Nikoderiko: The Magical Worldinvites players to return to the Golden Age of platforming as treasure-hunting adventurers and best pals Niko and Luna. In addition to offering a single-player experience,Nikoderiko: The Magical Worldalso supportslocal couch co-op, where players can jump into action as Niko in single-player mode or team up with Luna playing co-op. WhileNikoderiko: The Magical Worldseems like a love letter to series likeDonkey Kong CountryandCrash Bandicootwith its retro vibes, it is also a modern platforming game that seeks to offer something different. One such thing could be its humor, a feature which particularly stood out to composer David Wise, who created all the music.
In a recent interview with Game Rant, Wise spoke about his methods of creating a sense of fun and humor throughNikoderiko: The Magical World’s music. Overall, Wise also discussed his desire to bring something unique to the game with its music.
David Wise’s Inspirations And Creating The Music For Nikoderiko: The Magical World
Having been on theNikoderikoteam since around 2019, Wise worked through various inspirations for its music. These changes were influenced by Wise’s moods at the time or by external influences, such as movies or TV series. Specifically, Wise mentionedclassic heroes like Indiana JonesandRobin Hood, citing a desire to create something both superhero-like and fun that didn’t take itself too seriously.
Wise spoke about the importance of generating a theme when asked how he approached composing all ofNikoderiko’smusic. Wise explained this also meant trying the fun and humor, adding “the humor is there throughoutThe Magical World,“as something that became more apparent to him as the project progressed. While Wise said it usually takes several years to choose any kind of favorite in a project, he specified working onNikoderiko’s cutscenes as a favorite because the music helps bring out the humor between its twoanimal protagonists. As Wise explained,
I think one of the things I’ve really enjoyed developing the most were cutscenes. It goes back to that humor - the way the two characters interact with each other, and trying to bring that humor outside of composing cutscenes has probably been the most enjoyable part of it for me. I mean, I enjoy all aspects of it, but they were the standout bits for me.
How David Wise Emphasized Nikoderiko: The Magical World’s Humor With Its Music
Wise describedNikoderiko’s humor as “slapstick” and comparable toSaturday morning cartoons likeTom and Jerryor the comedic duo Laurel and Hardy. To emphasize the humor, Wise didn’t use traditional 90s cartoon instruments like whistles but used similar techniques to draw the same attention. Wise praised Niko and Luna’s overall comedic role in the game, including their humanistic reactions, which he added is difficult to do:
I really like the two main characters. I think they work really well together. They’re really fun, and especially now, you’re able to really see how much they bring to the actual game as a whole.
