- Control Resonantcomposer Petri Alanko says a musical score is “an emotional vessel”
- He explains that it’s his duty “to represent the story in the most beautiful light possible”
- Alanko adds that the music “must be able to exist by itself, without the game and the story”
Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko thinks of a game’s musical score as another way to tell the story, and it’s his job to do that, even if he sometimes takes some creative liberties.
“In my thoughts, a score is what one might call an emotional vessel – or a tray for the story,” Alanko told TechRadar Gaming in an interview about Remedy Entertainment’s latest action game. “My duty is to represent the story in the most beautiful light possible, to help drill the ideas and the vision into the heads of those who experience the events.”
The composer compared it to his band, where on stage it’s his role to help the soloist “be the best version of themselves and showcase their talents in the most elegant way possible,” saying that the “Same applies” to a video game.
“What I do is a series of deep bows towards the story; I love the story; it’s an honour for me to make it even more approachable and beautiful,” he said. “But… it must be able to exist by itself, without the game and the story. Otherwise, it’d be just a pointless collection of noodling. I carry the responsibility of respecting both the story creator and especially those who enjoy the story.”
Alanko went on to liken what he does to a customer service business, but added, “Trust me: I wouldn’t do anything just to please others; I do this to please myself.Simple as that.”
“If I don’t like what I do, nobody else will, and, just to be clear and precise, I do really enjoy what I do,” he reiterated, “my self-confidence is in very good shape that way (laughs). If something moves me, there’s a good chance it might move someone else, too.”
While Alanko believes that it’s a composer’s job to translate the Remedy’s story to the audience with his talent, he admitted: “I sometimes offer the story in a different light, as contradicting the on-screen events can be really delicious.”
“It’s a very human feature to make errors, to have a sudden twist of a knife in your side in the middle of the most heroic event, as if someone reminded you of your mortality and how different the outcome would be if this-or-that happened,” Alanko added. “A bit like memento mori. It makes you humble; it makes you human.”
You can play Control Resonant now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.
