Any Streets of Rage fan can tell you how important music is to the gameplay experience. That meant the pressure was on for the team behind Streets of Rage 4. How did they manage to cook up a soundtrack worthy of the franchise's legacy? Streets of Rage 4 executive producer Cyrille Imbert shared some insight in a feature with Nintendo.
The first idea was to have a main composer who would bring harmony and coherence throughout the game. Olivier Deriviere is not only a great composer and a fan of electronic music, but he also completely understands the relationship between music and gameplay—which is vital for a Streets of Rage game. Deriviere approached the progression of the game as a DJ set. He tried to start with something that was a little more downbeat and slower, and then, as you progress, the music reflects the sense of adrenaline and urgency.