The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first game in the series, and has an OST composed by Eric Heberling (who would also be on audio duties for The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.) TES: Arena shipped in 1994 on MS-DOS, meaning that Heberling’s orchestral-style compositions had to be compressed to fit the technology of the time, something he bemoaned in a 2011 interview:
“The Elder Scrolls games used an ‘orchestral’ palette,” said Heberling. “I mainly used the instruments offered by General MIDI. That said, I composed with a Roland Sound Canvas, when few players owned anything remotely similar. Inevitably, I had to convert them for FM Sound Blasters, etc. All the tracks suffered as a result. Especially the arrangements that relied on the timbre of the GM samples. Those I reinforced with counter-melodies fared better.”
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I ask Martin what he likes most about the Arena OST, and the remake track he’s proudest of.
“My favourite thing about the Arena OST is that it perfectly fits the retro-RPG vibe,” says Martin. It’s grandiose and varied, with eerie, atmospheric dungeon tracks & powerful, orchestral pieces for the intro & outro. It really gives you a sense of wonder and adventure, helping the player fully immerse themselves in the experience.”
I have to concur: it must be decades now since I last turned on Arena, but I’ve had this remade OST playing in the background for the last hour or so and the ’90s stylings are undeniable. That “retro-RPG vibe” Martin references is a perfect description, and at times it almost felt like I was back on my dad’s PC playing Arena with a slideshow framerate in a nook of the dining room.
“I am most proud of the character creation track,” says Martin. “I loved the tribal & orchestral mix and it was a challenge trying to recapture that in a more modern setting, whilst staying true to the original. The intro theme is another piece I was quite proud of. I think I captured the feel of what the intro was originally aiming for, with an emphasis on the beauty & simplicity of the melodies, rather than a bombastic orchestral piece.”
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