FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Games

An Exclusive Look Behind the Music of 'BattleTech'

Plus, a conversation with composer Jon Everist about video game music, strange careers, and giant robots.

You may have noticed that we've been digging BattleTech around here. Between Rob Zacny's review earlier today and last Friday's livestream, giant robots have very clearly been very much on our minds. You'll be able to hear more of my thoughts on the game on Friday's episode of Waypoint Radio, which features Rob Zacny and I doing a huge deep dive into the game.

Suffice it to say, I love it. Which is why I jumped at the chance to chat with the game's composer, Jon Everist, and to exclusively feature the above behind-the-scenes look at his process for composing and recording the game's incredible score.

Advertisement

In the past, the games of the BattleTech universe (titles like MechAssault and MechWarrior 2) relied on wailing metal guitars to sell a the fantasy of the mech piloting. But in BattleTech, Everist offers a breadth of musical language to communicate a sense of triumph, hardship, and adventure. The game sounds sparse in some moments, with analog synths and distorted strings providing nearly-ambient backing to your life as a mercenary. And in other moments, when the galactic politicking comes to a hard point, the orchestra swells to support the weight of the moment. You can watch our exclusive behind the scenes look at the game's soundtrack above, and you can listen to our in depth conversation with him right here:

(You can also download that interview right here.)

If you want to listen to the game's soundtrack, you can do so on Spotify or over on Everist's Bandcamp page, which we've embedded for you right here:

Have thoughts? Swing by Waypoint’s forums to share them!