I literally take every opportunity to quote my favorite game design quote of all time. In a design book about the original version of "Dark Souls," director Hidetaka Miyazaki said, "A certain refinement, elegance, and dignity are very important to me. ...... My idea of dignity is something I pursue not only in "Dark Souls" but in every project I work on."

The decisive factor is in artist Masanori Waratani's follow-up. I remember when I was working on Undead Dragon, I submitted a design proposal for a dragon crawling with maggots and other grotesque things. Director Miyazaki said, 'This is not dignified. Don't rely on grotesque elements to depict an undead dragon. Can't you instead try to convey the deep sadness of a magnificent beast destined for slow and perhaps endless destruction? [I always think of these words when I play From Software games. Even if there are often moments of silliness, grossness, or lack of dignity, they tend to strive to convey a particular tone more than many other video games I've played.

"Armored Core," a series that has been around long before Miyazaki's time at From Software, is a case in point. In a PC Gamer article on why there are no other mech games like "Armored Core," contributor Noah Smith attributes much of its unique tone to composer Kota Hoshino's music. Hoshino's soundtrack is an eerie jam that blends post-punk, trance, and jazz piano, and somehow perfectly matches the on-screen action. The alienation, the flow of impersonalized contracts and the free-associative post-punk music come together to leave such a lingering sense of dread, awe, and confusion."

Kota Hoshino has been with From Software since 1998 and has composed for almost every game at the studio. Does music guide the developer or vice versa?

"Mr. Hoshino will also be the lead composer for AC6," said "Armored Core 6" director Masaru Yamamura. "In terms of going back and forth between sound design and game design, a lot of it has to do with the overarching themes and motivations of the game, like giving it this dark, old-school sci-fi feel. We wanted the game to have a sense of solitude and nostalgia, so we would give him vague 'keywords' and he would compose whatever he wanted based on that. Then we would put the finished song into the mission and see how it turned out. We'd look at the tempo and timing of the mission or the boss fight and adjust it, saying it needs a peak here or a valley there. As [the songs] come back, we give him more keywords and basically leave it up to him." [The 10-year gap between the previous title, "Armored Core," played a major role in determining the tone From Software wanted to convey.

"In terms of how [those "keywords"] differ from previous ACs, this time around, while establishing the old nostalgic sci-fi feel, the scale and technology of the world is greatly improved from the previous AC," Yamamura said. "In AC6, we almost go out into space The images and settings are such that it almost goes to outer space. So we wanted to express that sense of scale in the music as well. A lot of the musical direction is tied to that aspect of the game as well."