Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Developer Discusses the Game’s 80s-tastic Soundtrack

But Does He Like Piña Coladas and Being Caught in the Rain?

The hotly anticipated Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is fast approaching, and you know what that means: lots and lots of promotional videos where developers shed a little light on what’s going on behind the scenes. In the case of Steve Szczepkowski, Senior Audio Director at Eidos-Montréal, that means going backstage on the way that the game’s soundtrack was created–and how it will influence a gameplay mechanic.

Reportedly, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be following in the footsteps of the movies while also putting its own spin on the game’s game. The developers have tied together three distinct musical styles in the soundtrack: an original rock album, an epic orchestral score, and a mixtape of licensed ‘80s tracks that Peter Quill would be proud of.

“Music is intrinsic to the Guardians’ franchise, and we wanted to make it focal to the gameplay experience,” Szczepkowski said. “The soundtrack is infused in the DNA of the game, and our use of it goes far beyond usual expectations. Whether it’s powering up combat in the Huddle or bringing Star-Lord’s favourite band to life, every element was carefully woven into the lore to enhance the story of this rock and roll band of misfits.”

In this video, Szczepkowski explains how the soundtrack was pieced together, from the sweeping orchestral score written by BAFTA-nominated composer Richard Jacques to the carefully curated selection of licensed music to the brand-new rock band created specifically for the game. In the game’s narrative, Peter Quill takes the name Star-Lord from a band with the same name, but in real life Szczepkowski created Star-Lord the band to record an entire album specifically for the game. The result is designed to celebrate the dysfunctional family the Guardians have built for themselves.

The orchestral score was recorded at London’s famous Abbey Road Studios and contains about six hours of original music, all designed to blend smoothly with the other musical genres featured in the game. Meanwhile, the collection of licensed 80s hits was selected using fun as the deciding factor and will include music from Iron Maiden, KISS, New Kids On The Block, Rick Astley, Hot Chocolate, and more.

Rounding things out is the unique Huddle mechanic that will allow players to use specific songs during combat. You’ll be able to cue up a specific 80s hit to inspire the Guardians and drive them to greater heights, though some of those songs might be a bit unexpected. Personally, we’re hoping to fight to the dulcet tones of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”