Sayonara Wild Hearts - Turning Pop Music into a Video Game

Рет қаралды 22,429

Күн бұрын

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a self-professed "pop album video game." That doesn't mean it's just a poppy rhythm game or a playable music video - it's not. Rather, it's a game that has pop music built into its DNA.
--
Follow me on Twitter:
/ mittopotahis
Support Game Score Fanfare on Patreon:
/ gamescorefanfare
Join the Game Score Fanfare Discord server!
/ discord
Interview source:
"Let's Pop: Behind the Bubblegum Dream of Sayonara Wild Hearts" by Brittany Vincent for EGM.
egmnow.com/lets-pop-simogo-on...
Thank you to Jacob Geller for specifically recording some Rez Infinite footage just to send it to me. You'd enjoy his video on Ape Out and its wildly expressive and reactive soundtrack.
• APE OUT and FREEDOM
--
Sayonara Wild Hearts was developed by Simogo and published by Annapurna Interactive. All this footage was capture on the Nintendo Switch.
Game footage used in this video, in order of appearance:
0:25 - Sayonara Wild Hearts
9:31 - Sonic Adventure 2
9:34 - Star Fox Zero
9:36 - Rez Infinite
9:39 - Panzer Dragoon
I also use a bunch of music videos, which are:
0:06 - Beyonce - Love on Top
0:11 - Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
0:15 - Imagine Dragons - Thunder
0:18 - Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes
3:36 - Sayonara Wild Hearts - Wild Hearts Never Die
6:58 - Goyte - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)
7:01 - The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
7:04 - The National - Squalor Victoria
9:48 - Mark Ronson - Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)
9:50 - Luis Fonsi - Despacito (feat. Daddy Yankee)
9:55 - Lorde - Royals
9:59 - Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
10:03 - My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade
10:08 - Rosalia - Malamente
10:11 - Childish Gambino - This Is America
10:15 - Ariana Grande - thank u, next
--
All music used in this video is from Sayonara Wild Hearts, which was composed by Daniel Olsén, with Jonathon Eng helping with the the pop songs, and features vocals by Linnea Olsson. Many of the tracks can be heard on the official soundtrack, which you can buy as a 2LP vinyl set at iam8bit. 😍
www.iam8bit.com/collections/s...
I'm not sponsored for that, I just think it's really cool.
Some of the tracks are not on the official soundtrack, but are from the level select screen and various in-game menus. Here's a list of all the tracks I used:
0:00 - Sayonara Wild Heart (Album Arcade screen)
0:23 - Wild Hearts Never Die
0:51 - Wild Hearts Never Die (level select)
1:15 - Pause menu music
2:02 - Clair De Lune
2:35 - Hearts & Swords
3:03 - Hearts & Swords (level select)
3:43 - Night Drift
5:06 - Heartbreak III
5:18 - Begin Again
6:20 - Parallel Universes
6:48 - Parallel Universes (level select)
7:22 - Hate Skulls (level select)
7:51 - Heartbreak IV
8:20 - Reverie
8:58 - Heartbreak III
9:44 - Settings menu music
10:30 - Sayonara Wild Heart
11:24 - Begin Again (level select)
--
Game Score Fanfare is a show that celebrates music in video games, an aspect so overlooked as that's often the point: to work without you even realising it's there. I look at games through the lens of its score, discovering the unique perspective and roles that music can bring.

Пікірлер: 120

@JacobGeller 4 жыл бұрын

This is extremely well written and delivered, but as an editor I'm mostly obsessed with how you got the exact sayonara font and little bi-color flickering *exactly* right

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! The flickering is totally different, I just did something that had the same vibe. But yeah... I spent a looong time tracing out those letters and lining them all up for each word.

@peterk822 4 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare fyi, the game does tell you the font they licensed in the credits, "Trigot"

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

@@peterk822.... I asked Simogo about it and they said it was a custom font they made. I spent so long looking for the font and an unimaginable time tracing over letters, getting the spacing right, everything... and it was in the credits. I'm so mad.

@nickwallette6201 4 жыл бұрын

GSFF is a boss. Easy to appreciate, but when you stop to think about how incredibly insightful the reviews are, or how remarkably well produced the visuals, it's mind boggling. Absolutely top class work with no equal anywhere at any budget.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Stop it, you're gonna make me cry. 😭

@LOTxAPOLLO 4 жыл бұрын

Wow, I can't believe Carly Rae Jepsen invented video games. What an icon

@mistressember6475 Жыл бұрын

It's a Swedish singer. Nice joke.

@DarylTalksGames 4 жыл бұрын

Your editing is simply fantastic man, this was a pleasure to watch and listen to. Also thank you for taking a positive stance on pop music. To me pop kinda has the same energy as cheap comedy movies or rom-coms. Nothing super sophisticated from a technical or creative standpoint is happening, so critics will of course call them "shallow, repetitive, or derivative". But dammit they're so much fun to watch. Not everything has to be an Oscar winner or a "masterpiece" too enjoy, and pop is the same. There's nothing wrong for enjoying pop for what it does well.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

They don't call them pop-corn movies for nothing! Ha hahaha... hah. Aw. Sorry.

@brux357 4 жыл бұрын

Game Score Fanfare I came here to say the same thing about your editing on this. Those seamless screen wipes to completely different scenes were very impressive. Great work. I really enjoyed this video

@nickwallette6201 4 жыл бұрын

I once heard someone say, "not everyone can, or should, be Thom Yorke." I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember the source, and I don't recall the exact phrasing. But this gets the point across. :-) That quote has always kept my perspective when I start getting too critical of shallow music.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

I didn't make them, they were just borrowed from the game! All I did was cut a clip in the middle!

@duchi882 4 жыл бұрын

*What I hate about your channel* is that it doesn't have the number of subscribers it deserves

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Yes. Way too many!

@duchi882 4 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare Haha! Such a humble reply. _* tips Fedora *_

@PhilipLL 4 жыл бұрын

*you had me in the first half*

@PhilipLL 4 жыл бұрын

I think we needed someone with some music knowlege to make a good gameplay and overall analysis of this game. I think you made a good analysis here, one better than someone like Mark Brown ever could make. Partially because of how simple the use of it's mechanics are, but also because of the parallell between the music genre and the games use of it's mechanics and how that lends itself to beeing analyzed by someone with knowlege of the music world. There may still be something more to the game, as far as interpreting it goes. Yet overall a very extensive and well done analysis. Well done Mitto.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I was inspired to make a video after plying the game and then reading some reviews of it. Everyone mentioned the music, but it was never more than a passing mention of the songs being good or something. It felt so unfair to the game and its music, it reminded me of why I started the channel in the first place. If no one else is talking about games through the lens of their music, then I should be!

@NestorCustodio 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for spotlighting this absolute *gem* of a game!

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

I'm glad to be able to share it with others!

@WritingOnGames 4 жыл бұрын

This was an absolutely fantastic video. The game didn't even do much for me at all but you did such a good job contextualising it as a "pop game" (after struggling for ages to figure out what genre it actually fits into, I loved how your snappy description made it all click into place for me - it just makes so much sense!).

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, the best fitting game genre is "arcade" but I don't really know what that means. It's an arcade game in the same way that Arcade Fire are an indie band.

@VideoGameAnimationStudy 4 жыл бұрын

I always used to think _pop music_ meant, like...music that was 'poppy', as in it popped. Bangin', poppin', dance to-able. Also, I like the term 'poptimist'. My new foray into game development is exciting, and music will be a huge part of its development. Great video, mate!

@Cleve_Crudgington 4 жыл бұрын

Now you've got me wondering how you could make similar games out of other genres of music and how they would differ from one another gameplay wise.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

I'm not saying this is exactly what I will be focusing on for a bit, but it's similar. The next few GSF episodes will be exploring music genres and how they fit into games. For something more similar, I recommend Hepyrian's video on Cuphead. He touches on the similarities between the gameplay and its jazz soundtrack, and how they compliment each other.

@TornaitSuperBird 4 жыл бұрын

Poptimism. You've coined a term, friend.

@ThatOneGuy7550 4 жыл бұрын

it's a cool term ngl

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Nah, I didn't coin it. It's been around for many years!

@TornaitSuperBird 4 жыл бұрын

Game Score Fanfare But I never heard about it until now, so I still say that you've coined it.

@randomdogdog 4 жыл бұрын

The first half of the video felt weird. It didn't sound pop to me. And then I got to the latter half and it all clicked. The motifs in the first half are borrowed from genres I know and love. Thanks.

@MyPhantomile 4 жыл бұрын

Sayonara Wild Hearts has been stuck inside my head since I played it a couple weeks back. It's on my commute playlist on Spotify and I'm constantly humming 'Wild Hearts Never Die', 'Inside' and 'Mine'. It was a fantastic little game and I only ever go back to listen to the music. Thanks for another great upload, I'm always looking forward to your content!

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

It's such great driving music! Very easy to speed to though.

@MyPhantomile 4 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare My only nitpick, really. It left me wanting much much more!

@thehermit8618 4 жыл бұрын

I believe that people hate Pop a lot nowadays because it has become a genre ripe with unimaginative beats, vapid self-importance and shallow emotions but Pop music when its self-aware and done in such a way that it has meaning behind its conception is worthy of praise regardless of its sound. Thats why Sayonara's score doesn't feel vapid, it has meaning and passion beyond "this is the lowest common denominator for music"

@Rocksteady72a 4 жыл бұрын

"The game doesn't penalize you any points for your failure." _Yolo Arcada flashbacks of completion attempts ensue._

@LegendOfGamerBoy 4 жыл бұрын

This articulated exactly what’s so special about this game!! 💖

@subprogram32 4 жыл бұрын

I just watched an LP of Wild Hearts just yesterday, so this was perfect timing as far as that was concerned! I always love tarot themes in games tbqh and this game lived up to why I like that happening! And it was neat to hear about your passion for pop too, I've often enjoyed the genre even if I mostly listen to videogame OSTS exclusively nowadays. XD

@thegustbag 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent video! Thank you for talking about this game, and thank you even more for the insight you brought to the conversation around it!

@Stephen-Fox 4 жыл бұрын

Feels like the medals should be platinum gold and silver rather than gold silver and bronze with the pop album theming, but that might just be me. (Unless platinum is a secret better than best rank not shown in the menu)

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

MISSED OPPORTUNITY.

@Calcifrizzle 4 жыл бұрын

Wow, this game looks gorgeous! And such an interesting idea, too. Thanks for covering this, I really enjoyed your analysis. :)

@mikelimakilokiloromeo 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, as always.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

thank you. ☺️

@benjaminlefkowitz9463 4 жыл бұрын

Great Video! Can’t wait for the next!

@Jozeevis 2 жыл бұрын

Such interesting insights. This video got me to try out the game and I absolutely loved the experience. Thank you for that!

@DerekLieu 4 жыл бұрын

Wow, I love this so much! I already loved Sayonara Wild Hearts, but your music analysis makes me appreciate it even more. Super well made essay!

@ThatOneGuy7550 4 жыл бұрын

Sayonara Wild Hearts-- looks gorgeous. Loved the video!

@barrybend7189 4 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see you cover Panzer Dragoon's music. Because its very cinematic even in its JRPG third game.

@hundredquestions 4 жыл бұрын

Picked this up after watching your video this morning and just finished the game. What an awesome, short, and sweet game. Absolutely therapeutic experience with the volume turned up, brought a smile to my face. Hope your video convinces others to try it out too!

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Ah I'm glad! If it gets more people playing games they enjoy and thinking about them in new ways then I've done my job!

@V_y-r_e 4 жыл бұрын

Spectacular job on a video demonstrating the thought and care that went into this game. It’s this level of care that makes Simogo one of my favourite devs, and you one of my favourite creators. Well done.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

You are very kind, thank you. 🙂

@chrismeese6325 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome video, great work

@MrMrUmad 4 жыл бұрын

This is one of my fav videos from you! Convinced me to buy the game and bump it to the top of the backlog!!

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Ahhh thank you! That means a lot. 😊

@caydilemma3309 4 жыл бұрын

Simogo is just such an amazing dev. Year Walk, Device 6, and Sayonara are all stellar.

@cashwarior 4 жыл бұрын

I think the reason I dislike pop music because of how formulaic they can be. It's not necessarily like I'm disgusted by pop or if an artist I like makes something more pop-y then I won't like them. It's more that I want something more challenging for my ears. I don't really listen to the lyrics of a song, but rather the instrumentation and the composition that accompanies it. The pop songs I do like are due to either the composition is interesting or the instrumentation is unique.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

I'll be the first to admit that there's a lot of trash pop that hits the airwaves, but I think many people as a result give the entire genre a pass. But there is some amazing stuff there!

@danielleanderson6371 4 жыл бұрын

Same here. I can appreciate a pop song that has a bite to it, but many of them are just too safe, I think.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

And there's a tendency to overload it with hooks until there's nothing else. It's the musical equivalent of pumping something with sugar.

@danielleanderson6371 4 жыл бұрын

Sweetness works really well with savory, spicy, sour, and even bitter. When you mix that sweetness with something with a bit more character you get something greater than the sum of its parts. What that means depends a lot on the subgenre of pop, but there's a lot of things you can do to a song to make it more interesting beyond the hooks.

@hemangchauhan2864 4 жыл бұрын

HOLY MOLY! THE EDITING HERE ❤️

@ima_jesus 10 ай бұрын

I can't play the whole game without crying AT LEAST a couple times, and it's just an hour and a half long at most

@moonwalkerangel7008 3 жыл бұрын

I was actually interested in your take on the subject matter on Sayonara Wild Hearts’ plot. I didn’t see the antagonists as past relationships, rather I thought the game explored permanent loss and going through the process of grief and the protagonist’s struggle with coping with anger, depression, denial, bargaining and acceptance. But the beauty of the game is that it is left to the interpretation of the player. Beautiful analysis and great commentary.

@izumemori 4 жыл бұрын

I wasn't aware of the game before your video about it came out and was pretty bummed out since it was only available on apple devices, ps4 and switch. But I've been playing it non-stop since it released on steam, this game really is a gift, and thank you for this amazing analysis of the game and introducing me and many others to this gem!

@Koi_Boi14 Жыл бұрын

Its been a year. I hope you're doing well and will post more. I love your stuff.

@stratoge 4 жыл бұрын

The game looks so great! Good to hear a perspective focused on the music of the game.

@Blattella 3 жыл бұрын

i love this, thank you

@MargaritoTrevino 4 жыл бұрын

Man when I joined you had 7k subs your already at 70k keep up the hard work

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sticking around! 7k feels like so long ago now! 😶

@ericmillettcon 4 жыл бұрын

I had similar thoughts in regards to hooks being finished just as I was hitting a groove. Honestly, it grew frustrating after a while of getting ripped out of each level so quickly to bring me back to the level select screen. I wish they could have separated story playthrough within chapters rather than individual levels so there could be some transition between the levels. That's why album arcade is so perfect as it's every level with no interruption!! Though I wish that could be how everyone experienced the game on a first playthrough. Your video was great!! You have a real talent for matching up what you're saying with what's playing on screen. I also wanna shout out the font that you've replicated perfectly :) Poptimism 5ever.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for recognising the font. I spent so long tracing over letters with the pen tool, lining them up and spacing them out for each word. 😣 But I couldn't find another font I liked! So hopefully it was worth it in the end.

@ericmillettcon 4 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare :o we stan a dedicated creator

@SuperStadier Жыл бұрын

Actually the hearts do reset at 25 when you crash. So it does affect your score if you crash once since collecting hearts builds your score over time. And this game is so different then just normal pop and it is a bit rhythmic but its super fast paced so, not exactly easy.

@FuzzyToasterMeister 4 жыл бұрын

Woo GSF means headphones time. :) That was an insightful view of pop I'll try to keep with me. It's an encouragement to resist snobbishness. Plus, great analysis as always.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Dunno if it's headphone time because I edit with them and the audio mix sucks on everything else, or because you're embarrassed to be watching. 😉

@FuzzyToasterMeister 4 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare Purely because my ears will be in for a treat and my tinny phone won't do it justice. :)

@duke86fan 4 жыл бұрын

so basically the creators made a pop concept album and put a whole video game around it

@pimvda 4 жыл бұрын

Gosh, this game was special. Goosebumbs and fist pumps all the way to the end

@Hopeful_Neon 3 жыл бұрын

This game is about the stages of grief And almost nobody noticed it

@KarolaTea 4 жыл бұрын

Poptimist XD What a great review of a seemingly great game!

@skoti1511 4 жыл бұрын

I absolutely love the game. Bought it on a whim and completed it countless times to the point I obtained the platinum trophy for PS4. Not too mention that fact I still listen to the soundtrack occasionally, I don't even like pop music at all, I mainly listen to rock or electronic. Games perfect.

@texitocfyd 4 жыл бұрын

Seeing, recommending and learning a new word. Poptimistic It's a great day to enjoy and learn new things.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

It's like a movement!

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

(from a small town to a bigger city)

@AceHardy 4 жыл бұрын

Epic

@geraq0 4 жыл бұрын

I'm not really a fan of pop-music, but this game definitely got my interest. Too bad it's not for PC :( Great video, excellent editing, script and delivery my friend!!

@shadowcashter 4 жыл бұрын

its was release on steam like 3 weeks ago. i played the hell out of it xD

@geraq0 4 жыл бұрын

@@shadowcashter yeah, I bought it as soon as I saw it was on steam! It's awesome.

@Dylen 2 жыл бұрын

Are you ever doing a video about Hades?

@midasmagnezone4282 4 жыл бұрын

Good video. I've never heard of this game until now. I do not dislike pop music--or any genres really, hence why I say to people I don't have a favourite genre or like all types of music--but pop music for me has never really stood out. It's just a come-and-go sort of thing. I guess that's the appeal of pop music. And I don't think rhythm games are as shallow as people make them out to be. They encourage the player to get a good understanding of the beat and tempo of the song to get good at the game. They are games focusing on a fundamental basic of music, and I quite like that. Lastly, a small suggestion: avoid splitting up important names into two different sentences like at 5:27 with "The Dancing Devils" and a couple of other instances in the subtitles. Speaking of subtitles, thanks for them!

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

The subtitles are just auto-synced at the moment, I haven't had the time to go fix them up yet!

@midasmagnezone4282 4 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare ah, I see

@Ragnarobb 3 жыл бұрын

Which editing software do you use?

@ThePro100DK 3 жыл бұрын

4:40 It does penilize you. Small hearts streak will start over on death

@ChrisAkaMastermind 4 жыл бұрын

fine! ill buy it! xD

@Ragnarobb 3 жыл бұрын

AND HOW TO DO YOU GET ALL THESE WAVY SUBMERGED AUDIO EDITS! So lush!!

@GameScoreFanfare 3 жыл бұрын

So on the chapter select screen has these cool little loops of each song that I used. Also for others I just applied a high pass filter.

@Ragnarobb 3 жыл бұрын

@@GameScoreFanfare Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I've been really scared to move from baby boy editing software (camtasia) over to the stuff you're using but seeing what you're capable of is inspiring.

@critical_bryan 4 жыл бұрын

I wonder if the devs have any experience with Feel the Magic XX/XY or its sequel The Rub Rabbits. I get the same kinda vibes from both games. Generic yet vauge love story, rapidly changing gameplay styles/objectives, a vibrant art style, and masked combatants.

@DISCO-munication 4 жыл бұрын

In addition to the game's influences, there is also a Sailor Moon reference in one scene. :P

@filbsmoatlas1801 4 жыл бұрын

where do i get that game

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

It's available on the Switch eShop, PSN and Apple Arcade.

@Tarikrptls 4 жыл бұрын

Great video! But although i'm not the biggest pop fan I can asure it is not easy to write. At all.

@takemetoyonk 4 жыл бұрын

1:30 oh shit it's like Bayonetta or an epic single part of a game, but focused on for the game

@chokoanders6546 4 жыл бұрын

After seeing gameplay off this game in this video i stopped the video right there bought the game and played and it was worth every penny

@MelvaCross 4 жыл бұрын

I used to hate Pop music. But the more I learnt about song writing the more my hatred for the genre turned into appreciation. Instead of dreading the strict formulas you have to follow to make it catchy, I find so much room for creativity because of these restrictions. While I liked Speedcore or Noise music it's not something you can listen to with others.

@GameScoreFanfare 4 жыл бұрын

Having a basic understanding of music might ruin a lot of pop music for you, but it also makes the good pop you come across even better.

@Gwunhar 4 жыл бұрын

This game is not for me as the bright strobing visuals hurt my eyes and I dislike pop, but I'm rather glad it exists. It's a really cool piece of art, and I really appreciated your analysis of the music and gameplay.