"Games are best musically approached as stories. The mechanics of gameplay — even mundane actions like upgrading troops or re-seeding farms — can be exciting if they’re part of a gripping narrative about specific places and people. Empires Apart gives us all the elements of a story: a central character (the player) with a strong goal (to build an enduring civilization from scratch) in the face of an obstacle (the accursed other civilizations, inconveniently nearby). There’s an easy-to-perceive narrative arc, from the relatively peaceful days of building first structures in the wilderness, to the bustle of a growing town, to the fear and triumph of locking horns with one’s hostile neighbors.

Our goal with the music was to emotionally support the player’s sense of being the main character in a historical epic. The civilization themes make playing as different nations feel like emotionally distinct experiences. The Aztec theme is tribal and visceral, whereas the music for the Byzantines is mournful and nostalgic. The music follows the arc of the narrative, from peaceful melodic ambiences during early gameplay to the blaring of drums and brass during heavy combat. And of course we musically reward the player’s triumphs, as well as express sympathy for the defeats. (There will be many of those.)

Project lead Gian Paolo Vernocchi is a fan of thematic scores that can stand on their own outside of their games. We hope you’ll enjoy Empires Apart's score both as accompaniment to your empire-building, as well as a pleasant listening experience on its own."

Michael Gordon Shapiro


Tracklist:

• Empires Apart Main Theme
  
• Birth of Empires
  
• French Intro
  
• From Fields to Towns
  
• Aztec Intro
  
• Warriors of Tenochtitlan
  
• Chinese Intro
  
• Rise of the Middle Kingdom
  
• Arab Intro
  
• Blades of the Faithful
  
• Byzantine Intro
  
• Spires of Constantinople
  
• Mongol Intro
  
• A Clash of Wills
  
• Dissent and Steel
  
• The Crashing Red Tide
  
• Fall of Empires
  
• The Legacy of Tomorrow

The OST of Empires Apart was composed by Michael Gordon Shapiro. The Main Theme was composed by Sean Beeson.