04
December
2015
Cue of the Week: “Into the Skullcano”
This week’s cue is a modern take on 1960s spy movie music, composed for the mobile title Wizard Ops Tactics. I tipped my hat to the familiar tropes – jazzy brass chords, driving guitar, the seemingly obligatory Latin percussion – while adding some whimsy to reflect the sensibility of the game.
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Based on the melody, which I liked, I conclude that a ‘skullcano’, whatever that is (?a volcano shaped like a skull?), is a very scary place.
I have a question. You mention that the percussion is ‘seemingly obligatory’. Does that mean the creators of the game demanded, either overtly or by implication, that such percussion, or rhythm, was required?
If so, I disagree with them. I think an ‘offbeat’ or odd percussion, or perhaps no percussion at all, would have set me more ‘on edge’ as I listened to the melody.
Of course, I’m musically ‘self taught’ and this is only my taste. But I think one of the odd rhythms which I’ve heard in certain jazz compositions, or something similar, might have been much more compelling in driving home a sense of danger.