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Unravel’s music will tell its heartfelt story in lieu of words, says latest dev diary

Unravel music

It’s official: I’m in love with Unravel. How could I not be? Look at it. Look at Yarny. Look at its puzzles, its platforming. And listen to its music. The latter, says the game’s creator Martin Sahlin, will tell Unravel’s tale in the absence of words. “Beautiful melancholy”, is how he describes it. 

2016 has lots of other games to look forward to, though – consult our list of upcoming PC games for the best ones.

“There’s a very good word in Swedish called ‘via multe’ which is best translated as a kind of beautiful melancholy – like looking back with love at something that you’ve lost,” says Shalin in the developer diary below. “It’s often used to describe this part of the world and it’s something we’ve absolutely tried to bring across in the music.” Here’s that sentiment in motion:

Sahlin has often suggested that Unravel explores themes of love, belonging. and mending broken bonds. “We wanted our music to reflect that,” he says. “We wanted it to be capable of both breaking your heart and putting it back together again.”

Music, it seems, is just as important to Unravel as its puzzles and/or its platforming, then. Through it, we’ll learn the game’s story, why Yarny is traversing the Swedish countryside, what he/she is searching for, and how the surrounding environments tie into the game’s overarching message.

“Because of this link between story and music (and Unravel’s setting in Sweden) we decided to turn to local composers we could work closely with,” says Sahlin via a blog post posted on the game’s site earlier today. “They share our roots, and understand what we’re trying to say with our environments. They were also able to dig into local folk music to help make something that feels very distinctly and uniquely Unravel.

“The music changes dynamically to match the gameplay, really helping to tell the story of the world and to enhance the atmosphere. It’s deeply integrated with the gameplay, and we’re excited for you to experience it.”

From today, February 9 is just two weeks away. Not that I’m counting…