Tanaka here, in charge of music.

Random question. Have you been paying attention to the music in Anarchy Reigns? If you have, you might notice that it’s pretty original.

What we aimed for while making the soundtrack was, honestly, a new style of music. Beats you’d find heating up a fighting game fused with rhymes from the chilled out modern counter culture. We took Mad World (Anarchy’s highly acclaimed brethren) as a starting point, pushed it to be even smoother and faster, and ended up with a completely new PlatinumGames sound. All of the more than 30 rap-flavored tracks on the soundtrack were original compositions used to match the atmosphere of the game.

Here, I’d like to introduce the music staff who participated on the project while hopefully sharing some of the allure of the game’s music.

First, our powerful right-hand man in music production, Yamaguchi. Having established himself with some incredible compositions from games such as Bayonetta and Okami, he comes along quality-assured. The tracks he put together this time around do not disappoint either. Check out the theme song for the rough-edged protagonist Jack, “Sound The Alarm”, used in this teaser:

Next, a composer who made his commemorative debut with Anarchy Reigns, Takizawa a.k.a. Tacky. While one of the younger staff, Tacky was able to figure out the Anarchy Reigns’ feel in almost no time at all, then work in his own style to create some very intelligent tracks. The song used in this trailer, “Jaw”, feels like the definition of “street”:

From my own music, I’ve selected the theme of the rival protagonist of the story, Leo. The concept of the song is sorrow, which may be somewhat untraditional to hip hop music, but the track was carefully arranged to not be too overly emotional. I’d like to think the effect was a good contrast with Yamaguchi’s Jack. Called “Testin’ Me”, the lyrics have a very serious feel that matches Leo’s character.

Finally, our veteran we’ve brought in for campaign mode support, Sodeoka. His ability to seamlessly balance the melody into even the most difficult of scenes is no surprise. Just listening to the music he made for the street trailer will undoubtedly draw you into the game’s storyline.

You can find many more tracks from the game not talked about here among the trailers we’ve currently put up. If this post has made you a little curious about the music from Anarchy Reigns, feel free to check them out. And if you’d like to hear everything in one package, buy the soundtrack! It includes a handsome lyrics booklet with lyrics for all 32 songs. Consider it a welcome addition to your own musical library.

Featuring “This Is Madness”, the first new Dilated Peoples song in 5 years. 32 songs of pure anarchy.