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Chris Köbke (left) and Sebastian Becker are the co-founders of Trite Games, a two person indie game development studio from Berlin, Germany.

A particular element within Crossing Souls, however, proceeds to receive praise up until today: the original soundtrack. While playing the game, we’ve listened to orchestral pieces reminiscent of film soundtracks from the 80s. We were genuinely surprised and impressed by the fact that a debut title from an indie developer managed to tell its story musically with that fine of a quality. As a result, we couldn’t help but reach out to the man behind the epic orchestration: German composer Chris Köbke.

TVGB: For Crossing Souls , what mesmerized us is how the score sounds so orchestral. How did you achieve that “epic” feeling?

Chris: Thank you, I really appreciate it! I tried to incorporate a lot of 80s style orchestration techniques. [That included] woodwind and string runs, and the heavy use of cartoonish percussion such as the xylophone, marimba, and triangle. The more epic moments [were built] on the full brass section, which is mixed very brightly on the soundtrack [and is] sometimes even distorted, as well as the Lydian scale, the brightest of all scales. The soundtrack also tries to [convey] the full color palette of the orchestra, including the solo tuba, the English horn, flutes, clarinets, and the har.

Recently, video game soundtracks – like movie soundtracks before them – are being appreciated as separate entities, an entertainment experience in their own right. How do you feel the score for Crossing Souls stands on its own?

I love the fact that video game soundtracks get much more appreciation outside of their games, and that people are listening to them as separate albums on their own. For me, the best way of experiencing a game soundtrack is listening to it in the context of the game. Not only does a game soundtrack enhance gameplay, but it goes the other way around as well. As the color schemes, mood, and [game animation] were the biggest inspiration for the soundtrack, they also support it visually and therefore enhance it emotionally. It’s always difficult to judge my own creations, but I do hope it can still stand on its own feet and tell a story [outside] the context of the game.

Do you have a specific creative process that you follow in order to come up with musical pieces for video games? Does it differ when you’re creating music for film?

In my opinion, writing music for games differs a lot from writing music for films, because you can’t accurately predict when the player is approaching a certain key moment. A key moment in film scoring can be [triggered accurately at a specific frame]. Whereas game music requires much more thinking in terms of dynamic layers that can be activated and deactivated [depending] on specific player action.

In this case, [the approach of creating] the soundtrack was purposefully like a movie score would’ve been composed. Of course, it relied much less on Mickey Mousing, a technique common in 80s movies where the music would reflect movements on screen, such as an up and down arpeggio supporting the character jumping over a hill. [This is because], as I said, player motion can’t be accurately predicted, but the whole idea for my process on this soundtrack was to imagine a dialogue going off on top of the music.

How much did you know about the game’s content or story when you were approached for this project? Was it enough inspiration for your pieces? Or did you have to research the Eighties’ music as well?

I was very lucky that the lovely developers at Fourattic had planned out the full story and scene structure before approaching me. [Therefore], all of the content and story was available to me when I joined them. They also provided me with a detailed track list, so the overall development of themes and dramatic arc in the soundtrack could be done before writing specific location tracks.

Although I was born in the mid 90s, I weirdly watched way more films from the 80s than from the 90s in my childhood, and [I] pretty much grew up with the aesthetic of 80s movie soundtracks. I still did a lot of research analyzing composers like John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, and Joe Hisaishi (Studio Ghibli). [That was in order] to find commonly used chord progressions, phrases, melody shapes and orchestration techniques I could ground the soundtrack on. There also are some obvious references in there as well, like referencing Darth Vader in “Oh Rus’ Theme” or E.T. in “Bikes!”, to pay homage to the great soundtracks I was inspired by.

If you could have one album from the 1980s be your life’s soundtrack, which one would it be?

Definitely the soundtrack album to E.T. I could live inside that soundtrack forever!

Aside from Crossing Souls , of course, which game are you most excited to play this year?

I’m really looking forward to play Ni No Kuni 2, as I was a huge fan of the first one. The combination of Studio Ghibli’s aesthetic, Joe Hisaishi’s soundtrack, and JRPG gameplay is a perfect marriage for me.

It was an absolute pleasure getting a sneak peek at the making of Crossing Souls, as well as an intro to Music Composition 101 from Chris. After you’ve listened to the main theme embedded at the beginning of the interview, make sure to check out more of Chris Köbke’s work here. You can follow him on Twitter to keep an eye out for his future projects. Crossing Souls is available for $14.99 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

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The primary use of the Shadow Core is to facilitate you getting around otherwise difficult to access areas. When you jump, you can press the jump button a second time to have the cube spawn underneath you. The cube remains in this position until you jump and press the button again, where it follows you to become a new platform, abandoning its old position. You are allotted four uses of the cube in a row (shown on the side of the cube by the number of orange and red lights), after which you must replenish its powers by landing on a non-cube surface. You can also use the cube to activate machines like boats, rotate special platforms, and you can even use it to shoot beams of damaging light at enemies.

The core gameplay of Light Fall has little to do with enemies – in fact, very seldom do you come across enemies, and they’re all dealt with in one hit, or can be dodged entirely. Light Fall is all about exploring the world, helping your people, and learning about Numbra’s past. In each area, you will encounter many checkpoints, each of which has a certain number of yellow triangular sockets, and blue circular sockets.

The blue sockets represent how many missing villagers are in the area, which you can locate mostly in secret areas that you find by exploring darkened, hidden sections of the level. In these areas you can also put yourself through much more perilous platforming sections in order to find and obtain yellow gems. If you manage to get back through the dangerous area in reverse and approach a checkpoint, the yellow gem will affix itself to said checkpoint and you will be rewarded with a lengthy diary entry from an early explorer of Numbra. Light Fall obviously has deeper meaning and purpose if you fulfill these level objectives, although it can be just as fun and less frustrating to fly through the area while working through the puzzles.

Throughout all of your exploration and puzzle-solving, you are accompanied by an old Night Owl named Stryx, who feeds you exposition and comments on you being a bit of a reckless menace. All in good fun…probably. Stryx has one of those wise, teasing old man voices that you would expect from a narrator in a PS2-era RPG. By that, I mean that he should probably speak less than he does. There’s nothing wrong with the voice, but it’s absolutely grating to hear it every five or ten minutes, commenting on what you’re doing.

Despite spending most of the game wishing that Stryx would shut up and even thinking that the story was interesting enough but ultimately nothing special, once I was given Stryx’s backstory I gained much more appreciation for him. While his backstory isn’t necessarily groundbreaking or new, it was captivating, interesting, and explained a lot about his character. Indeed, the rest of Light Fall‘s story is average at best, but it’s propped up by a really beautifully-crafted, deep world. However, I will say that the devs should patch in a way to make the text on the yellow gem diaries scroll faster – they’re very long and I almost didn’t want to keep reading them because they took so long to scroll.

The graphics and world in Light Fall are simply gorgeous. The use of color and shadow and silhouette give it a decidedly indie feel without feeling generic and broody. It’s nice to see an indie puzzle platformer world that doesn’t live in greyscale and hasn’t been dipped in a vat of cuteness. You can passively interact with some parts of the environment (i.e. the bushes move when you run through them), which I always enjoy because it makes the background and foreground feel less static. However, it’s still not like every little branch quivers at your mere presence, but in a simple game like this I think that that kind of treatment would be overkill anyway. The side-scrolling and presence of fat pink crystals throughout the levels did give me Hollow Knight vibes, although I refuse to draw anything more than a passing comparison between the two.

Light Fall‘s design is pretty and simplistic, but it feels and looks a little rough and pixelated at times. I did notice that on my computer, I could only get the game to play in a square box, rather than going completely fullscreen. I feel this is probably due to the game being optimized for play on the Switch before other platforms. Light Fall‘s soundtrack isn’t going to be one that sticks in your head. It’s light and pretty, predominantly made up of strings and bells, but it’s purely there for ambience, and it does that job well.

I’ll admit that when I first started playing Light Fall, I didn’t think I was going to like it. Every time I jumped and tried to cling to walls, it felt as though I wasn’t grabbing onto things like I should. When I jumped, I never went very far, and all of my movements felt a bit neutered in general. I started to dislike my experience and wondered if I’d get very far through it at all. It was only after a particularly hectic section of the game where you’re essentially racing against the clock did I realize that the act of running wasn’t just for speed – it was also for momentum. Once I realized that I regularly needed to make use of momentum as I controlled my character, I started to adore the gameplay.

Know this if you are going to play Light Fall: this isn’t Crash Bandicoot – you need to run and go flying and make your distance and speed count. Dashing around like this made for some excellent platforming sequences where I was ducking in and around moving obstacles while deploying the Shadow Core, shooting enemies and then deploying again so I wouldn’t fall into a pit of spiky crystals. After a while you don’t even get mad at the difficulty because you’re having too much fun. That being said, some sections of the game, particularly in the final trials right at the end, are more frustrating than fun. Having to retrace your steps after claiming an important item, only to lose that item if you die on the way back, is agonizingly irritating. Quality of life in Light Fall could be greatly improved by the ability to hang onto items like the gems even if you do die, although that might just be me being a wuss.

You may be thinking that, based on my description, Light Fall would be an excellent speedrunning game. You would be correct, and the devs have already pre-empted you all by adding a speedrun option to the main menu as a matter of course. I actually can’t wait to watch people play this game in future Games Done Quick lineups.

Light Fall is a surprisingly fun and engaging little indie title. It’s taken four years of development and a Kickstarter campaign to bring it to life, and it’s very clearly been a labor of love. Light Fall is rough around the edges, but its charm and beautiful design give it a strong foundation to stand on. If you’re a fan of platforming games, particularly ones that have fair but challenging difficulty, this is the game for you. If you’re a fan of speedrunning, you’ll have an absolute blast with Light Fall, guaranteed.

Light Fall is available now on PC and Nintendo Switch via the eShop.

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The original game which I just mentioned was obviously The Spatials … well maybe not obviously, but law of averages and all that. This title came out in 2015 and even back then there was plenty of humour to be enjoyed and lots of deep, replayable gameplay to get involved in. The sequel which is now fully mature is available on Steam for all major desktop operating systems: Windows, Mac and Linux.

Galactology is The Spatials re-imagined as a much larger and more rewarding simulation game. With mod support and active pause, the game adds new items and structures to build, trade routes to exploit and planets with multiple variables plus a ton of other awesome sounding tweaks that make it something that little bit special. The game also ships with full Steam Workshop compatibility and includes a large chunk of the game’s source code for you creative types out there.

The galaxy The Spatials once knew has changed. The Federation is collapsing, a five thousand year old cat is leading the revolution, (obviously,) strange cults are flourishing and the worse chef of all time is a TV superstar. As part of all of this The Spatials have been invited to start a new era of science and diplomacy by building the ultimate tourist trap in the outer reaches of the universe. In doing this you will find yourself reinforcing your colony space-station with new buildings, staff and robots as well as building spaceships so you can explore the galaxy around you. The business type in you will get a good outing as you watch your bank balance getting bigger while trading with alien species. Alternatively a good bit of plundering will also be a healthy way of seeing those bucks rolling in.

Carlos Carrasco, Co-Founder and Programmer at Weird and Wry said, “The Spatials: Galactology realizes the full potential of the original game. When we released The Spatials we knew that it was a young star ready to go supernova. With some time and effort on our part, The Spatials has expanded into a whole new game; we now have three more alien civilizations, colonies that can be built on planets, Steam Workshop support for awesome new mods, and even a hotel system. If you’re into simulation – or just wish you could build your own intergalactic business – The Spatials: Galactology will give you all the strategic thrills (and tongue in cheek humor) you can handle.”

Those of you that played the early access release will see quite a bit of difference in the finished article. Amongst the large list of things that have been changed, added and finalised you’ll be able to build colony stations on planets, explore the aforementioned hotel system and literally dive into the new wormhole based space exploration system.

If you fancy a bit of out of this world, (sorry,) business you can find The Spatials: Galactology over on Steam for the rather reasonable sounding price of $12.99. For a game offering this much to do that seems like a more than fair price for those of you really wanting to lose some time.

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So, what’s new? Well, firstly there are two new playable characters. Mighty The Armadillo and Ray The Flying Squirrel join the crew. Also giving the game a fresh look is a new Encore mode that has new challenges in those familiar zones from the game. Competition and Time Attack modes get an update too, allowing four payer competitions and ghost challenges for the time trials.

The content will be packaged in an all-new physical edition which comes with a 32-page collector’s artbook, holographic packaging and a cool reversible SEGA Mega Drive cover.

Already bought Sonic Mania when it came out last year? That’s cool – your upgrade to Sonic Mania Plus will come in the form of the Encore DLC which will be available for sale at £3.99 via Steam and other first party stores on July 17, 2018 so that you don’t miss out on the manic action.

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As you can see from the trailer, the rated M for mature game is an action-packed story of waging war against the Nazi army led by the vile, evil and deadly Frau Engel. Your band of friends and freedom fighters will be able to use everything at your disposal to thwart their evil deeds, including making best use of the Switch’s unique motion controls – making the game more immersive and accurate.

The game has already won multiple awards, including VGA’s ‘Best Action Game of 2017’, which is a true mark of the quality of the game. If the port to Switch is accurate and retains much of the game’s glory, Switch users are in for a real treat. It is likely, however, that there will be performance and visual trade-offs to help the game run properly on the Switch.

Bethesda have been bringing their A-games to Switch recently, with both Doom and Skyrim feeling quite at home on Nintendo’s flagship device. This trend looks set to continue with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

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Vans are the weapon of choice of cowards and men who will be forgotten

The attack, carried out by a lone young man in a van, claimed the lives of 10 people in Toronto. As Death Road to Canada involves hitting zombies with a car (the name alone might have been enough), the decision to release the game at a later date is a kind one and will certainly only do the company favors.

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In RiftStar Raiders, a hive-mind of alien AI known, who go by the fluffy monkier of “Warswarm,” have waged war on humanity. It falls to you and your ragtag team of Raiders to take them out. You and up to 3 friends take on the roles of rogue pilots, your classic Han Solo types who’ll accept any mission as long as there’s enough money involved.

Essentially, it’s a bullet hell with shoot and loot mechanics that looks and sounds great on paper. The graphics are amazing, a blend of 3D and 2D animation. It sports an excellent sound track and you can’t beat the classic top-down point-of-view. Unfortunately the game falls short in other, more crucial areas. The biggest offender being the controls.

The two stick mechanic doesn’t work so well in zero gravity it seems. Similar to the 1979 arcade game, Asteroids (click here to try it!), your ship drifts out of your control every time you fly in a certain direction. This is a huge deal when you’re trying to avoid enemy fire, navigating through a mine field or both! Overshooting where you’re trying to go, even by an inch, can get you killed in games like RiftStar Raiders.

I felt like a buffoon trying to fly and shoot at the same time as well. My aiming was atrocious. I was drifting and missing all over the place. There is a fix for this though, albeit a bad one. Players are able to stabilize their ship and move at a snail’s pace. This makes it easier to aim and navigate through environmental hazards but sacrifices speed and dodging capabilities; a hard call to make if you’re being swarmed by enemies.

The enemies, comprised of space pirate gangs and swarms of aliens, along with the game’s nine different stages are another of RiftStar Raiders‘s frustrations. The sheer amount of baddies and level hazards make the game so damn hard. While I hate losing/dying as much as the next guy, I rarely ever get so frustrated with a game that I just want to quit playing. I rage-quit RiftStar Raiders at least six times during my review process; twice during the tutorial.

I understand the game is meant to be challenging, most games are to some degree, but when you overcome a “hard part” you’re typically filled with relief and accomplishment. For me it was less relief and more a desperation to finish. I wanted the level to end because I had restarted so much already. I can’t tell you how many times I told myself, “If I die one more time I’m done with this game.”

Playing with friends didn’t help ease the difficulty either. In fact, it made the whole game a lot harder. While I only played with one other, RiftStar Raiders can support up to four players at a time. The extra ship was just a nuisance though. We essentially gave the enemies more targets to hit and ourselves less room to maneuver. We had a bad time. Videogames have the right to be challenging, unforgiving even. But when you’re doing everything you can in a game and it’s still not good enough, playing becomes frustrating and borderline unenjoyable.

That’s not to say RiftStar Raiders didn’t have its high points though. When I wasn’t swearing at the screen after dying for the umpteenth time, I was busy modding or upgrading my ship (which was awesome). If a player manages to complete a mission, they get access to all the perks and upgrades they picked-up along the way.

Each ship has three sections that can be modified: weapons, shield and engine. Gamers can mix and match different equipment to find a combination that suits their playstyle or current mission the best. Perks are another customization element and can affect a variety of things in combat, such adding crowd control effects to your attacks or increase your damage. Adjusting my ship’s load-out was hands down my favorite part of RiftStar Raiders. I only wish I was able to do it more often…

While I clearly had issues with RiftStar Raiders, others may not. I stand by my criticisms of the controls and extreme difficulty but with enough practice and LOADS of patience, I’m sure anyone can master the mayhem and find the enjoyment that eluded me. Pick it up today on the PlayStation Store for only $19.99. You can also play RiftStar Raider on Steam and Xbox One. I highly recommend you try before buy though. A demo is available on each platforms. Best of luck! You’re going to need it.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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