Composer tackles new challenge with Halo Infinite

Composer Gareth Coker has created some of the most memorable gaming soundtracks in recent years. Coker is responsible for creating the soundtracks for Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Immortals: Fenyx Rising and more.

“Normally, I’m in the business of creating (intellectual property),” Coker said. “I created Ori. I created Ark (Survival). I created the sound for Immortals: Fenyx Rising. That’s kind of my thing.”

The veteran composer tackled a very different challenge in his latest project — Halo Infinite.

“Can you imagine stepping into a series that has that much history and a soundtrack that is beloved by its fan base,” Coker said.

The game, which releases on Dec. 8, was a first for the composer.

“Instead of creating a musical language, I have to learn someone else’s language,” Coker said. “To me, it’s like learning French. You learn the vocabulary, which is what instruments are being used. Then, you learn sentence structure, which is how the music is being structured. The emotional element of Master Chief is when other humans see him on the battlefield, it’s like a rally cry. There’s no situation that Master Chief doesn’t think he can take care of.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge became how to balance Halo’s history with new elements.

“There are pieces in Halo that are as iconic to Halo as the Imperial March is to ‘Star Wars,’ ” Coker said. “You’ve got to have them. There’s an expectation from gamers that certain pieces of music are going to play. If you start up the game, you kind of need to hear the choir track. How much are we going to change that? You’re not going to touch the original riff, but maybe after 30 seconds, maybe then you can take it somewhere else.”

For Coker, who is one of three composers working on the campaign’s music, that balance was always on his mind.

“What can I do to add something new and how can we combine and weave it together,” Coker said.

Halo Infinite is the latest high profile job Coker is a part of.

Ori and the Blind Forest was Coker’s first.

“Thomas Mahler, the creative director on Ori, found me and said, ‘let me show you this game and are you interested in working on it,’” Coker said.

Coker was intrigued by the prototype so the two struck a deal — Coker would score the prototype for free and if the pitch to developers was successful, he would score the game. Microsoft ended up reaching a deal to publish the game.

“I was super lucky because they gave me a blank canvas,” Coker said. “I do my best work when I have the visuals in front of me. I record myself playing the game, bring the video of that into my music studio and I write to it. I keep writing until I feel something.”

What followed was an emotional and thrilling soundtrack, highlighted by the ginso tree sequence.

“That’s the best example in Ori of everything coming together,” Coker said.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps took the series in directions they weren’t able to explore in the first game. It culminated in an ending that drew strong reactions from fans that let the creators know they struck a chord.

“I think it’s a sign that we nailed the ending because you can take the ending two completely different ways and they’re both valid,” Coker said. “What a gift for me that I got to write music for the last 10 minutes of the game. When I saw how everything played out, I knew I just had to get this over the line.”

Immortals: Fenyx Rising presented a much different challenge.

“Dealing with mythology, it’s probably not a secret I think I do the magical thing reasonably well,” Coiker said. “I think of this like Disney’s ‘Fantasia.’ Even though the game isn’t dark and heavy, it’s over the top, but in a different and welcoming way. Everything is exaggerated and there’s a sense of fun behind it.”

Coker knew creating traditional Greek music would have been too serious. Instead, Coker gave the music “Greek flavor.” For the expansion, Myths of the Eastern Realm, Coker found ways to bring Chinese music into the fold. But no matter if it’s an ancient world, a magical universe or space, music can help elevate a game’s experience.

“It all stems from playing the game and understanding what the player is going to be doing,” Coker said. “There’s a unique synergy between the visuals, the gameplay and the music. You can’t just slap music on top of gameplay. It will be satisfying to a point, but it will never feel fully integrated.”

Contact Lukas Eggen at leggen@reviewjournal.com. Follow @LukasEggen on Twitter.