Composer and designer Lena Raine's formative gaming experience was exploring Cyan Worlds' Myst on a Mac Quadra 610 alongside her father, a shared playthrough documented in a handwritten journal. This early immersion in game worlds set the stage for a career that would eventually blend her passion for music and interactive entertainment.
Raine's path into game music was unconventional, beginning with a role as a games tester for Nintendo America. After several testing positions, she joined ArenaNet as a game designer. Her first foray into game music occurred while working on Guild Wars 2, where she designed a bell-choir minigame and composed its accompanying music. This experience, she notes, provided visibility for her other musical compositions.
Following her departure from ArenaNet, Raine composed the acclaimed soundtrack for Celeste. She then dedicated several years to creating music for Minecraft, including popular 'Disc' tracks such as Pigstep, Creator, and Otherside. Raine is currently composing for the early access volleyball RPG Beastieball and is also returning to game design with her own project, ANOTHEREAL, an RPG featuring shmup-style combat, which she aims to release within the decade.
Current and Past Playtime
Raine is currently playing Deadlock, a game she has engaged with since its early beta phases, often with her wife and friends. Despite not typically gravitating towards MOBAs or competitive shooters due to her skill level, she is drawn to Deadlock's occult aesthetic and world-building. She has focused her efforts on mastering the character Ivy, a gargoyle from the game's initial roster.
The most recent game Raine finished is The Mermaid Mask, a linear story-driven title from the Detective Grimoire series. While technically still installed on her PC, she anticipates uninstalling it to free up space. She praised the series for its playful character design, strong voice acting, and engaging mysteries. Raine admits to being a completionist, often spending extended periods exploring every dialogue option and item.
Long-Term Installations
Her oldest installed game is Final Fantasy XI, an MMO she became engrossed in during high school and college. Raine has a history of uninstalling and reinstalling the game over the years to check on her character. She initially imported the Japanese version of the game before its Western release, navigating its menus with her limited high school Japanese. This experience led to her forming friendships within the game's community, including notable figures like YouTuber Maximilian Dood and former Giant Bomb contributor Jason Oestreicher.
Regarding playtime tracked by Steam, Raine's highest is Elden Ring with 282 hours. However, she notes that her time in Final Fantasy XIV, though not tracked by Steam, amounts to approximately 1,308 hours. She and her wife played Elden Ring together during a period of transition before moving to Canada, finding solace in its gameplay. They encountered significant difficulty with the DLC's final boss, eventually resorting to summoning an external player to help clear it.
Raine maintains a curated selection of her favorite shmup games, including ZeroRanger, The Adventures of Ten and Till, Deathsmiles, and Mushihimesama, keeping them installed as a source of arcade-style replayability and research for her own game project which incorporates shmup combat.
Essential Software and Uninstalled Classics
As a composer, Raine relies heavily on her Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Her current preference is Bitwig Studio, developed by former Ableton employees. She appreciates its open design, allowing for extensive customization and compatibility with various plugin formats, including VST and the open-source Clap. Raine previously used Cakewalk Sonar for her initial work on Celeste before switching to Ableton.
She mentioned that the first level of Celeste was composed in Cakewalk Sonar, software she no longer has installed. Her initial work on Minecraft focused on the Nether update, drawing inspiration from survival horror to create unsettling music, a departure from the game's established calming soundscape. While she composed numerous tracks for Minecraft, her most recognized contributions are the three 'Disc' tracks, particularly 'Pigstep.' Raine explained that the concept for 'Pigstep' originated from a developer's query about what 'music the Piglins would listen to sound like,' leading to her humorous interpretation of 'Dubstep for pigs.' This track's success has led developers to seek similar high-energy 'bangers' for future musical additions.
Raine maintains an exceptionally tidy desktop, preferring a clean aesthetic with minimal icons. She adheres to a structured folder system for organizing her files.