Keiichi Okabe is one of my all time favorite composers of video game music, his work on various games have stood the test of time and are always a breath of fresh air, even to simply listen outside of the games themselves.

Featured above, you can get an exclusive interview Square Enix conducted with him where he discusses his work, his method of creating music, and of course – his work on both Nier and the Drakengard series.

“In terms of creating music for Drakengard 3… Well, I was not involved with Drakengard 1 or 2; my involvement in the series began with Nier,” Okabe said. He elaborated in saying that while the games share a similar feel, director Taro Yoko specifically asked for the music in Drakengard 3 to sound different from Nier’s mesmerizing soundtrack.

Okabe continued:

“With Drakengard 3, the game director, Yoko-san, specifically asked that we create music that’s different from Nier Replicant or Drakengard 1 and 2, and not to be too conscious about being consistent, nor to follow a specific style, but instead to focus on creating something different from its predecessors.

In terms of music that’s different from Nier… Many of the Nier tracks are gentle and soft-sounding. Of course Drakengard 3 includes soft tracks as well, but some of them can sound a bit more intense. Since one of the themes and concepts behind the Drakengard 3 world is ‘the sense of contrast,’ we paid special attention to ensure each track and melodic piece is carefully crafted.”

Drakengard 3 is set for a release in North America on May 20th and on May 21st in Europe, exclusively on the PlayStation 3.