DRG (Deep Rock Galactic) is a tactical team-based shooter where a team of up to four players, using a dwarf character of their choosing, are assigned missions on a procedurally generated map that they must explore and strip of its resources. They must do all of this while avoiding hordes of alien bugs up to the size of tanks that are chasing them down and spitting acid from all directions. What makes this game so captivating is not only its whimsical and wild main cast of characters to pick from and their wild shenanigans, but it is also the soundtrack that is both beautiful and driving depending on the situation.
Their sound was created using simple beats of a drum to feel like a marching tune, and synth sound follows it to expand an echoing sensation like you need to get moving but you’re still deep underground. The team’s original inspiration was the soundtrack for The Thing by John Carpenter, and a combination of John Carpenter’s original 80’s synth soundtracks.
The developers of DRG hired Sophus Alf Agerbæk-Larsen, who was new to his music career at the time, and Troels Jørgensen, someone with a background in sound development in the tv industry, to compose the first soundtrack for the developing game. The team hoped to have a sound that was stoic like the dwarves they built the game around, but also a sci-fi energy to reflect the space themed game they were set in. Sophus and Troels were able to create exactly that. Below is an example of one of my favorite tracks from the game.
There is much more music to this game than this one song, and they all seek to send a message: curiosity, awe, and when the time is right, all out warfare.