The Remaster Continues With the Addition of a Massive Church Organ
What makes a Soulsborne game? FromSoftware, obviously, but let’s look a little deeper. The first thing is difficulty, obviously–it’s not a Soulsborne game without the trial and error gameplay requiring you to die constantly in order to progress. Next, we have the elaborate and all-concealing armor which has led to some confused players not realizing they’d accidentally changed the gender of their avatar until several hours later. Last but certainly not least, a moody and immersive score to go along with those horrifying and horrifically tough boss fights. So really, it’s no wonder that the soundtrack for Demon’s Souls is getting remade along with everything else.
Score producer Peter Scatturo is in charge of resurrecting the sound for the first and often forgotten Soulsborne, and his first major change was to bring in the famous and enormous pipe organ at London’s Temple Church. A 75-piece orchestra, a 40-person choir, and multiple vocal and instrumental soloists also helped bring the new score to life. Though ‘new’ score may be the wrong way to put it–Demon’s Souls already has a score, after all, and Scatturo isn’t trying to throw that original sound out. His goal to stay true to that original sound while still reinterpreting it for a modern gaming audience. And sometimes, that means bringing in a giant pipe organ.
The music of the Souls series has always been tied to the characters and story it weaves around, so we’re all glad to hear that the sound team has been working closely with the game’s lore. The refurbished score will continue to reflect the grand and nightmarish scale of the game’s gothic enemies as well as their somber and often tragic backstories. Orchestrator Jim Fowler notes that they drew inspiration from Bloodborne‘s sound, so if you liked that game’s score, you’re probably in for a good time. Not a long time, but a good one.
Demon’s Souls will hit the PS5 on November 12th.
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