We speak to Tetsuya Mizuguchi and sound designer Yuki Ichiki about the audio from Child of Eden.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi Interview
GS: Could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Tetsuya Mizuguchi: I studied media aesthetics in university. I felt a big influence from music videos; I am from the MTV generation. Visuals and music, this is my life's theme.
GS: What motivated you to combine music and visuals in such a unique way?
TM: The concept of "synesthesia." It has a crossover feeling. The work of Wassily Kandinsky is a big inspiration for me.
GS: How much of the music in Child of Eden is from Genki Rockets? What kind of tone were you going for with the soundtrack?
TM: All of the music is Genki Rockets, but all of the tracks are remixed. Any type of sound of music was fine for Child of Eden, including rock, ballads--anything that fit the mood of each archive.
GS: How did you work with the sound team and the design team to get the product that you wanted?
TM: Through much trial and error--it's like making a music sculpture and a moving sculpture. I know this is a very abstract expression, but if we changed the sound effects even a little bit, the feeling of the archive would change dramatically. So to achieve the synesthesia feeling, we spent a long, long, long time polishing this with the sound team.
GS: What do you hope gamers will experience when they see and hear everything in Child of Eden?
TM: I hope they enjoy the experience, the music, and the visual effects and that they feel hope and happiness.
GS: How is video game music viewed in Japan?
TM: It seems to be more generally accepted as an art form in itself, since you can find game soundtracks for almost everything at most music shops, but it's still relatively niche. I think it's more visible as a genre than it is in the West, though.
GS: Where do you see video game music heading into the future?
TM: I see it merging with the games themselves, more and more, with many experiments between really famous artists and the game developers. It's like a movie.
GS: What kind of music do you listen to now?
TM: Ambient, kecak (music from Bali), The Go! Team.
GS: Will we see more Child of Eden-type games in the future from you?
TM: I don't know the future. But I'll never stop.
Sound Byte is GameSpot's game music blog, which covers every aspect of music and audio in games, including interviews with top game music composers and sound designers, as well as discussions of new or classic game soundtracks. Have a question or suggestion? Leave us a comment below or e-mail us at soundbyte@gamespot.com. For a list of previous Sound Byte features, click here. Follow us on Twitter! @gs_soundbyte
I'm not sure I would want to listen to the music of Child of Eden or Rez on its own, but there's something about those sounds that really elevates the experience when you're playing those games. I can't think of any other games where music plays such an important role.
@Granpire - If we get more copies from Ubi when that one comes out I can hold another contest.
@Sophia For the record, I really am incredibly impressed with how often Gamespot is able to put out such great articles and interviews like this... Very well thought out. Me gusta.
Wow, awesome.@Sophia thank you for shedding light on this creative and innovative title for me, I wouldn't have found it otherwise. It sounds great!! My congrats go to Tetsuya Mizuguchi-San as well for the music and creativity at work here, excellent stuff, keep up the good work!
@holyghost87 and everyone else - if you want a chance to win a copy of the game, leave your feedback via twitter as well and follow @gs_soundbyte
The music blows me away - can't stop listening this awesomeness! Thanks Sophia and game creator :)
Awesome Music. "replaced the sound effects that you'd expect to hear in a shooter with electronic music to give players the ability to create their own melodies with their actions" That concept alone is amazing, very creative, interesting game.
@Zv2112 - so what are you then and why are you here? O_o @bardos-the-3rd - there are gameplay videos if you want to listen with visuals. The tracks were from the soundtrack that was provided by Ubisoft so that is technically the "clean version."
@Zv2112 - have you at least tried it? Don't judge a game without even trying it out first. . You know, some people also call World of Warcraft a degenerate crap, and I'm sure you don't agree with thoose people...
the music is fantastic, but hearing it like it's posted here, with the sound effects but without the visuals it gets annoying! please give us either a "clean" version without the effects, or with effects in form of a video
@GamerYnoX - most games cost as much, but if this is like Rez was then it's worth it. I usually group Rez next to games like Ico. Even if it's short what matters is the unique experience you have. It's not only a game, it's art. And yeah, 50$ for any game is too expensive. I'm hoping to find it cheaper somewhere else in the near future.
Sick sound but I won't cash out 50$ for a 1 hour game. Does it cost so much to make a game like this so they put a 50$ price tag? Amazing visuals though.
