Control Resonant Composer Says Music Can Strengthen the Story by Sometimes Contradicting What Players See

Control Resonant composer Petri Alanko sees a video game score as more than background music. For him, it is another storytelling tool that can support the narrative, shape how players interpret a scene and sometimes deliberately create tension by going against what is happening on screen.

Alanko described a score as an emotional vessel for the story and said his responsibility is to present the narrative as effectively as possible through music. At the same time, he believes a soundtrack must be strong enough to stand on its own outside the game.

That balance between serving the story and maintaining an independent musical identity appears to be central to his work on Control Resonant.

The Score Is Designed to Support the Story Without Simply Following It

Alanko compared composing for a game to supporting another performer on stage. The music should strengthen what the story is trying to communicate rather than compete with it.

He explained that his work begins with respect for the narrative and the people experiencing it. However, he does not want the score to become a passive collection of sounds that only functions when attached to a specific scene.

Part of Alanko's approach	Purpose
Support the narrative	Reinforce the story's ideas and emotions
Maintain musical independence	Allow tracks to work outside the game
Follow personal instinct	Create music that also satisfies him creatively
Use contrast	Present scenes from a different emotional perspective
Avoid mechanical scoring	Keep music from simply copying on screen events

That last point is particularly important.

Alanko said he sometimes intentionally presents a scene in a different emotional light. Instead of making the music perfectly match the visible action, he may create contrast between what the player sees and what the soundtrack suggests.

That kind of contradiction can make a scene more complex.

A heroic moment, for example, does not necessarily need purely triumphant music. A darker or more fragile musical idea can remind the player that the character is vulnerable or that events could easily take a different turn.

Alanko Wants the Music to Feel Human

Alanko's explanation suggests that imperfection and uncertainty can be valuable parts of a game soundtrack.

He described the idea of introducing emotional tension into moments that might otherwise seem straightforward, comparing it to a reminder of mortality during an otherwise heroic event. The intention is to make the experience feel more human rather than perfectly controlled.

This approach fits naturally with Control Resonant, a game built around unusual environments, supernatural events and characters dealing with complicated personal histories.

Rather than telling players exactly how they should feel, the score can add another interpretation to a scene.

That can be especially effective in narrative driven games because music often reaches the player before dialogue or visual details are fully processed. A change in tone can create uncertainty, introduce sadness into an apparently positive moment or make an otherwise threatening sequence feel strangely calm.

Personal Satisfaction Still Matters

Although Alanko sees his role as serving the story, he also makes it clear that he does not compose only to satisfy other people.

He said he needs to enjoy his own work first, arguing that if something genuinely affects him emotionally, there is a good chance it can have a similar effect on someone else.

That gives his process two goals that have to coexist.

The music needs to respect the narrative direction established by the development team, but it also needs enough personality to remain interesting by itself.

For Control Resonant, that means the soundtrack is not simply reacting to action on screen. It can reinforce a scene, complicate it or even subtly argue with it.

Alanko's comments show how much narrative responsibility can sit inside a game's music. A soundtrack may support the story directly, but some of its most effective moments can come when it refuses to follow the obvious emotional path.