Composer Rich Vreeland aka Disasterpiece explains how the Chrono Trigger sequel inspired Hyper Light Drifter and his other work
As one of the most highly-regarded indie game composers, Rich Vreeland aka Disasterpeace has made his name on the soundtracks to Fez, Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash, and many more. And as it turns out, that work was partly inspired by Square Enix’s classic Chrono Cross.
Below, as part of Polygon FM — our week-long look at the intersection of gaming and music — he talks about being inspired by Chrono Cross, how he composed the track “Ford the River”, and how we put together the sound for Hyper Light Drifter. (If you want to go deep on his work, Vreeland has also written extensively about his process on his personal site.)
Was there a game soundtrack or song that inspired you to pursue creating game music?
One example that comes to mind is the soundtrack of Chrono Cross. My foray into game music was heavily motivated by my rediscovery of the music of the games I played growing up.
There was something unique about Yasunori Mitsuda’s music — the way he combines contemporary influences with world styles.
