” sound that plays after finishing a level.
One last thing I would like to mention is the “Whos the good guy” Theme that plays while meeting an important character in the story. It’s the “odd one out” in the sense that it has a completely different vibe than the rest of the OST. In hindsight, it reminds me of the deltarune soundtrack, even though I never played a second of deltarune in my life, lol.
All in all I'm very happy that I was part of this project. Hearing my music in a game is a dream come true. Hopefully many more games will follow – especially from Smitner Studio!"
-Giuseppe "reDD" Zano
A huge thanks to Giuseppe for helping give the world of Hazard Pay its distinctive sound and for sharing a little of the process behind it.
You'll be able to hear the full soundtrack in context very soon, as Hazard Pay launches tomorrow, 10th September, on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch!
We'll see you then!
Smitner Studio