Stay: Forever Home is a virtual pet experience made by Windup Minds. As well as being a charming game; it has a wonderful soundtrack by Dren McDonald.

By Graeme Smith

With enchanting vocals by Sophia James, we’re welcomed into the game’s world by Into The Otherlands, the magical place from which your virtual pet, Ember, comes. McDonald’s electronic, ambient instrumental perfectly sets the scene, providing an effect that’s both calming and intriguing.

“One of the fun challenges in this project was to determine what The Otherlands might sound like,” says McDonald. “It’s a magical place, very colourful, but it’s not Middle Earth, it’s not traditional fantasy, or RPG-type fantasy.

“So, there aren’t any recorders or mandolins. In our design discussions we talked about how all of the magic creatures, plants and objects from The Otherlands would all respond positively to music. It became shorthand for the player to know if an object might have a magical interaction.”

Things are livened up by Ember’s Magical Walk which bristles with folksy, acoustic instrumental layers and a certain sense of the exotic. Behold The Mossling Thief! brings a sense of action thanks to its upbeat percussion and energetic vocalisations.

Tradeboard Circle introduces the vocals of Amelie Anna, an artist who recently featured on the Death Stranding 2 soundtrack. It’s a whimsical moment at the heart of the soundtrack.

Volume 1 of the soundtrack is then closed by the rousing Introducing Ember and the vibrant The Extended 80s Mossling Thief.

Soundtracks don’t often work without the accompanying visuals, but what McDonald has created for Stay: Forever Home is so rich with narrative that you can feel its story unfolding before your eyes as you listen. It’s a rare treat.

Volume 2 will feature the cosier side of the soundtrack, and I can’t wait to hear it!

Stay: Forever Home Vol. 1 CHAOS is out now, available to buy as a digital album on Bandcamp. You can listen to it below.