Primarch — the roguelike auto-battler by developer Dale Turner — is now in Early Access on Steam. I wrote the soundtrack for this game a few years back and I’m glad to see it reach players.
I wrote about the music when the game was first announced, but the short version: the brief was to write something that matched the pixel art style and the world of planet Kravok. I ended up combining Celtic instruments — mainly lyres and ronrocos — with synthesis and orchestral writing. Getting those things to feel like they belonged together rather than competing took a few passes, but I think the final result fits the game’s tone well.
The game puts you in control of a single hero rather than a party, which is a different structure from most roguelikes. You absorb and fuse enemy skills, work within tribal element systems, and eventually face the ghosts of other players as bosses. The Primal Mode mechanic is interesting — when you fall in battle, you burn through a limited resource instead of losing lives, so there’s a slow-building pressure that complements the gameplay loop well.
It has a positive early reception and it’s good to see it in players’ hands. If you’re into roguelikes or just want to hear the music in context, it’s worth checking out: