HAL’s Megumi Ohara on composing music for Part Time UFO

This blog was originally posted on the HAL Laboratory blog, a link to the original is here and at the end of the translation. Translation was provided by special guest CraigedyCraig, you can follow him here. Please enjoy this translation but do not repost it in full without both of our permissions.

Congrats! – Part Time UFO Releases on Nintendo Switch Vol. 2

Hello everyone. This is sound creator Megumi Ohara. I took over the reigns for the Switch version from Shogo Sakai, who was in charge of the sound for the previously released mobile version.

For this version, as well as the BGM from the mobile version, I created new music to go with the newly added stages. Although those who have already played it probably already know, one of the defining characteristics of the game’s sound is a retro game style.

For me, it was a first time challenge making a soundtrack with retro game elements. And making something that sounded like a retro game was more difficult than I had imagined. I didn’t have experience playing retro games, and although I had listened to the music from games at that time, I couldn’t reproduce that sound well. I could get the style somehow, but it ended up not feeling quite right and I couldn’t put it together. Over and over I couldn’t get an “Okay” from the director.

BGM from the retro game era were made with various restrictions, limited to the wave forms and sounds they could use. Without understanding how to exploit those conditions well making the BGM, I couldn’t make a retro game style sound using modern DAW (music making software).

So I got a lecture directly from the father of Part Time UFO’s sound production about how to make retro game sounding music from Sakai himself. For example, you couldn’t use effects like reverb (a sound ringing out effect) or delay (a repeating effect, like a mountain echo) the way we commonly use them today.

So instead we prepared the melody part and a separate phrase with same tone, staggered and panned the melody part, adjusted the volume and put back the timing. I put this mock reproduction technique I learned into the soundtrack.

In addition, it was important for Part Time UFO’s sound to blend a retro game sound with a mix of various genres of music. It was surprisingly difficult. I paid close attention to the balance when making the sounds, understanding how to use the retro game sounding tone and the tone of musical instruments, thinking about which feeling I was heading towards.

As we made a few songs, I gradually got the hang of it. I got comments from the director and other team members saying “you’ve managed to capture the retro game sound!” At last, I felt I had nailed that charming Part Time UFO sound.

After all that, I put that settled upon phrase ♪ Ha～ ta~ rakku U~ FO, the game’s title in Japanese in a new song! In this version Sakai sang for us in a laid back way too! If you listen closely, the harmony is different, the lyrics have changed, the sequence of the BGM has been changed up. I hope you’ll enjoy these points.

Also, in the new Endless Mode we added to this version, as you pile things up high past a certain point, the background changes and with it the music does too! I’d be thrilled if you enjoyed the changing music while you’re trying to beat the record.

What’s more, the sound effects have also been powered up in this version! For example, the voice of the turnips when you pull it from the ground. I put a different voice to each of the six types of turnips. The voice of the turnips come from the development staff. Please pull up a lot turnips and check it out!

Also, the little UFO costume Easter eggs when you press L that the director talked about in his post, all have sound effects and I’d be so happy if you enjoy them.

Other than that, the jingle when the job is finished (stage clear) is arranged to match the stage. The laboratory stage echoes and… well the sound is so deluxe that I can’t really explain everything here!

Why not lend your ear to the game’s sound while you work (play) without a care.

Source: https://www.hallab.co.jp/blog/detail/2144/

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Joshua 'NantenJex' Goldie

A historian and avid gamer, NantenJex is the Editor-in-Chief for Source Gaming, overseeing videos and reviews for the site. He has a passion for obscure gaming so any article you see on uncommon titles like Nazo no Murusame Jo, Yuyuki and Marvelous, to name a few, are most likely from him. He also likes game design leading to the creation of Dream Smashers, a series on potential newcomers for Super Smash Bros. He wants you all to know that Yoshi is objectively the best Nintendo character.

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