Recently, Game Rant had the opportunity to interview Ben MacDougall, the composer for Counterplay Games' newest title,Godfall. MacDougall was able to provide a lot of valuable insight into his creative process and the game, but frequently turned the attention to thetechnological capabilities of the PS5itself. Throughout the interview, he made it clear that the PS5 not only makes the gameplay feel more immersive than ever before, but also managed to aid in his own compositional process by making his inspirations more tangible.
As the composer ofGodfall,MacDougall is responsible for the soaring, emotional highs and solemn lows that players feel throughout the game’s story. Each cutscene, every battle, and even exploration sequences are accompanied by his music that he created with the intent to “add emotional weight to the experience.” Beyond this, he also seems to feel strongly about the new immersive effects of the PS5 and its DualSense controller, lending a similar amount of credence to their capabilties as he does his own music.
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PS5 in Godfall’s Composition Process
MacDougall started working onGodfall’s soundtrack very early on in the development process, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have anything to go off of. His primary source of inspiration for the soundtrack was the world ofGodfallitself, and in those early days that took the form ofconcept art and sketches from Counterplay Games' talented artists.
“…because I was there basically on day 1, there was a small amount of in-game play, but it was mostly a lot of concept art and sketches in those early days. Luckily, because of a) the sheer talent of the artists and modelers, and b) theraw graphics power of the PS5, those early sketches basically became 3D!”
MacDougall says there was no shortage of inspiration at Counterplay Games. Even so, it’s impressive that the PS5 was able to aid in something like music composition in this way, making inspiration created by artists into something three dimensional and almost tangible. MacDougall continued working on the soundtrack as the game came closer to its finished form, but these early forms of inspiration were no doubt very helpful to finding the sound ofGodfall,and that’s to say nothing of thePS5’s 3D audio and Tempest engine.
PS5 Godfall Gameplay
Naturally, there were a few questions geared towards MacDougall’s experience playing the game. Aside from making a few comments about dying more than he’d care to admit, he did elaborate on how his music works in tandem with the PS5’s haptic feedback to create a truly immersive experience. This type of thing has been billed as a selling point for the PS5, but until recently fans had no idea what it actually meant. A few minutes withGodfallshould clear up that confusion, as thedevelopers made excellent use of the DualSense’s advanced capabilitiesand, when paired with MacDougall’s music, it draws the player in.
“On the topic of heightened experience, I’d also like to offer a massive shoutout to everyone at Counterplay Games who had a hand in how the game feels to play. There are a million little touches and details in there, transmitted not only visually and sonically, but through the haptics of the new PS5 controller. Whether it’s because using different weapons actually feel different, or because different surfaces feel different to walk on - or that the floating embers and particles actually react to your presence - the combination of all these little sensations combines to make something that feels so physical, and so immersive, that you finish a session feeling like you were actually there…just with fewer bruises at the end of it. Bravo.”
MacDougall really expands on all the little details that he feels make the world ofGodfallso immersive, going so specific as to comment on how different surfaces feel different to walk on. From a visual perspective, he explains how floating embers will react to the player’s presence and how the music enhances all of these feelings on an emotional level.Godfall’s perfect amalgamation of all these things wouldn’t be possible without the PS5’s hardware, something that MacDougall clearly feels strongly about.
Godfall Composer Ben MacDougall on PS5 Gameplay
MacDougall’s feelings aboutGodfallgameplay on PS5are clear as day, and they do a good job of making his passion clear as well. That said, there are many more instances in the full Game Rant interview (available soon) where his fondness of the gameplay shine through. At one point, he mentions the game’s various combos, saying that landing them correctly ends up being “thoroughly satisfying,” even going so far as to call the experience somewhat addictive as well. There are many tricks that developers use to make attacks feel satisfying, but with the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback arrays and adaptive trigger they are able to take things yet another step further.
Next time players find themselves exploring the intricately crafted world ofGodfall, they would do well to stop and take things in every now and then. Listen to the music and the emotions it conveys, take note of the little details that the world is filled with and realize that each one was painstakingly placed there by a dedicated and passionate developer. For those players on PS5, it would also be good to actively notice justhow much of a difference the DualSense controller makes inGodfall, something that is easy to see just by switching back to any old PS4 game instead.
Godfallis available now on PC and PS5.
