David Wise talks about game music and Gimmick! 2

Even if you haven't heard the name, you've probably heard his music. David Wise is the composer behind classics such as Donkey Kong Country 1-3, Star Fox Adventures, and Battletoads. His music is familiar to anyone who grew up as a gamer in the 90s. Now, his work can be heard in the recently released Gimmick! 2 sequel, out on PC and consoles.

I met with Mr. Wise at Gamescom to talk briefly about his career and how Gimmick! 2 uses inspiration of the past, Japan, and Scandinavia to craft something unique.

What was the music of your childhood?

I've always listened to everything, from brass bands to orchestras, and I used to play in a rock band. It didn't matter what it was, as long as it was good.

I listened to a lot Whitesnake, Phil Collins, and Def Leppard, but also the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. It was a really broad spectrum. Good music is not genre related, it's whatever speaks to you.

One of my favorite scores of yours is Donkey Kong Country 2. I read in an old interview where you spoke of your "Parisian phase", and how it influenced that soundtrack in particular.

[Wise laughs] Oh boy.

My sister worked in Paris at the time at the opera house, so I went to see her and stayed there for some months. So that was the "Parisian phase"!

It was mostly me sitting in cafés and writing down ideas. That's where that style came from.

Retro and nostalgia have made a strong comeback these days. When you approach music to a game, do you see a split between the approach to a modern game vs. an older game?

When we were working on the hardware, there was a whole set of challenges that you had to overcome because of technology. Now, when revisiting that, it's much easier, and it feels like a luxury.

I think I've said everything I need to with the 16-bit sound, I don't think I need to revisit it anymore. I might sample something of that era, but I'll do it with new technology. Give it a new lease of life, so to speak. I personally wouldn't want to go back to the restraints of the old days.

What makes a good game soundtrack? Is it a catchy theme? A consistent leitmotif? Do you even consider that to start with?

You don't think about it when you start the work.

At first, you look at the level, and you think, "what would I, as a player, want to hear in this place?" It's about what they feel during that time. It comes from the game design. The music enhances the gameplay. That's the core of it, and every melody that grows on top of it is a bonus.

What was the experience of working on Gimmick! 2 like?

It's strange and wonderful, because it's not based on Gimmick! 1, but it has some nostalgic references to it.

Gimmick! 2 came out only in Japan and Scandinavian countries, so we infused Japanese and Swedish instruments to suit these origins. I was given a lot of cues where the game designers wanted to take the game. The idea was to bring the best of both Japan and Scandinavia, so that we could make it sound interesting and honor the past, yet still be its own thing.

Do you have a favorite game score?

I have so many. One of them is Metal Gear Solid, which is just amazing. The Call of Duty games have some cool things in them. Mario Raving Rabbids is another one!

What are you working on next?

Sadly, there are so many NDAs in place that I could tell you, but then I'd have to shoot you, and it gets messy. I'm working on some exciting though, so I hope we can talk about it soon.