TheSoulsseries is known for a few things. Exceptional difficulty, fashionable armor and of course, a killer score to go along with killer bosses are all staples ofSoulsgames. For the remake ofDemon’s Souls, the first, and often forgotten, entry into the franchise, score producer Peter Scatturo already had a soundtrack to work off of. His challenge then was to stay true to that original score while reimagining it in a modern way.
Highlighted in anew video from PlayStation, it seems that Scatturo has been given everything necessary to fulfill that vision. Bill Hemstapat, a music arranger working on the score forDemon’s Souls, began the process of modernizing the game’s soundtrack with its melodies. “Most of the time what stays is the melody, the themes.”
However, the music of theSoulsseries has always been tied to the character it plays for, and not just in their appearance, but also their backstory. That’s why the lore ofDemon’s Soulshas also been taken into consideration during this process, so the music continues to represent the grand scale of the game’s gothic enemies while also portraying their often somber backstories.
That being said, the game’s score will also have some new influences. Orchestrator Jim Fowler citesBloodborneas a major influence on the project, at least in terms of the “scale of the sound.” Everything inDemon’s Soulssounds big; there are massive choruses and sweeping sections of brass and string instruments.
All those parts will give way to the centerpiece of the game’s soundtrack, the massive pipe organ located in London’s Temple Church, which just sounds perfect forDemon’s Souls. The idea of something as old and religious as a massive church organ being brought into the score of aSoulsgame just makes way too much sense.
Demon’s Soulsis due torelease on the same day as the PS5, November 12.
