All posts by Jayson Napolitano

Interviews

Artist Interview: Motoi Sakuraba

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There’s no doubt that Motoi Sakuraba is a legend in the videogame industry. Getting his start in a progressive rock band in Japan, his breakout title was Tales of Phantasia, which has resulted in his contribution to over 18 Tales of titles and scoring some of gaming’s biggest franchises, including Dark Souls, Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile, Golden Sun, and the Mario Sports series, among many others. While he still remains one of the most prolific composers in games, he’s looking forward to exploring independent games around the world and hopes his music can be of service to those projects.

Read his full biography, credits list, and hear some sample music on his Scarlet Moon Artists page. Check below for an interview with Motoi Sakuraba about his style, inspirations, and collaboration with Scarlet Moon.

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Album Information, Site News

Mahou Arms OST by Dale North Arrives with New Vocal Theme by Pernelle

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Scarlet Moon has released the official soundtrack for Mahou Arms, composed by Dale North of Scarlet Moon Artists. The soundtrack arrives alongside a brand-new vocal theme, “Distortion,” featuring Pernelle, as the game leaves Early Access behind for its full 1.0 launch.

Have you been keeping tabs on Mahou Arms? Are you excited to dive into the game and its soundtrack? Click below to read more about the release, including messages from the developer and Dale North.

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Interview: Debut of PAON and Philosophie du Soi

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Scarlet Moon is thrilled to partner with PAON, a new band comprised of vocalist/songwriter Pernelle and composer/producer Lemm, to release their debut EP Philosophie du Soi. We wanted to do a deep-dive with the band to explore their inspirations, tools used, and get a teaser as to what the “PAON Narrative Universe” has in store for us going forward. Please enjoy and discussion and grab the album from Scarlet Moon Records if you haven’t already.

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News

Mana Core Game Studios Reveals Utopia: Birth of the Heroes, a Fantasy Visual Novel Coming to Steam in 2026 – Playtest Available Now

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Three visions of a perfect society unfold across a war-torn realm where arcane power, sacrifice, and morals shape the fate of kingdoms.


Monterrey, Mexico (Jan. 23, 2026) — Mana Core Game Studios, an emerging new independent game developer founded by two brothers passionate about narrative-driven experiences, today unveiled their debut title, Utopia: Birth of the Heroes, a medieval fantasy visual novel coming to Steam for PC in 2026.

Fans looking to support the developer can visit the game’s Steam store page to Wishlist the title and get immediate access to Chapters 0-2 via Steam Playtest. This early slice of the story gives players a first look at the world, characters, and moral choices at the heart of the experience, while also providing a meaningful way to support development and help shape the final release.

Participate in the Playtest and Wishlist on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4235700/Utopia_Birth_of_The_Heroes/

“We wanted to build a world players can immerse themselves in, where they can agree or disagree with the characters but still feel like they are a part of their world,” says Dante Arjona, co-founder of Mana Core Game Studios. “Every choice in Utopia feels personal because it mirrors something bigger than just the character. It reflects a world players care about and believe in based on their morals and values.”

About Utopia: Birth of the Heroes

Developed by brothers Dante and Daniel Arjona from their Monterrey-based studio, Utopia: Birth of the Heroes is a visual novel set in a medieval fantasy realm ravaged by war and ambition. The story revolves around three distinct protagonists, each driven by a different vision of a perfect society. As players explore their unique backgrounds and motivations, they’ll navigate hardship, political tension, and morally charged choices that ripple across kingdoms and nations.

Through multiple perspectives and narrative paths, Utopia challenges players to weigh the cost of their ideals and consider the consequences of each decision. Every choice shapes not only the characters’ relationships and personal journeys but also the fate of the world they hope to change. The result is a deeply immersive experience where the pursuit of utopia reveals just how fragile that dream can be.

Key Features

An Arcane Fantasy World – Utopia is set in a war-torn medieval fantasy world, filled with arcane magic and rich lore that enhances storytelling and immerses players in the game world.
Character-Driven Narrative – Deep character arcs for three distinct protagonists, allowing players to immerse themselves in each character’s perspective and motivations.
Emotional Engagement and Moral Themes – The story’s focus on idealism and the struggles of creating Utopia evokes a deep emotional response. As the player grapples with complex moral dilemmas and political decisions, their in-game choices will not only shape their character’s journey but also the world around them.
Multiple Outcomes – With various outcomes based on player decisions, Utopia provides strong replay value and encourages the exploration of all possible story outcomes.
Composed for Player Connection – An evocative and emotionally driven musical score by Scarlet Moon’s Peter Reid Jones that enhances the story and draws the player deeper into the world of Utopia, with more composers to be confirmed!

See all of these elements brought to life in the Utopia Announcement Trailer:

Fans can Wishlist and Follow the game on Steam to stay informed on launch updates and future playable opportunities. They can also follow Mana Core’s development journey on Twitter and Instagram via @ManaCoreGS.

Interviews

Interview: Electronic Duo mojera Talks New Album, Sequential

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We’re excited to have the opportunity to speak with electronic duo mojera once again, after speaking with them last year about their then-new release, arika EP. This time, they have a new album titled Sequential, and we wanted to speak with them about the album, their annual Christmas single, and more. Game music fans should be particularly interested in the work of mojera as the duo is comprised of composer Mitsuto Suzuki and performer Non. Their works in games are highly regarded, and I’ve been a longtime fan of their collaborations as well as Suzuki-san’s past game and original album works.

Let’s dive in to learn more about Sequential and more.

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Scarlet Moon Holiday Gift Guide 2025

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We had such a blast making our first game music holiday gift guide last year that we thought we’d make it a regular thing! Not only will you find some amazing physical game music items for the game music fan on your shopping list, or for you, but we’ve also included a special discount for Scarlet Moon’s Bandcamp catalog if you make it down to the bottom. Vinyl is always a great gift for under the tree, but our CD offerings are perfect stocking stuffers. Let’s dive in!

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Interviews

Interview: Cody Carpenter on Terrifier: The ARTcade Game

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Scarlet Moon is pleased to announce that we’ve teamed up with Selecta Play to make composer Cody Carpenter available to score the main theme to Terrifier: The ARTcade Game. This collaboration was just announced as a part of The Indie Horror Showcase last week, and we’ve asked Cody for a few moments of his time to answer some questions for fans.

On Being Asked to Contribute to Terrifier: The ARTcade Game

Being a fan of the beat-em-up genre, I was excited to work on the project that was a modern IP, but in a more old-school genre that I really enjoy. The screenshots and videos I saw all looked fun and vibrant.

On His Experience with the Terrifier Franchise

I was unfamiliar with the Terrifier series before, having not seen or heard of the films. After doing research for the project, I was interested to see the stylistic choices and musical direction that the movies, (more specifically the first movie), went in. The parallels between Terrifier and Halloween were also interesting to discover.

I think the franchise stands on its own merits as a modern horror property, taking influence from the past but also doing its own unique thing.

On His Process and Tools Used for the Main Theme

My first task was to familiarize myself with the Terrifier property, particularly the music and the main themes that were used. I was given direction as to what sort of feel and influences the theme should have. Things like Splatterhouse, Tales From the Crypt, Danny Elfman, Grant Kirkhope’s spooky tunes from the N64 Rare games, and of course the Terrifier themes themselves being among the various inspirations. I fleshed out the main theme/riff and worked out slightly different versions with different sounds, using a mish-mash of different plug-ins.

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Terrifier: The ARTcase Game is planned for release on November 21, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Steam. It is developed by RELEVO and produced and published by Selecta Play.

Learn More: https://www.terrifiertheartcadegame.com

Follow Selecta Play on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Discord

Album Information

UNICORN OVERLORD Orchestral Album ~Atlus × Vanillaware Works~ (BSPE-1240~1)

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Hitoshi Sakimoto is celebrating his 40th career anniversary next year. To kick things off, Bassicape Records released 46 Sakimoto and Basiscape works up on streaming. We’ve compiled this handy aggregator to quickly find them, including three soundtracks that are being released for the first time. I start with this because one of the releases is the Unicorn Overlord Orchestral Album, which was released on CD last month in Japan. It includes a recording of a live performance, spanning two discs, and features amazing arrangements, including some by Scarlet Moon’s Osamu Kubota, as well as beautiful artwork of characters from the game and commentary in Japanese. It’s definitely a CD worth owning if you want a little more than what streaming can offer.

And the music? We wrote about the original soundtrack and acoustic album, so this is a wonderful new spin on familiar melodies. We can’t get enough of the main theme, which is weaved throughout and starts the album off with big horns and percussion in a grandiose and adventurous manner. There’s a lot of driving music with rolling snares and sweeping strings that highlight the game’s combat sections, all with brilliant melodies and orchestration, but it’s the variety of moods and sounds that struck me. From the sparse and melancholy swells of “Prologue -Dark Clouds- ~ -Beginning- Medley,” the regal fanfare of “Stage Clear,” and the incredible acoustic guitar and light strings of the reflective “Peaceful-Memory Medley” to the bustling and exotic “Drakenhold Stage -Drakenhold -Heir to the Dragonlands- Medley” and the twinkling waltz “Elheim Overworld (Day) – Elheim’s Theme Medley,” you really get a great taste of the world of Unicorn Overlord despite distilling four discs of OST material into two discs of orchestral performance. I love the ponderous “Galerius’ Theme – Baltro’s Theme Medley-,” the uplifting and sweet “Liveliness at the Dining Table,” the contemplative “Alain’s Theme” which drips with emotion, and the climactic and intense series of final battle themes that come towards the end of the album. The album closes with the healing choral elements of “Farde mal diavolo -Destroy Evil, then Come—, the reflective and stirring “Haades -Enthronement—” featuring a solo vocalist, and the uplifting and triumphant restatement of the main theme as heard in “Isle of Palevia.”

Basiscape has done a wonderful job continuing to give the Unicorn Overlord a spotlight. As mentioned, it’s now on streaming and can also be imported from Japan in CD format if desired.

Interviews

Interview: Elsie Soundtrack with Eric Benaim

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Scarlet Moon recently partnered with composer Eric Benaim on the incredible Elsie Original Game Soundtrack. It features a blend of genres drawing on everything from Japanese fusion to Latin influences from Benaim’s native Venezuela. We were able to ask Eric questions about his direction, the tools used, and some of his favorite moments to share with listeners as they jam out to this amazing score.

Read the full interview below.

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