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Helldivers 2, Pacific Drive composer Wilbert Roget on his influences

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Helldivers 2, Pacific Drive composer Wilbert Roget on his influences

As a gamer with decades of gaming experience under my belt, I can honestly say that Wilbert Roget’s work is nothing short of remarkable. The diversity and depth in his compositions are truly astounding – from the pulse-pounding tracks for Helldivers 2 to the melancholic melodies of Pacific Drive. It’s like he’s got a superpower that lets him switch between epic space operas and haunting survival stories at the flick of a wrist!

In 2024, Wilbert Roget’s diverse and profound compositions for video games left many stunned. He created the emotionally charged tunes that played when saving democracy in “Helldivers 2,” but also the eerie melodies for the survival-themed indie game “Pacific Drive.” Later this month, you can hear his work in “Star Wars Outlaws” as well.

During TopMob FM’s themed week honoring the fusion of music and games, TopMob posed a series of queries to Roget concerning his creative approach.

Did any game soundtrack or tune motivate your decision to compose game music? Could you describe the atmosphere it created for you, explaining why it had such a strong impact on you?

From a young age, I’ve been playing classical piano, but home video games were non-existent until the PlayStation 1 in high school. Despite my passion for arcades, I had always envisioned a career in music. However, it was only after experiencing Final Fantasy 7 that I decided to focus on becoming a video game composer. Uematsu’s soundtrack, with its unique blend of clear composition and melodic writing, seemed to whisper “Can you hear this score? You have the potential to create something similar.”

Throughout high school, I started composing my very own music inspired by role-playing games right away. I also participated in independent projects during this time. And that’s how things unfolded for me.

Could you elaborate on the composition of one of your songs and discuss its sources of inspiration? Is it drawn from video game soundtracks, other musical pieces, or perhaps something entirely different?

I’d love to discuss the main theme to Helldivers 2, “A Cup of Liber-Tea”!

The piece was written to represent the Helldiver soldiers themselves, so the goal was to write an anthemic tune that could inspire players to be a part of an epic, heroic effort. As with the game itself, the most obvious inspiration might be Basil Poledouris’ timeless score to Starship Troopers, though in terms of orchestration, my biggest influence was Michael Giacchino’s military video game scores like Medal of Honor and Secret Weapons Over Normandy. The melody itself hints at Johan Lindgren’s memorable theme to the original Helldivers a few times throughout as well, particularly in the ending climax.

In composing my piece, I drew inspiration from two renowned classical music works: the 5/4 time signature alludes to Gustav Holst’s “Mars, the Bringer of War,” while the second half was inspired by Paul Hindemith’s “Mathis Der Maler” symphony, particularly its application of dramatic counterpoint. I combined the melody from the solo violin bridge section, the theme from Lindgren’s “Helldivers 1,” and the four-note descending motif from “Helldivers 2” to build a climax that pays tribute to the original Helldivers players.

What kind of primary tools do you employ when creating the soundtrack for the film “Pacific Drive”? Could you also explain your process for selecting these specific instruments?

For me, Pacific Drive stood out as it marked the first time I crafted and devised the musical instruments prior to composing any tunes. My two primary sonic philosophies were transforming harsh or unsettling sounds into beauty, and creating a sense of solitude through sound. To achieve this, I captured construction machinery noises like drills and squeaky, rusty doors, used a double bass bow to play a metal colander, and even played a washing machine-dryer combo like a drum kit. Anything that produced an interestingly discordant sound, I’d record, manipulate, and convert into synthesized pads and leads.

In terms of more conventional instruments, I strummed the guitar using an ebow and added brass slides to my play. I collaborated with vocalist D’Anthoni Wooten and doublebass prodigy Sam Suggs. Their performances exuded a haunting, longing atmosphere that effectively portrayed the idea of solitude.

Is there anything else we should know about your approach to composing video game music?

When considering game music, I often categorize each piece as either “first-person” or “third-person” scoring. The majority of pieces belong to the third-person category, acting as a distant perspective on the scene, emphasizing the story and broader narrative themes. However, in certain situations, I draw inspiration by envisioning myself standing alongside the player character, immersed in the environment and events, such as the haunting stillness amidst the backdrop of nighttime warzone gunfire. This type of scoring is what I call “first-person” because the music no longer serves as a commentary but mirrors the character’s emotional state directly.

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2024-08-09 00:18

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