Imagine packing up for a long trip, setting out on the road, and coming to the realization that you forgot your carefully curated playlist at home—a dramatic scenario for both modern voyagers and traveling parties in Gameloft Brisbane’s The Oregon Trail!
Music plays an integral part in our Australian studio’s remake of the 1971 classic game and is one of its most beloved aspects. So much so that we released The Oregon Trail: Music from the Gameloft Game with Decca Records US on multiple streaming platforms in December 2021!
It was then released again on vinyl in August 2022 in two beautiful versions each with their own cover art and color: “Oregon Sunset” and “Green Screen”.
The game’s original soundtrack was a true labor of love between the Audio team in Montréal and the game team in Brisbane, and we sat down with Nicolas Dubé, Composer; Sam Lewis, Game Designer; and Amaya Kabel, Junior Game Designer, to see how they created the memorable moody, alt-country sound of The Oregon Trail.
Getting the lay of the land
Sam has been working on The Oregon Trail from the very beginning while Amaya joined the team more recently, but both are responsible for planning new game features, quests, and scenarios for players on the trail. Nicolas, on the other hand, has been with the Audio team in Montréal for over 15 years now and has worked on the music in multiple titles, including all the games in the Gangstar and Asphalt series.
Early on, the team knew the musical direction they wanted for the game, which was greatly inspired by the True Detective theme song “Far From Any Road” by The Handsome Family: a contemporary alt-country sound with a focus on period appropriate instruments. They wanted to avoid a cliché, hoe-down style sound often associated with western themed-media or to undermine the serious mood they were aiming for. “This is real history, so we wanted to do it justice,” said Sam.
With these ideas in hand, the team shared their vision for the soundtrack with Nicolas, including a playlist of various artists to illustrate the different moods they were looking for. Their references immediately inspired Nicolas and gave him multiple ideas on how to add his personal touch to the iconic franchise.
Slow and steady wins the trail
Although meetings were in the evening for Nicolas and bright and early for The Oregon Trail team, their collaboration was effortless and a total joy. “Working with the Brisbane team was so much fun. We were on the same page about what we wanted to achieve for this game,” said Nicolas. And the feeling was mutual down under. “You really couldn’t ask for an easier collaborator to work with,” said Amaya. “Nicolas really just went made some amazing music straight out of the gate.”
But where does one start when tasked with creating a soundtrack and defining the mood of an entire game? According to Nicolas, it was all about finding that first element that would immediately convey—whether a bass line, guitar chord progression, or melody—the sentiment desired in each track.
“My goal was to make sure we could feel a sense of ongoing adventure throughout the soundtrack,” said Nicolas. “A lot of the tracks had been composed from a bassline idea precisely to support the feeling that we’re going forward. I find that a bassline is often a foundational element that drives us through a song. If you pay attention, you’ll discover various little melodies in the basslines.”
The team made an intentional decision to not only have the music give the feeling of movement but also at a specific rhythm to reflect the gameplay and reinforce the vastness and ambience of the American West.
“The Oregon Trail is about travelling, careful preparation, and making decisions with long-lasting consequences,” said Sam. “It has a deliberately steady pace that gives the music space to breathe and to communicate the scope of the journey. Meanwhile, by refraining from anything too frenetic or bombastic in the soundtrack, we allow players to play the game without feeling rushed and carefully make decisions about what to do next before setting out for the next destination.”
Trails and tribulations
Nicolas composed, recorded, and mixed The Oregon Trail: Music from the Gameloft Game during a lockdown at the height of the pandemic, which forced him to think of creative ways to get clear recordings while living and working with his family.
But one of the unexpected advantages of working on the soundtrack during a lockdown was being able to immerse himself in the project like never before. He lived and breathed the trail, which made it easy to find new ideas and fast. In fact, one of Nicolas’ favorite tracks “Trail’s End” was written in about 15 minutes!
For the team in Brisbane, their greatest challenge was figuring out how to integrate the significant in-game Native American experience into the music.
The Oregon Trail is the first game in the franchise that features playable Native American characters and stories, which were created in consultation with Native American scholars. It was important to the team to bring accurate and respectful representation to the game, and the music was no exception.
Listeners can find Native American influences in the tracks “Under The Sun”, “Where The Heart Is”, “Off The Land”, and “The Land’s Pulse”. Sam and Amaya said it took a fair bit of work and time to find accurate references sources they could work with, even with the help of their team of Native American scholars, but “it was definitely worth the effort.”
“The importance of the Native American experience in our game is huge, and we wanted it to be showcased in every aspect,” said Amaya. “Just like the main music in the game, we didn’t want it to be cliché in any way. We took the content of The Oregon Trail and how it was portrayed very seriously, and it ended up really resonating with the players.”
The power of music
Acclaimed by players and industry professionals alike, the music in The Oregon Trail goes above and beyond what people might expect from a mobile game.
While it was originally created as a supporting element to enhance the game, dysentery and all, each track still has a distinct personality that recounts a story of their own. When Amaya hears someone play the game from across the room, she can instantly recognize the music and even the specific Quest or Journey they’re on! It has even surpassed the confines of the game and has been found on Dungeons and Dragons playlists and enjoyed on family camping trips.
The Oregon Trail’s music is a work of art in its own right and a testament to the power of game music. It immerses you into the history of the trail in a way that the visuals and gameplay cannot achieve alone, transforming the gaming experience—or in this case the journey to Oregon—into an unforgettable adventure.
Get The Oregon Trail: Music from the Gameloft Game today on multiple streaming platforms and vinyl! Download The Oregon Trail on Apple Arcade and be sure to follow them on Twitter for the latest news.
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