Milan Records release the soundtrack for the video game Ghost of Tsushima with music by Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi. Included in the album are tracks written by Eshkeri that serve as the sonic companion to the game’s narrative, as well as music written by Umebayashi for the exploratory, open world dimension of the game...

Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi's score for Ghost of Tsushima draws heavily on traditional Japanese instruments in order to create an atmosphere for the era the game is set in. In the late 13th century, the Mongol empire has laid waste to entire nations along their campaign to conquer the East. Tsushima Island is all that stands between mainland Japan and a massive Mongol invasion fleet led by the ruthless and cunning general, Khotun Khan. As the island burns in the wake of the first wave of the Mongol assault, samurai warrior Jin Sakai stands as one of the last surviving members of his clan. He is resolved to do whatever it takes, at any cost, to protect his people and reclaim his home. He must set aside the traditions that have shaped him as a warrior to forge a new path, the path of the Ghost, and wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.

Of the soundtrack, composer Eshkeri says, "Ghost of Tsushima is such a beautiful game set in a culture that has always fascinated me, with a powerful and compelling story. Everything about it touched me creatively and I learned so much on the journey. The score brings together Japanese music and instruments, with sounds I’ve performed and a symphony orchestra all led by melody. I hope together it creates an emotional world that touches you and draws you into the heart and spirit of Ghost.

Umebayashi adds: "When I was composing for Ghost of Tsushima, I was inspired by Japan’s nature, climate, traditional lifestyle and classical Japanese music. When players hear the music, 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."

While the score is indeed a beautiful and engaging work of art, wonderfully realised by two very different composers, it could very easily have sounded a little cliched. The use of ancient Japanese instruments certainly sets the scene in the game, and works wonderfully here too, but its overuse can tend to have the effect that the music sounds like any one of a thousand movies. What stops this from becoming a bit of a paint by numbers affair is the use of a western orchestra to ground everything. The end result is a beautiful score that mixes instruments from two very different worlds; two very different countries; and two very different eras.

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Darren Rea