By Winifred Phillips | Contact | Follow
Hey everyone! I’m video game composer Winifred Phillips. One of my latest projects was the music for the game Secrets of Skeifa Island. Developed by Wild River Games and published for the Nintendo Switch, Secrets of Skeifa Island allows players to wander a lovingly designed Nordic-inspired landscape. The game centers on a quest to find a mysterious white ghost horse, uncover an ancient legend, and reveal a mythical realm hidden somewhere on the island. My music for this game has already won two NYX Game Awards (Best Game Soundtrack and Best Music for a Nintendo Switch Game). Film Score Monthly awarded this music a rating of 4 stars, calling it “enchanting!” and Cinelinx described the music as “delightful!”
This was my fourth time composing music for a project developed by Wild River Games. My previous games for Wild River had required me to dig deep into historical research. From Celtic orchestral drama, to courtly baroque, to medieval tavern music, to American bluegrass, my work with Wild River Games had spanned a wide array of styles. Now, Secrets of Skeifa Island was going to point me in an entirely new musical direction. I thought it might be interesting to share some thoughts on my research and composition process for Secrets of Skeifa Island. Think of this as a brief case study. I hope it’s useful for those of us embarking on challenging game projects requiring musical genres from world cultures.