The Music of Star Rift Saga
- Vincent Colavita
- Jul 18
- 6 min read
I was commissioned to write the soundtrack for Studio Vela's Star Rift Saga, a sci-fi Metroidvania set on an alien planet.
From the beginning, I realized I didn't want the game to feature a typical sci-fi or retro soundtrack like its inspirations. Instead, I aimed for something entirely unique to this game. Set on an alien planet, I wanted to amplify the sense of wonder and excitement associated with exploring an unknown world. To achieve this, I researched various styles of world music, and soon settled on a sound palette for the game. I chose to incorporate Indian instruments, African drums, and undulating synths, creating a unique blend of styles that would immediately captivate listeners and enhance the game's qualities.
This soundtrack was a unique challenge for me. The rules I had decided on left me with very little reference material to work with. The experience of learning to write songs with Indian instruments, African drums, and sci-fi synths, all while having the songs fit the environment or situation felt like deciphering a long forgotten language. These three styles clash with each other in ways I was not expecting. Indian instruments such as sitar and shehnai have a very bright timbre, with many upper harmonics that can create a very piercing tone when taken out of the context of Indian music. African drums can sound incredible, but do not have the right tone for upbeat and energetic songs. The synths were the easiest part, but due to the very phasey, undulating nature of the ones used, they were a pain to mix and master. Despite these hurdles, I learned to work around the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen instruments and created a memorable and unique soundtrack.
The Challenge
Normally when I write a soundtrack, I give myself an overarching challenge. For example, I used Maze Mice's soundtrack to learn to use more interesting chords. However, this time, since the rules I imposed on myself were already so challenging, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of one overarching challenge for the whole soundtrack, I would give myself a unique challenge per song.
Another World
In the song Another World, which plays in the first major area of the game, I wanted to make the song feel mysterious, yet adventurous and inviting. To achieve this, I challenged myself to make it ambiguous whether the song was in a major or minor key. This starts as soon as the first two notes of the melody, the minor third and major third in the key of F. The melody plays over sus4 chords, adding to the ambiguity.
Shining Underworld
Shining Underworld, the song that plays in the mines, was a rather unique case. It went through far more iteration than other songs, as it was initially rejected for sounding too peaceful. For this song, my challenge was to take the initial rejected demo, and turn it into something filled with energy and more suitable for an action game.
This demo, while I don't believe it is bad or unfitting for the environment, has a very different feel from the final version. There are some obvious similarities however, such as the main melody being identical (though in a different key).
The first thing I did (after working on some other songs for a while), was increase the tempo from 64 BPM to 80 BPM. As well, I changed the instrumentation to use a far darker acoustic instrument for the melody, and added an undulating, slightly driving bass. I ended up changing the key of the song due to the new instrument samples sounding better in the new key. Finally, I added some Indian Sarod loops panned to the left and right to give the song a slightly more unsettling atmosphere
After some more experimentation with the song, I ended up with what would eventually become the final version.
Planet's Core
For the song Planet's Core, which plays in the lava themed area of the game, I gave myself the challenge of using an uncommon time signature. After a bit of experimentation, I came up with a 2-bar ostinato in 7/8 played on synth mallets. This sounded good, but even though 7/8 is uncommon, I wanted to try something even stranger. So, I decided that I didn't need the last note of the ostinato, and two bars of 7/8 became one bar of 13/8. This is further broken down by the chord progression, which divides the bar into three sections of 7/16, and one section of 5/16.
One thing I was not expecting when making this was how natural the African percussion sounded in the song. African music tends to use multiple interlocking rhythms, so an odd time signature works well for them.
Karma
For the song that plays in the abandoned ship, Karma, I was instructed to give the song a lonely atmosphere. I had two conflicting ideas on how to do this. I could go acoustic, and mainly use real instruments to contrast the bombastic, synth-y nature of the rest of the soundtrack. Or, I could go with soft pads and other similar synths to fit the high-tech theme of the area. Due to the two conflicting ideas I had, I decided to challenge myself to use both at once. The song is mainly synths, but suddenly transitions into an acoustic section part way through to surprise listeners, before returning to the synths. To make the transition sound more natural, I timed a downwards sitar strum with a downwards glide in the melody. The sitar (and pad) then take over playing the chords during the acoustic section.
Stare Into The Rift
Writing the song for the game's main hub, the Outpost, had its own trials to overcome. I had to make a song that fit in with the rest of the soundtrack, while also having it feel more familiar and grounded. At the same time, it had to be far more relaxed and tranquil than the rest of the soundtrack, and be good enough that the player won't get tired of listening to it over and over again as they inevitably end up back at the Outpost on their adventure.
To begin with, I knew I wanted to use a common chord progression that would be more familiar and calming to player. For most of the song, I use an eight chord loop of vi - IV - I - V - vi - IV - V - iii. The first four chords of the sequence are a chord progression used in a lot of modern pop songs. The last four are just a small modification of that to keep the song from feeling repetitive.
However, I still had to deal with the problem of needing to use the Indian and African instruments, while still making the song sound familiar. To achieve this, I decided to double the electric sitar with a more commonplace square pluck synth, and the African drums with a drum machine. This way, the instruments would still be there, but generally take a back seat. You're still on an alien planet, but at least this place feels more like home.
The melody was actually one of the last things I figured out, just through simple experimentation. That melody would eventually go on to be a leitmotif throughout the game, in the title screen theme "Star Rift", and in the important item collection jingle.
Conclusion
The past two and a half years of writing this soundtrack have made me a better musician in more ways than I can count. Now that I have found that I have the skills to make bizarre and unusual sound combinations work, it has encouraged me to find more experimental soundscapes to work with. At the beginning, I was quite afraid that my insistence on using such an uncommon set of instruments would end up compromising the vision of the game, and that the music would feel out of place or draw too much attention to itself. However, as time went on, and the game and music developed side by side, it became obvious that this unique style of music would be the perfect fit, and elevate the gameplay experience instead of simply existing alongside it. I had a wonderful time working on this soundtrack, and I cannot thank Jacob enough for taking a chance on such a strange musical identity for his game. I hope players enjoy the effort I put into writing this soundtrack, as well as the love Jacob poured into the game.
Download Star Rift Saga here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2158690?snr=5000_5100
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