Elements of Adventure

Project Overview

In Elements of Adventure, you are the protagonist, wandering through an unknown world filled with challenges.

Elements of Adventure serves as a musical representation of action-adventure and Japanese role-playing games through a percussion ensemble. This production features a newly arranged medley of open-world game soundscapes, and a large-scale original composition under the same production title. Written for a sextet, Elements of Adventure incorporates both small and large-scale writing, from interlocking intricate musical passages to lush harmonious textures evoking those of symphonic or wind orchestras, all written using musical idioms drawn from digital games of the 21st century.

Duration 34 Minutes 56 Minutes

Titles Echoes of the Wild Elements of Adventure

Year Composed 2026 2025

Premiere To be Announced Tanna Schulich Hall, McGill University

This project represents a culmination of five years of creative exploration from the COVID-19 pandemic, in exploring how video game music can be best arranged for percussion ensemble. Access the YouTube channel here

Creative Vision

For The Concert Hall

This project is designed as a standalone work for live performance in concert halls instead of complementing a video game as a soundtrack.

Emotional Narrative

This project is centered on the hero's journey, bridging narrative storytelling with musical depiction of embarking on a quest to defeat the final boss.

JRPG Musical Idioms

This project is newly composed, inspired by the rich harmonic and motivic traditions of JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, to Fire Emblem series.

Pedagogical Potential

This project embeds additional workshops to educate the audience on percussion, game composition, and sound design.

Musical Composition

Movements of Elements of Adventure

Elements of Adventure is an eight-movement work, embodying the most common elements of an adventure games. Each "element" is expressed as a movement, from the comfort of home to the dangers of the unknown: from themes of running to the final battle. The music serves as both a narrative guide and emotional landscape, creating sonic textures that evolve throughout the piece.

I. Prologue | 7:04

The Prologue defines the setting and the atomosphere of the adventure by evoking motivic ideas that recur throughout the piece. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

II. Home | 4:23

Home marks the beginning of the protagonist's journey, providing a sense of familiarity and comfort before venturing into the unknown. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

III. Foreign Landscapes | 6:16

Foreign Landscapes evokes uncertainty of venturing into unfamiliar territory. Inspired by the language of contemporary classical composers such as Grisey and Xenakis, the music centers on rotating gestures of breath. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

IV. Puzzles | 5:46

Puzzles are a hallmark of adventure games, appearing between major plot points and requiring players to interact with objects to progress. This movement is an interactive game where musical progress depends on specific actions guided by a logic using rhythmic elements. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

V. Running | 7:51

Running serves both as a mechanic for exploration and as a metaphor for passage of time. This movement is driven by two interweaving vibraphone ostinatos that bind the textures together. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

VI. Final Battle I | 7:03

The adventure culminates in a confrontation with the archnemesis, a protracted battle divided into multiple phrases of increasing difficulty: Final Battle I depicts a determined player entering combat, reflected musically through a moderate tempo and grounded rhythms maintained by the marimba and the drum kit. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

VI. Final Battle II | 7:55

The adventure culminates in a confrontation with the archnemesis, a protracted battle divided into multiple phrases of increasing difficulty: Final Battle II intensifies the conflict with faster tempos, 3:2 polyrhythms under a compound meter. The music mirrors the chaos of facing a stronger adversary, before a collapse to a stark, somber coda. (Will release on July 10, 2026)

VII. Epilogue | 8:28

The Epilogue functions as a "credits theme," closing the journey with a brighter harmonic language while retaining a reflective posture. (Will release on July 10, 2026)