I got to play a little bit, enough to understand how the game works and how it is different from (and/or similar to) the original.

Did you compose the soundtrack separately to the game or did you get a chance to play it first?Ĭhris: I composed Risk of Rain 2 parallel to the game’s development. It’s a jazz extravaganza that fits the game perfectly while being a great score in its own right. What’s your favorite game soundtrack and what makes it so good?Ĭhris: It’s the soundtrack to Grim Fandango by Peter McConnell. (Of course not all players necessarily agree with me on that one.) I consider the compositions in ROR2 (mostly) more meticulous (mostly) better mixed, both the result of very conscious and hard work. And of course the writing style remains largely the same between games.Īs far as my own evolution as a musician, I feel like there’s a certain amount of improvement in the second soundtrack which I’m personally happy with. There’s also a shared sound palette with plenty of instruments (especially some more characteristic ones) establishing their role as permanent fixtures of the ROR music-verse. As I already mentioned, there’s plenty of thematic material that is reused, either verbatim or in various permutations. On their side, I imagine the main reason they picked me was because I was really cheap 🙂 How much shared musical DNA is there between Risk of Rain 2 and the first Risk of Rain and how do you feel you’ve evolved as a musician between the two releases?Ĭhris: ROR2 definitely stems from the original Risk of Rain. I just needed work in the industry and money to buy food. The project seemed perfectly fine but I had no reason to think it would be the breakout hit it became. My ulterior motive for working with Hopoo was not particularly noble. Interestingly enough, with me being in Greece, despite having done several projects together we still haven’t been in the same room, in fact it was only after ROR that we had our first on-camera conversation! But I do consider them close and I love working with them. After a bit of back and forth we agreed to collaborate. Read More How did you meet the guys at Hopoo and what made you want to work together?Ĭhris: Hopoo sent me an email looking for a composer for Risk of Rain after finding my music on SoundCloud. It is also standing firmly on the shoulders of the original Risk of Rain soundtrack, with many motifs, themes and even entire sections carrying over. It evokes that music filtered by my own influences, sensibility and style. That is not to say it is a pastiche-far from it. What ideas and inspirations did you draw on for Risk of Rain 2’s soundtrack?Ĭhris: Risk of Rain 2 is heavily inspired by the prog and electronic music of the 70s (from King Crimson to Pink Floyd to Vangelis to Jean-Michel Jarre). It’s safe to say that without ROR we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It was commercially successful enough to allow me to make a living out of my music for the very first time and it established my relationship with Hopoo, which is still going strong today. The feeling that I had earned the right to call myself a game composer was crucial to keep going. Very few people have played the game but I put my foot in the proverbial game development door. One is my very first game score for The Sea Will Claim Everything. What would you say were the biggest moments in your career, have there been any projects or occasions that have really shaped where you are now?Ĭhris: There are two projects that stand out. In my late teens and 20s the influence of orchestral music, especially the brave new world of avant garde (Xenakis, Ligeti, Penderecki, etc.) also influenced me greatly. The earliest major influences were definitely Pink Floyd and The Beatles, then Dream Theater. But I’d say that my first real composition attempts started in my early 20s when form, orchestration, harmony and melody became factors of my writing. In my teen years I tried my hand at songwriting for the various bands I was in. When did you start composing – and what or who were your early passions and influences?Ĭhris: I started writing small pieces at about 9 or 10 but I wouldn’t call that composing, more like naive loosely structured improvisation.

Soundtrack spotlight is back with a Q&A with Chris Christodoulou, composer of the much loved soundtrack to Hopoo Games’ critically acclaimed smash hit roguelike Risk of Rain 2.įeaturing soaring synth solos, prog rock inspirations and arguably some of the best menu music in gaming (up there with Yuka Kitamura’s ‘Dark Souls 3’) Chris created a spectacular and distinctive soundtrack with Hopoo that he was kind enough to answer a few questions about over email with us this week.

Risk of rain 2 gameplay