LITTLE ORPHEUS
The year is 1962 and NASA are trying to put a man on the moon. In a remote corner of Siberia, a Soviet cosmonaut is heading in the other direction. Comrade Ivan Ivanovich is dropped into an extinct volcano in his exploration capsule, Little Orpheus, to explore the centre of the Earth. He promptly vanishes. Three years later he emerges claiming to have saved the world. He has also lost the atomic bomb powering the Little Orpheus. He is taken to a top secret bunker deep below the Ural mountains to be debriefed by the fearsome General Yurkovoi, a man so frightening even Stalin won’t buy him a drink. The General rolls up his sleeves, fixes Ivan with a steely glare and say “So... where have you been comrade? And where is my bomb?” And Ivan looks him right back in the eye and says “Well General, you might not believe what happened to me, but I’ll do my best. Because it happened like this...”
Reviews
'The Little Orpheus soundtrack emerges as a serious contender for best orchestral game score of 2020. This is music that is far more sophisticated than your average orchestral game score, such is Curry and Fowler’s superlative command of the ensemble’s tone colours and expressive capacities. Like exquisite water colour paintings coming alive to constantly change their outlines, orchestrations morph from one fascinating mix of emotions to the next…masterful.’ Greatest Game Music
‘Little Orpheus is a visual and auditory feast of the like that Apple Arcade – and even the App Store at large – has rarely seen. Its artistry is apparent from the first. Equally essential is Jim Fowler and Jessica Curry’s score, which complements the gameplay with well-timed cues, such as plucks of a violin as Ivan dons an egg shell to sneak past a tyrannosaurus rex (dinosaurs are alive and well deep underground, as it turns out). This isn’t a game that works just as well with the sound off.’ IGN
’Jessica Curry - the BAFTA winning composer - is joined by Jim Fowler to compose another stellar soundtrack in Little Orpheus, crafting gorgeous orchestral arrangements that add tension, mystique and wonder to every corner of the beautiful subterranean world. Alongside the remarkable visuals, the soundtrack just further established Little Orpheus as a new high water mark for mobile games.’ The Sixth Axis
‘A rip-roaring 60s adventure through a smorgasbord of bright, beguiling places... it's a captivating yarn, and a glorious adventure to boot... The astounding visual performance is only enhanced further by a striking, perfectly balanced score that had me sitting through the repetitive credit sequences just so I could bask in the cheery wholesomeness of Little Orpheus' main theme. It's a must for anyone looking for a portable yet substantive adventure packed with colour, charm, and delightful dollops of humour.' Eurogamer
’I'm particularly fond of the musical cues. There's this sequence where Ivan must tiptoe from cover to cover, avoid the gaze of a hungry T-Rex. His movement is accompanied by plucked violin strings, the official music of cartoon sneaking. The way the music swells when Ivan grabs a vine and swings reminds me of the scene in Star Wars where Luke rescues his girlfriend sister. The music is very much a character in Little Orpheus.’ Kotaku
‘The art, music and narration are all top-notch, enlivening the voyage with humour, beauty and the odd moment of wonder. It's been a while since I had such a positive time staring at my phone. The art is top-notch, with vibrant colours that recall old sci-fi adventure novels; and a jaunty, orchestral score adds cinematic verve to Ivanovich's antics.’ The Guardian
‘Fuses cinematic, orchestral harmonies with quirky, colourful musical storytelling that strikes the perfect tone with the narrative of the game.’ Scala Radio
