People of Inspiration

Who is Larkin?

Christopher Larkin is an Australian composer who more recently made a name for himself with his work on the 2017 release of the indie platformer/metroidvania Hollow Knight. Prior to his work on this standout indie game, he worked on music for various TV shows and movies along with other video games. His work on works like The Adventures of Figaro Pho, Wastelander Panda: Exile, and Pac-Man 256 would only be the opening scene for this budding career. Hollow Knight created a massive impact in the video game industry as a small game developed by a team of three people. One part of its massive success was its immersive music that adapted to what the player was doing. It was also used to uncover more about the deeper story of the vague plotlines that were purposefully hidden for the fans to discover through challenging gameplay and careful observation.

The dark yet elegant tone of the music throughout the game has drawn the attention of many musical analysts to this indie game. Despite all the music continuing this theme, he is still able to implement more wacky phrases within the music that give the soundtrack a bit of life as the different areas of the game have slightly different personalities underneath the core themes of the game. Larkin has won many awards for his work on Hollow Knight. He has won the following:

Larkin has also begun work on the new soundtrack for the next Team Cherry game Silksong which will be a sequel to Hollow Knight. He has already released samples for the new game that have been well received across multiple platforms. He continues to exceed expectations from his fans with his clever use of musical phrases that tie into each other to create a whole new meaning. With the addition of a live orchestra for Silksong's music, there is no doubt that the rest of the new game's music will be just as beloved as its predecessor.

Quarentine and Bugs

Hollow Knight will always hold a special place in my heart as it helped me through the difficult period during quarantine. I happened upon the game by chance on YouTube, finding it despite videos about it mainly being years old by that point. The game captivated me from the first moments mainly through the music. I could tell that this game was special. The music had a kind of soul to it; it knew its identity and owned it. To this day, I am convinced that it has one of the most unique and beautiful soundtracks out of the whole gaming industry. The music set just the right tone for the seriousness of the game and yet kept it somewhat whimsical. After all, the setting of the game is an underground kingdom of bugs.

Christopher Larkin is an inspiration for all aspiring composers. His time on the professional scene has been relatively few years when compared to other titans in the industry. However, he was able to bring attention to a small game that could have died on arrival without everything about it being perfect. Ultimately, this small team was able to create an adaptive experience that was able to fully immerse the player into a fantasy world that exceeded all expectations. The music will always be a highlight for me whenever I load up the game. I have spent countless hours wandering the winding tunnels of Hallownest just listening to the music change and adapt to my current surroundings. I think that Larkin is a genius for the amount of personality he was able to put into every song on the soundtrack when faced with such a gargantuan game that takes players around 100 hours to complete their first time. A tall order for such a new composer that was fulfilled beyond all expectations.

Some of my favorite songs from Christopher Larkin are:

• City of Tears
• Broken Vessel
• Kingdom's Edge
• White Palace
• Hollow Knight
• Nightmare King