Hey everyone, Ariana here! As composer and co-dev alongside David, I wanted to give you all a glimpse at the music and sound design for Tales of Tolan: All Tangled Up. Let's take a look!

If the code is the brain of a game, I like to think of music as its soul. In the past few weeks of development, Tales of Tolan has finally seen its soul spark to life. 

I have always been drawn to memorable, compelling melodies that help the player form an emotional connection with the game. When done right, it can feel like the music is its own character within the world. Some fantastic examples of this can be found in games from The Legend of Zelda series. The music in Tales of Tolan is very much inspired in this way.

Here's a first look at the daytime theme for the beginning section of the game:

If you've ever played The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you may recognize some of the sounds you're hearing! It was a happy coincidence to learn that my primary plugin for orchestra, Vienna Symphonic Library, is the very same used by Jeremy Soule in the 2006 classic RPG. But Tolan is not Tamriel, and some new instruments have been brought into the mix to share the spotlight, such as the pan flute.

One other thing you might have noticed in the video is the sound of the environment - the ocean, birds, and other creatures that make the forest their home. If you'd like to hear this track without those environmental sounds, you can check it out below. Alongside it, I've also included one other brand new track!

To help the game really come alive, Tales of Tolan will be using Fmod for all of its audio. Fmod is an audio middleware software that works with Unity to help make things sound seamless and polished. With Fmod, we're able to create just about anything the game will need for its music and sound design. 

Here's a look inside of Fmod at one sound effect you'll encounter within the game. When the player holds down their mouse button, it signals to the game to start the intro (the sound of the wind beginning to blow) and then goes right into the loop (the wind continuously blowing) until the player lets go of the button, which then signals for the end to play out (the wind dying down).

Thanks for reading, I'd love to hear your comments! See you next time!

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Interested in play testing Tales of Tolán: All Tangled Up? Send us a message on discord!

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