Castlevania's Michiru Yamane making the 'jazzy' sounds of Skullgirls
Composer Michiru Yamane is best known for her work on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and other Castlevania games. She also recently contributed to the bouncy soundtrack of Cave's iPhone game Mushihimesama Bug Panic. And now she's working on her first American-developed game: Reverge Labs' 2D fighter Skullgirls.
Per the developers' request, Yamane is creating "jazzy" music for the game's "dark deco" world. "I love Jazz and have been wanting to create some of my own," she said, "so I played a bit with the rhythm and different sounds to try and heighten the impact and almost primal nature of the unique graphics." So don't expect the same range of Gothic, orchestral, synth, choral rock we came to know from her work on Castlevania.
You can hear a bit of Skullgirls' music in the video statement by Yamane after the break.
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Michiru Yamane Scoring Skullgirls' Dark Deco Soundtrack
Developer Reverge Labs enlists legendary video game composer to create music for Autumn Games' upcoming 2D console fighter
Los Angeles - April 20, 2011 - Turn down the lights and crank up the volume, because Skullgirls' soundtrack will be one to remember: Distinguished Japanese videogame composer Michiru Yamane has signed on to create the soundtrack for Skullgirls, the highly-anticipated 2D fighting game from Autumn Games and Reverge Labs. Renowned for her exemplary work on Konami's Castlevania series, Michiru Yamane has spent more than 20 years composing music for video games, including noteworthy titles Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Suikoden III and IV, and Pro Evolution Soccer.
"When I first heard about this project I was very excited, since this is my first time working with an American developer," said composer Michiru Yamane. "One of the requests Reverge had was for tracks with a jazzy feel to them. I love Jazz and have been wanting to create some of my own, so I played a bit with the rhythm and different sounds to try and heighten the impact and almost primal nature of the unique graphics."
"We sought out Yamane-san because we knew her mixture of haunting gothic themes, jazz and rock would lend itself perfectly to Skullgirls' 'Dark Deco' style," Richard Wyckoff, CEO of Reverge Labs, explained. "We contacted her through our friends at 8-4 Ltd. in Japan, who have been helping us translate communications and manage the process."
Skullgirls is a new 2D fighting game that puts players in control of fierce warriors in an extraordinary Dark Deco world. The team is led by renowned fighting game champion Mike "Mike Z" Zaimont and artist Alex "o_8" Ahad, whose work has been featured in many publications, including Lava Punch and Girls of Gaming. Using advanced graphical technology never before achieved in a game of its type, Skullgirls is currently in development for a 2011 release on high-definition home consoles.
Qualified press can download a behind-the-scenes interview with Yamane discussing her work on Skullgirls here: http://gamespress.com/product.asp?c=.\%24%27%3A.
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About Autumn Games
Autumn Games is a premier publisher of interactive entertainment focused on partnering with leading creative talent to deliver blockbuster video games and related media through long-term partnerships with a number of the most respected game studios in the industry. Autumn Games' mission is to support these creative teams in their efforts to make cutting-edge, culturally impactful entertainment.
For more information, please visit www.autumngames.com
About Reverge Labs
Reverge Labs, LLC is a new independent developer committed to creating high-quality downloadable games. Founded by CEO Richard Wyckoff and CTO Emil Dotchevski, Reverge draws on combined game development experience of more than 40 years to create unique artistic visions using cutting-edge development techniques.
For more information, please visit www.revergelabs.com.
About 8-4
8-4, Ltd. is a game localization and consulting company based in Shibuya, Tokyo. Since its founding in 2005, 8-4 has provided translation and consulting services for some of the most respected names in the industry, including Nintendo, Sony, Square Enix, Konami and Capcom.
For more information, please visit www.8-4.jp
