One of the more exciting recent developments with Idosra has been music. I've been working with composer Nicole Marie T to update the music in the game. All of the current songs in the game were written by her, and either licensed from her royalty free collections, or as Patreon rewards. Now she is composing some original music!
So far there are five new songs: a title sequence, and four looping pieces for level background music. I'm looking forward to sharing them when the game is released, which while I don't have a release date yet, is a time that is coming sooner than later.
I have 49 levels so far, out of about 70. It's worth pointing out that many of the "levels" are alternate paths, so I'm closer to done than 49 out of 70 might seem. Super Mario World may be a good comparison for length and scope. Alternate path levels function a bit like the secret exits in SMW. The number of distinct locations in Idosra is about the same as in SMW.
Since I started working with Nicole, I also started taking a "musical inventory" of the music used across the various levels, and have been thinking about how the music complements the level's place in the game's story. When I'm designing levels, I often have a soundtrack running through my mind--but since I like to watch videos on YouTube while I'm working, the sound of a level I'm imagining might be influenced more by what I'm watching than what makes the most sense.
The level "New Technology" is a good example. This is one of the last levels in Chapter 1 of the game--the chapter I'm intending to release for free as a "90s shareware model style" demo. In the game's story, this is a turning point. When the player is first introduced to Marika, the protagonist and player-character, she is a bit lost and lacks confidence. By the time we get to "New Technology", about 15 levels in, Marika has found new confidence in herself and also a purpose. She is facing the entity that scared her in the opening sequence.
I made a recording of this level, although using a save file where Marika has 49 levels worth of experience--so she is way overpowered. I think that the new song, beginning at around 1:44, conveys a stronger focus on her character development than the original. The original song was a techno piece, which I think places a strong emphasis on the environment. This same techno piece is used in another level.
So far I've found the experience to be a good exercise in thinking about how music emphasizes story. The choice in song can be used to guide the player's focus on a particular aspect of the game: environment, character development, action, etc. Up until recently, I've almost always chosen music to emphasize the environment. Since I've started thinking about how I can use music to emphasize other aspects, I've found ways to strengthen their presentation in the game and, hopefully, better engage the player.