The tank MMO World of Tanks is planning something special for Halloween. A new PvE mode with designs and soundtracks from the pens of two famous designers from the horror hit Silent Hill. Masahiro Itō and Akira Yamaoka have contributed their artistic skills for this, and what they have created you can find out here at MeinMMO.
What kind of Halloween event is this? Like every year, Wargaming is planning a big Halloween event this time as well. In 2020, there’s a new game mode. It even has a story about a failed Soviet experiment in the town of Mirny-13. There, you will drive special tanks in a team against a deranged AI. You must collect a special resource in different phases and deliver it to a machine in time to prevent the disaster.
What is so special about the event? First of all, the game mode is a completely new PvE mode that has never existed before. You fight with special tanks against nasty creepy tanks. They are not decorated with the usual Halloween pumpkin decorations; instead, they look like “creepy tanks.” To showcase this “dark side” of vehicles, designer Masahiro Itō was specifically engaged. He has already contributed horror designs for the creepy game Silent Hill.
For the soundtrack that accompanies you in the ever stranger landscape around the city of Mirny-13, the composer Akira Yamaoka is responsible. He has also previously worked on Silent Hill.
When does the event start? The Halloween event in World of Tanks starts on October 26 and ends on November 9. During this time, you can unlock new designs for your tanks.
What, by the way, the head of World of Tanks says about his game, you can find out here:
Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka in an interview – “My first soundtrack was too scary”
The composer known from Silent Hill, Akira Yamaoka has composed the special soundtrack for the event. It consists of dark sounds that evoke a unique atmosphere of threat and horror. The sounds fit very well with their cold, dark tone to the occurrences surrounding a mysterious experiment that turns soulless machines into killers.
In a short interview, the composer explains how it came about and what fascinates him about the game World of Tanks. The interview was recorded by Wargaming and provided to us at MeinMMO.
You have been working with World of Tanks since 2017, what fascinates you about the game? I really admire how tanks are presented in the World of Tanks universe. The game captures a unique feeling by paying close attention to historical details, which is usually quite difficult. I think the World of Tanks development team has done a great job capturing this while making the game larger and better.
Do you play World of Tanks? If so, what are your favorite nations and vehicles? The Japanese Tier V Chi-Nu Kai is my favorite. Not that it would be super strong, but as a Japanese person I really love the design of this tank.
How do you assess the music in World of Tanks overall? It is simply amazing. The sound designers work so well together. They have a high level of expertise. This makes me really eager to work with the team!
What inspired you to create the ambient track for the Halloween event in World of Tanks? I had already received the sound clips from the World of Tanks sound design team. Most of the inspiration came from there. It’s like cooking; you have a pile of ingredients and use them. You take existing files to create music, not like a remix, but in a different way to create music.
Tell us about your involvement in composing the ambient track? I have previously worked with World of Tanks on another project, so we collaborated again. I look forward to being part of this new World of Tanks world, connected by music!
Tell us about the new game mode, were you able to convey the atmosphere of horror? It really gives you a realistic experience. It’s not science fiction, but it adds a new dimension to the universe of World of Tanks. At the beginning of the production, I was told that the music I made was a bit too scary (haha) – so I tried to focus on making it sound more unique than scary.
Where can I find more stuff from Silent Hill? The designs from Silent Hill are not only featured in World of Tanks. The horror game Dead by Daylight also uses the creations from the creepy game. As a result, the creepy Pyramid Head from Silent Hill appears under the name Executioner in Dead by Daylight. Here you can find out what the killer can do.
