The Unique Possibility Space in the Music of Video Games
- Fae Blade
- Nov 18, 2025
- 5 min read
In all music for visual media the role of music is to bolster the emotion created by the visuals - a horror film needs tense, dramatic music and a shoot 'em up game needs a driving, adrenaline-pumping beat. However, once we move from the linear structure of a film to the world of video games, a unique challenge arises; the music in a film is established by the length of a scene whereas the music in a video game is determined largely by the player (Berndt, 2019). There are exceptions, cutscenes for example, but generally speaking there is no way of knowing how long a player will sit in a space. First of all, this means music has to have potential to be listened to relentlessly without getting boring or even irritating. Secondly, to bolster what is being conveyed on screen to the same extent as a film the music must react to gameplay.
The first game to incorporate music which reacted to gameplay is Taito’s Space Invaders (1978) in which the music speeds up the further along the player gets. However, it was not until 1987 with the release of Otocky that music was implemented which was directly affected by players actions, in this case picking up items or firing weapons alters the soundscape (Bossolini et al, 2020).
The above are examples of music shifting from a state in which the freedom of play has already happened and is frozen to be repeated and in which freedom of play is affected by variables and not decided right up until the moment of performance, which Kanega (2018) calls compositional freedom and performative freedom respectively. Kanega highlights the unique strength of games for performative freedom to happen even once the product is complete and in the ands of the player, a privilege usually reserved for live performance where music is concerned. Kanega goes on to refer to games as a 'possibility space', a form in which indeterminate activity can happen and, since the early days of video games, designers have pushed the limits of this form further and further. Spore is famed for its newly generated soundtrack that comes with every playthrough, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Marvel's Avengers feature percussion that react in real time to combat and the layers of score in Red Dead Redemption 2 responds to player decisions and choices. However, the game we wish to take a look at today for its utilisation of the possibility space and non-linear use of music is Supergiant games' Pyre.
Developed by Supergiant Games, Pyre (2017) has a rather unique soundtrack composed by Darren Korb, with assisting vocals by Ashley Barrett. The game follows a cast of misfits as they attempt to prove themselves, and escape a set of trials. The format is that of the Role-Playing Game and nowhere are these RPG elements felt more than in the music. The focus was on creating as dynamic and reactive an experience as possible, in Korb’s own words “On Pyre we tried to push even further on the reactivity of the music so there’s tons of stems that are firing depending on the state of the game you’re in” (IGW, 2018). The general rule of thumb that Darren Korb uses for this game is that music is almost entirely dependent on what is actively happening, and who is involved. This is emphasised from the moment the player first boots up the game, knowing nothing about it or its world as no music plays in the main menu.
Every character has their own music, often their own bespoke themes that fall in line with the song associated with their 'triumvirate', or, faction. For example, The Vagabond Girl has a theme called Moon Touched which is gentle, light and airy (akin to something like a spiritual folk song) whereas Sir Gilman and the rest of the Wyrms has Knights of the Sea, a hearty and bassy sea shanty.
These themes are equally important in battle - the game has you facing off against multiple different triumvirates, each with their own style of attack. The themes associated with each triumvirates do not just add to the atmosphere but inform the player of the attacking style of their opponent. For example, the Dissidents, a group of Curs (talking dogs), rush you aggresively during battles. To match that, they have an high-bpm punk metal piece called Thrash Pack.
Another aspect to the complex music design of Pyre is the seamless association each main character has with a unique instrument; the three main characters you start with is assigned an instrument and that instrument joins the background theme of conversation whenever they speak.
There is an addition, background, narrative heavily intertwined with the music of Pyre, the play of the twin bards. In the game, you mostly deal with the lone minstrel Tariq, who plays his white lute and sings tat various points throughout the game, delivering subtle lore and details about the world around you.
He serves a role similar to the ancient Greek muses, hinting at foreshadowing or describing the journey of your party in a way that seems to verge on breaking the fourth wall. Tariq serves as a neutral party, but also helps your party forwards by giving words of encouragement and perseverance. On his opposite is Celeste, the Gate Guardian, who also documents your journey with her voice and black banjo, but serves the very tides of fate that you fight against. Hearing the voices or instruments of one or the other can give you a sense of danger or importance during pivotal moments, as it carries the significance of the very fate of your party. Nowhere is this more evident than at the end of the game [spoilers ahead], during which you must make a choice of who gets to escape the trials and who must stay behind. A final theme plays, Bound Together, which describes all the members of your party that you’ve accumulated up to that point. Depending on your choices throughout the game and at the end of it, the lyrics change. This means that each player will receive their own version of the song depending on their decisions, really leaning into the idea that in Pyre, your decisions matter.
Interactive projects, and especially video games, have the unique advantage among recorded music of allowing room for performative freedom in real time. Whereas film and other linear mediums create a curated experience that is designed to be understood in sequence, video games invite us to two novel sensations: the ability to put one's own preferences and choices into relevance in a piece of media, and to give musicians multiple dimensions in which to work. These options have created many masterpieces aside from Pyre, though this game's unique use of music design provides a variety and narrative splendour that is emblematic of how much video game composers can create.
References
Berndt, A., 2019. Adaptive game scoring with ambient music. In Music Beyond Airports: Appraising Ambient Music (pp. 197-226). Huddersfield, United Kingdom: University of Huddersfield Press.
Bossalini, C., Raffe, W. and Andres Garcia, J., 2020, December. Generative Audio and Real-Time Soundtrack Synthesis in Gaming Environments: An exploration of how dynamically rendered soundtracks can introduce new artistic sound design opportunities and enhance the immersion of interactive audio spaces. In Proceedings of the 32nd Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 281-292).
Grillo, Ashbaker, Lamperski, Green, Anderson, Suganuma, J. C. P. M. B. A. (2020, October 14). Making the Mighty Sound of Marvel's Avengers game: | A Sound Effect. A Sound Effect. https://www.asoundeffect.com/marvels-avengers-game-audio/ [Accessed on 4/11/2025]
Kanaga, D., 2018. ECOOPERATIC MUSIC. The Oxford Handbook of Algorithmic Music, p.451.
The Holistic Master of Video Game Music: An Interview with Darren Korb. (2018, March 9). The Indie Game Website. https://www.indiegamewebsite.com/2018/03/09/interview-darren-korb
KAMUI PLAYS. (2017, July 26). Pyre Gameplay - Sir Gilman and Tariq's song [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqLEUsRSmCw
Marvel’s Avengers (2020). Multiplatform [Game]. Palo Alto, CA: Crystal Dynamics
Pyre (2017). Multiplatform [Game]. San Francisco: Supergiant Games
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