“Some Weird Songs”

I had the opportunity in a class of mine to make weird, experimental video game or video game-adjacent music. I compiled my favorites, a largely-unpolished set of strange musical excursions, into this little album. There are experiments in FM synthesis, 8-bit songwriting, arranging and sample-flipping…

The piece to highlight, though, is my demonstration of a “One Song Soundtrack,” whose explanation is below.

The One Song Soundtrack, Explained

This demo is to show how an entire adventure game could be soundtracked by one song, one core musical idea. This one song (though whether it’s better to conceptualize it as a song with modifiers or a “system” or, even, a “programmatic audio experience” of sorts is up for discussion) dynamically responds to just about everything the player can do in the game. The list of modifications, and under what conditions they emerge, represented in the demo is listed below. A full game execution of this concept would likely have more potential modifications.

  • Main menu: A unique solo piano plays the track 

  • Loading a file: A unique synth plays the bassline of the track alone

  • Standing: Minimal drum instrumentation, fewer layers

  • Walking: Drums come in full force, extra layers added

  • Game paused: Swaps into 8-bit instrumentation

  • Character swap: Time signature changes to that character’s distinct time signature

  • Enter combat: horn line is added, key signature changes, tempo increases

  • Low health: song slows slightly, is swung

  • Time of day: evening is slim, music box-led instrumentation

  • Every area has its own instrumentation, has a signature layer added, may change the tempo

Note that multiple conditions can, and do, modify the song at once. Someone being at low health, with a different character, in combat, leads to the song being swung, faster (but a little slower than high health), in a higher key signature, with an added horn line, in a different time signature, with the instrumentation of whatever area a player is in. It is an intricate web of audio, constantly responding to everything the player is doing.



Demo 1 should be listened to first. It is one specific version of the song, to show the core musical idea from front to back, in an idle game state. It is the high health, default character, out of combat, paused version of the song (any other things about the game state that would affect the instrumentation or layering cannot be discerned due to the 8 bit nature), played in full. 

Demo 1 is included for the sake of understanding Demo 2. Without it, it would be unclear what is a new section of music and what is a modification to the song based on player inputs. It functions as a very condensed showcase of what playing the game would actually sound like. The full song is played through twice in this demo. A timeline of how the song evolves through time, and what modifiers are active when, is below. Far from every possible permutation, even among these variables, is shown. Nor is this when the song would specifically change, but rather a demonstration of the ways in which the song can change. The timings, and lengths, of these changes would all be player-determined, based on their actions.


  • 0:00‒0:15 The main menu. Solo piano.

  • 0:16‒0:26 Loading into a file. Solo synth bass.

  • 0:27-0:51 File loaded. The song is in 4/4, as the default character is active. The instrumentation is for the general meadow/forest area, featuring a piccolo on melody. The player is just standing, so drums are minimal and there are no extra layers.

  • 0:52-1:05 The player is walking, bringing in the drums, an extra violin line to support the melody (the unique touch to the forest), and extra lower strings. 

  • 1:06-1:11 The game is paused, bringing the instrumentation into entirely 8-bit.

  • 1:12-1:22 The game is unpaused, bringing back the walking instrumentation.

  • 1:23-1:32 The player enters a town, slowing the song dramatically, adding higher pizzicato strings, changing the melody rhythmically somewhat, and swapping the melody instrumentation to some drowsy synths. 

  • 1:33-1:36 The player stops to talk to an NPC. Because they are now standing in place, the drums drop out and instrumentation thins.

  • 1:37-1:47 The player resumes walking through the town

  • 1:47-2:07 The player exits the town and continues walking. 

  • 2:08-2:31 The player approaches a tundra. The instrumentation swaps to match the new area, with a vibraphone leading the melody, and cold synths replace the strings in the background. Sleigh bells in the drums are the area’s signature instrument, with quieter drums overall.

  • 2:32-2:43 The player stops to stand and survey their surroundings, again thinning the instrumentation and drums.

  • 2:44-3:10 The player continues walking through the area, bringing back walking instrumentation.

  • 3:11-3:38 The player enters combat. The song speeds up significantly, moves into a higher key, and a horn line mirrors the melody. A clap is added to the drums, which all move into half time.

  • 3:39-3:53 The player pauses, again swapping the instrumentation to 8-bit. Note that this version is faster, and in a higher key, than the last time the player paused due to the differing context.

  • 3:54-4:09 The player unpauses and combat resumes.

  • 4:10-4:38 The player reaches low health. The song slows slightly, and is swung.

  • 4:39-4:47 The player finishes combat. The song slows, drums return to normal, horn drops out, and the key signature returns to its original state, but the song remains swung due to the player still being at low health.

  • 4:48-5:13 The player swaps characters and continues walking. The song changes to ¾, and becomes un-swung once again due to no longer being at low health.

  • 5:14-end of Demo The time changes to evening. Most layers drop out, and the instrumentation is replaced with a music box. The sleigh bells remain to ensure the song is still responding to the fact that the player is in the winter area.