While the much anticipated Quantum Break will not hit the shelves until April 5, Microsoft Studios has given fans a generous sneak peek of the game's Original Soundtrack, with several tracks now available for streaming.
The score was composed by Petri Alanko, the genius behind the Alan Wake soundtrack. The game also has a live-action sequence, with John Kaefer as the composer.
The music will give listeners a premature yet accurate feel of the game because Alanko used "the story and inner arcs of the early screenplay and synopsis" as a major inspiration in creating and developing the score.
In an exclusive GameSpot interview with both game and live-action composers, Alanko said that this particular soundtrack was very representative of Remedy Entertainment's essence in terms of being detail-rich with intertwining plot arcs, which significantly impacted the foundation of Alanko's musical style for this project, alongside with his personal musical idols such as Tangerine Dream, which is big on conceptual electronic music, compared with the hybrid electronic/acoustic palette featured in the live-action series.
The respective soundtracks of the game and live-action sequence are distinct but complementary, each delivering its own flavor and exploring different themes since the "basic mindset and emotional anchor" of the live-action are considerably different from the game's, in spite of Remedy's arranged audiovisual style guide.
The tracks are of varied musical styles incorporating multiple creative effects, some of which are created from scratch. Despite being constrained by Microsoft's insistence on disallowing orchestras, Alanko managed to work around this limitation and used it as a motivation to be more creative with the overall sound.
The music is set to go hand in hand with the ongoing screen action, cleverly set to the game's cinematics and sequential flow. Though an action game, emotional storylines are central in the creation of the music, with Alanko describing it as "a modern-day action emotional drama with quite a load of action thrown in."
