Ghost of Tsushima’s Epic Soundtrack Previewed; Full Score Available July 17

Ghost of Tushima’s soundtrack has been given the spotlight over on the PS Blog today. In a substantial article, Sucker Punch’s audio director Rev. Dr. Bradley D Meyer offers insight into the conceptualization of the game’s score, while supporting commentary from its two composers, Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru “Ume” Umebayashi, explained the inspirations behind its design.

Further, we’re treated to previews of two tracks, as well as the announcement that the full score will be available digitally or as a two-disc set on July 17.

For those who haven’t heard of Ilan Eshkeri (myself included, admittedly), he’s written scores for movies including Coriolanus, 47 Ronin, and Stardust, video games like The Sims franchise, and other cool projects including the European Space Agency’s Principia mission.

It is explained that Sucker Punch actually used music from his other projects to help guide their creative processes during the early phases of Ghost of Tsushima’s design. It wasn’t long before they realized he was exactly who they wanted for the score.

Eshkeri’s focus throughout the project has been character melodies and themes. Apparently “immersed himself in traditional Japanese instruments and musical scales” in the creation of various tracks from the score, including Jin’s theme.

Eshkeri explains his intruige with the game’s main protagonist:

“Throughout the game, Jin is a character in deep emotional conflict and this, above all else, is what drew me to Ghost.”

As Sucker Punch explains in the article, it’s rather unusual for a game to have multiple lead composers. But in the case of Ghost of Tsushima, both as a result of the game’s sheer scale and because the team felt both composers added unique elements to its sound.

Shigeru “Ume” Umebayashi was brought in to focus on bringing the game’s beautiful natural environments to life. He reflected on his intentions when creating the game’s soundtrack:

“When listeners hear the music for the game, I hope that they feel the hearts of the people of Tsushima – those who love the land, living and plowing with the natural bounties it offers, and those of the warriors who take their katanas and follow the way of the samurai.”

You can check out previews of tracks from Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi below.

The official game soundtrack will be released by Milan Records on July 17 on all digital platforms and as a two-CD set.

You can pre-order here, and all pre-orders of the digital soundtrack include an instant download of the track, “The Way of the Ghost (feat. Clare Uchima).” A vinyl edition will be coming in the future.

For more on the game, a new trailer was released last week that focuses on the transition of the protagonist from Samurai to Ghost, and on his role as a lethal warrior against the soldiers of the invading Mongol Empire.

Ghost of Tsushima has recently been slightly rescheduled to release on July 17, 2020, exclusively for PS4.