Composing the Seasons: How Music in Old & Gray Reflects Loss, Rest, and Renewal

Happy Valentine's Day, lovers! This month's Old & Gray update comes from our wonderful composer Yi-Fan, who has a lot to share about the development process for music and sound in a game with a lot of feelings. Enjoy a sneak peek at the new music for autumn, winter, and spring — read on to learn about Yi-Fan's compositional strategy for each!

Introduction

Before working on Old & Gray, I had never deeply explored grief and companionship in my music. Whenever I thought about grief, it felt like something heavy—something I instinctively wanted to avoid. But through brainstorming with the team and reading the game’s beautiful writing, my perspective began to shift.

This game isn’t just about grief—it’s about the journey moving through it. It takes both the player and the characters through a process of loss and loneliness, into a moment of rest and reflection, and finally to renewal, where they find new ways to move forward.

As a composer, I wanted the music to reflect those emotions—to guide players through that journey, just as the story does. In this dev log, I’d love to share how I approached composing for each season and how music became a way to express the emotional changes in the game.

Autumn – Loss & Nostalgia

Autumn in Old & Gray represents loss and nostalgia—the beginning of the emotional journey. When composing the Autumn theme, I wanted to capture a sense of quiet reflection, where grief is present but not overwhelming. 

To achieve this, I experimented with different harmonic colors, but simple triads felt too candid, too "final." It wasn’t until I layered major-major-seven chords in the left hand while the right hand outlined minor chords that the piece finally felt right. It created an inherent bittersweetness—a tension that doesn’t fully resolve, much like grief itself.

To further enhance this feeling, I chose a timbre from an old upright piano recorded on vinyl. This imperfect, raw-textured sound felt like the right way to introduce Old & Gray’s story, grounding the player in the emotional tone of the game from the very first notes.

Winter – Rest & Reflection

Winter is often seen as a time of stillness and coldness, but in Old & Gray, it carries an added layer of warmth and togetherness, since the story takes place during the holiday season. The character, while still navigating grief, begins to feel okay with being alone—finding peace in his own company.

To create this atmosphere, I built the foundation with piano, acoustic guitar, and cello pizzicato, forming warm, cozy chords. A flowing woodwind melody carries the piece with minimal leaps to maintain a sense of gentle movement. Brushes on the drums add a subtle festive energy, reminiscent of slow snowfall or the distant crackle of a fireplace.

I hope Winter’s music acts as a musical exhale—a moment to slow down, rest, and reflect before renewal begins in Spring.

Spring – Renewal & New Beginnings

Spring in Old & Gray represents serenity and renewal. After a long journey through grief and solitude, the character begins to embrace the possibility of new beginnings.

To reflect this, I envisioned the Spring BGM in three phases, mirroring the gradual shift of the season: from Waking Up to Sprouting, then to Blooming.

Unlike Autumn and Winter, I composed Spring’s music using only the piano. To me, this season represents an intimate journey of self-discovery and growth, so I wanted to keep the music gentle yet full of life, creating space for players to embrace what comes next.

Final Thoughts

Composing for Old & Gray has been a deeply meaningful journey for me. It challenged me to explore emotions I hadn’t fully processed before, and in doing so, I discovered new ways to express grief, healing, and renewal through music.

I hope that as players experience the game, the music resonates with them in their own personal way—whether it brings comfort, reflection, or simply a quiet sense of connection.

There’s still so much I’m excited to explore as we continue refining the audio for Old & Gray! Stay tuned for more updates!