Ninichi Music
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After having worked with William Palma (@Gedorgames) on the game music to his new and exciting game Arcadium, I am really excited that it’s now on Kickstarter! Arcadium is a super fun game and here’s a little interview with William to give us some more information on it…
Read MoreInterview By Ninichi | Contact | Follow
Do you love mobile games and have you always wanted to run your own hospital? If so, this is a game that you have to check out!
Earlier on this year, I, Ninichi, had the pleasure of connecting with Andrea, the Chief Pixel Officer (and much more!) at Twit Games, and I was super excited to learn all about Mini Hospital (@MiniHospGame) and to work on the game music soundtrack for it.
It’s a really awesome mobile game with the potential for endless fun so let’s get to know more about it…Do you love mobile games and have you always wanted to run your own hospital? If so, this is a game that you have to check out!
Earlier on this year I, Ninichi, had the pleasure of connecting with Andrea, the Chief Pixel Officer (and much more!) at Twit Games, and I was super excited to learn all about Mini Hospital and to work on the game music soundtrack for it.
Read MoreDo you need some atmospheric background music for your video game or YouTube channel? If so, my Fantasy Atmospheres 1 and 2 music packs might be just what you need!
I’m Ninichi, and I’m a game music composer. I create custom music for indie games, films, shows and other media. It’s a wonderful feeling to be involved in such awesome projects and to help bring them to life. I believe that music offers something unique which can really help to enhance a game or film and to shine a new light on it. However, not everyone is in a position to commission me to compose music specifically for them, which is why I’ve created these ready-to-go music packs!
Read MoreMusic is an important element to any game. As a game music composer (see more about me!), I really believe that it helps to enhance the overall experience, to bring it all together and to set the general tone of the game. Great music can help to make your game more memorable, more fun to play and can even to make it stand out.
However, it is not always easy or obvious where to find the right music for a game or which approach to take. If you’re wondering what your options are and which way to turn, perhaps this article will help. There are also many other useful tips, articles and resources on my blog so do take a minute to browse through those as well.
Read MoreInterview By Ninichi | Contact | Follow
What is Calico all about?
‘Calico is a cute and cozy community sim game where the player is a magical girl who inherits a cat-cafe. They are tasked with filling the cafe back up with new fuzzy friends, furniture, and wonderful baked goods. ‘
Who’s it for & where did the idea come from?
Read MoreAre you thinking about hiring a freelance composer to work with but aren’t quite sure about how it might work or how to ensure that it works well? If so, don’t worry. It is a completely natural feeling especially if you’ve never worked with any freelancers before and it’s important to address your concerns and to make sure that you find the right person for you and your project.
I’m a freelance music composer and have worked with clients and projects all over the world – including working with game developers, filmmakers, podcasters, TV producers, marketers and more (see my homepage to get to know me, Ninichi a bit better!). I work from my home office and have never met many of my clients, yet my working relationships with each one feels really strong. There’s a sense of trust, my clients know that they can rely on me to get the work done and done to a high standard, and that I will always do my best to create music that embodies their visions. They also know that I will always be there to respond to their needs whenever they have something to say, ask, explore, feedback on or to work on further.
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This is the third article in the 'Introducing the game music' series. Each one tries to offer a little bit of insight into what lies behind the music for a specific game I've worked on. As a game music composer, I really enjoy the process of connecting with and working with such a wide range of talented game developers. I've found that each one has their own vision for their game and it is my job to help ensure that this vision is brought to life through the music and the game's soundtrack.
Now, let's take a look at Tank Tank Rush...
What is Tank Tank Rush?
Tank Tank Rush is unique blend between an artillery and side-scroller game, created by the amazing talented Antonin Duboc (@PutschMobi) - owner of Smart Game Studio. In the game, you control a soviet army tank and fire your tank gun at the enemy. The game is set during the Great Patriotic War on the Eastern Front and this is where all the action happens!
The game is still in development, but it's definitely one to watch for those who like shooting things and like a bit of tank fun!
What’s interesting about the music for this game?
The setting for this game makes it quite unique and required quite a specific style of music i.e. a USSR style military march. I worked with Antonin – the solo developer to the game, and composed the theme tune to Tank Tank Rush.
The track gets played in the game during the start menu and so it sets the scene for the game and is the first thing that one hears when looking at the game.
I was asked to create something that has a mix of feeling solemn and being something that one might listen to before going to war i.e. something that gives you courage for battle.
I wanted the game music to sound quite distinct and to work well with the look and feel of the game.
Antonin was also very clear that he didn’t want any other music within the game itself and so I felt that it was important to make this main theme tune track something special.
How did I go about creating the music for this game?
I listened to other music from this era and in this style to ‘get into the zone’. For me this is always an important step in creating any new piece of music as it gives me a good sense of the style when something specific is needed and is also a great source of inspiration and ideas.
I have experience in playing military style music and have heard quite a bit of it in my time. I’m a classically trained musician and used to play in various orchestras and so have a solid grasp of what an orchestra can do. I’ve also actually studied a few of the Russian composers in the past and so felt quite comfortable with this style. I’m very lucky to have had a lot of experience across a wide range of musical genres, which I think helps me a lot when it comes to being able to compose for different projects. I love listening to different kinds of music and the variety that comes my way when being asked to work on and create new music.
Any other thoughts or tips when creating game music?
I've created the music for several indie games now (have a little listen) and absolutely love it! One of the amazing things is how different each game can be and therefore, the wide range of music styles I've had the opportunity to create music in.
One thing I'd say is not to limit yourself when deciding what kind of music you think could fit your game. Take the time to explore different styles and to understand what you really like yourself vs. what you feel others may like to hear when playing your game. You don't have to do what others do necessarily either. Let your creativity flow and let your composer work with you to find a unique sound for your game. (Also see: How to Communicate Effectively with a Composer)
When creating music for a game, it's always important to fully understand the setting for where the music fits with everything, so that when composing, you can create something that will enhance the gameplay and immerse people into that world and specific section of the game.
All music in a game is important I feel, however, the main theme tune should certainly be given extra attention since it's the tune that should stick in people's mind for a while and that they are most likely to associate with your game.
I hope some of this has been interesting! Good luck with your game development and if you'd like some custom music for your game, get in touch!
Other articles in the 'Introducing the game music' series:
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About the author: Ninichi is a freelance composer and music enthusiast. She has composed the soundtracks and music to several indie games. Contact her: to explore working with her on your game, film or media project.
Check out examples of Ninichi's game music compositions and soundtracks & read more articles like this on the Ninichi music blog.
Follow her @ninichimusic
This is the second of my 'insight' articles which aim to offer a bit more of a glimpse into how I created the music for different games. This one is called Arty Swirly Colourful and I was really excited when asked to work on the soundtrack for this game. Everything that I learnt and discovered about the game was quite inspiring and so I wanted the music to reflect the calm and beautiful world as well. See what you make of it...
What kind of game is Arty Swirly Colourful?
Arty Swirly Colourful is a beautiful exploratory game created by the talented game development team at Owl Sanctuary Studios. It’s a narrative driven game where you take on the character of a photographer sent into a stunning park – the ficticious Green Bay National Park, where you are tasked with taking photos. These photos are meant to recreate a series of paintings created in the park 100 years previously.
The game is set in a beautiful world populated with interesting wildlife, park rangers and other people to talk to, amazing surroundings and more. The music therefore is designed to reflect the gentle and calming nature of the surroundings as well as the emotional journey that one takes through the different areas of the park.
What is the music like?
The main mood for the music and for the game is that it is relaxing and soothing. The team at Owl Sanctuary Studios were very clear that they didn’t want any heavy electronic sounds and that they wanted a relaxed yet fun vibe. Playing the game and moving through the park is meant to be a chilling and gentle experience and so I’ve tried to make sure that the music supports this.
The first set of tracks composed for the game, are designed for the summer scenes. There are plans to build out the soundtrack further as the game develops and grows but for now we have focused on making the summer tracks fit the various settings and areas within the game.
What are the different game music tracks?
There are 5 tracks that I worked on:
Swirly Summertime – which is meant as a track for the daytime in summer, within the game. It’s therefore on the cheerier side yet still calming and soothing to listen to.
Early Sunrise – is meant to have that feel of awakening, discovery and a sense of wonder around what might be and what opportunities lies ahead
Summer Sunset – is at that beautiful shimmery time of day, when the light is it’s most beautiful. This is important for the photographer / player of the game and so hopefully the music reflects this sense of beauty.
Open Terrain – is meant to feel more airy than the daytime Swirly Summertime track. Who knows what you’ll find in the open areas! It’s a mystery but a fun one!
Forest Trees – is a track that would play when you’re in the forest terrain. Here, I was trying to blend a sense of magic, mystery and calming quietness.
Have a listen to them and see what you make of them! Hopefully you’ll find them just as relaxing as the Owl Sanctuary team do!
A few other things that could be interesting to share about how I worked on these with the Owl Sanctuary Studios team:
we communicated via a combination of emails and Discord
there was a good range of tracks to use as inspiration, ideas and as references
the team listened to each of the tracks to make sure that they all agreed on and liked them before signing each one off
About the author: Ninichi is a freelance indie game composer and music enthusiast. She has composed the soundtracks and music to several indie games. Contact her: to explore working with her on your game, film or media project.
Check out examples of Ninichi's game music compositions and soundtracks & read more articles like this on the Ninichi music blog.
Follow her @ninichimusic
