Remnant II — Interview with composer Rob Westwood

I had the amazing opportunity to interview composer Rob Westwood. Rob is the composer for the Remnant franchise. The Remnant games are some of my favorites and this has been a fantastic interview with great insights.

About Rob Westwood

Rob Westwood (he/him) is the music composer of the Remnant franchise, and a music composer, sound and audio engineer, and director of Blue Oak Audio Ltd. In partnership with Gunfire Games, Rob has composed all of the music for Remnant II and Remnant: From the Ashes. Additionally, Rob has worked on over 60 projects and recorded in many prestigious venues including Abbey Road, London, and the Synchron Stage, Vienna. His clients include well-known films, games, and companies such as Warner Bros., Marvel, Disney, and Oculus/Meta to name but a few. Rob’s work includes composition, orchestration, music editing, implementation in-game through audio middleware or in-engine, mixing, and recording session production.

What was your favorite area to compose for, and why?

Rob: They were all interesting to write for, because the level art was so inspiring, and every area was varied. If I were pushed, I’d say my choice would be either somewhere on Earth (especially the opening area, and/or Ward 13), or somewhere in N’Erud. In Remnant: From the Ashes, the tone of Earth was very much ‘lost’ and – reasonably – freshly post-apocalyptic. I wanted to give a sense that humankind had survived something catastrophic and all they had left were their trusty, battered guitars. For Remnant II, I wanted to inject a bit more hope (proceeding the events of Remnant: From the Ashes), and a bit more distance from the initial event that left the Earth devastated. That distance brought with it a moment to reflect on what humanity may had lost, so Remnant II’s Earth has a flavour of a culture that lies in hazy memories, and long-forgotten sounds: echoes of a vibrant people. Basically, it was an excuse to drop in some dreamy and melancholic saxophone. With that said, I’d probably tip it in N’Erud’s flavour because it was just really fun to write for and play around with synthesisers.

Do you get to see anything for the game before you start composing? How early does it start happening?

Rob: We started reasonably early on for Remnant II. Remnant II has the benefit of being a sequel, so you already know your way around the world and have an idea of the general atmosphere. The goal really is to push that and give it new meaning. I’d receive art and videos, and a build of the game. For general areas, it’s easy to get going with concept art or level screenshots along because they’re so evocative. However, for bosses, it was important to see how they ‘danced’. Getting a gauge on their movement, speed, and fluidity (or lack thereof) was important for scoring, so those were scored later into development.

This one is a little less about the music, but do you have a favorite boss? If so, who is it and why?

Rob: There are so many iconic bosses to choose from. My favorite boss would be either Sha’Hala or Annihilation. Maybe even Alepsis Taura or the Labyrinth Sentinel (just because of the concept alone). I love a lot of the boss designs but these four stick out to me. If I were to pick one, it would probably be Annihilation. He was wild and I have a panicked nostalgia just thinking about scoring him. It was a very chaotic time, so it suited him.

Do you have a favorite set of instruments? If so, what are they and why?

Rob: I don’t know if I have a favourite set of instruments, but I can say I’ve always loved and wanted to learn the Uillean Pipes. Also, I love Highland bagpipes, and the sound of a colliery band. Really, a lot of ‘traditional’ instruments that I associate with my childhood. I’ve always been enamoured with the sound of church bells too if that counts. I used to live next to a church and whenever there was bell-ringing practice there’d be this swarm of bell sounds. The togetherness – let’s say – of the ringing wasn’t perfect, so it created this beautiful, imperfect wash of sound.

What is your process for trying to capture the mood of an area?

Rob: I look at colour. Is it dark? Is it beautiful? And I look at space. It the area open or is it enclosed? How does it feel? Is it claustrophobic? Sparse? Lonely? If it’s wide and open perhaps we want limited melodic movement and for textures to stretch for a long time. If it’s barren, we may want limited instrumentation. I’ll try to come up with a list of adjectives and match that, and then try and find a palette of sounds that match.

Because Remnant II is really a mash of genres, did this factor into how you composed the music?

Rob: Not so much. I just approached Remnant II as its own entity and focused on its atmosphere and story. I guess if the gameplay was different that may have changed how music was implemented, but the tone would have largely remained the same. Perhaps the music may have been busier and “always-on” during exploration if the player was less “active” (in a world where Remnant II was a turn-based RPG for example). Actually, an RPG in the Remnant universe… there’s an idea.

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