Vocal accords

Em Halberstadt’s favourite part of the development process has been recording character voiceovers. “Most of it is Greg and I,” she says. “We just experiment, direct each other, and we get pretty weird.” The bard’s goofier ebullitions are provided by Lobanov himself, but the all-important singing is performed by composer John Robert Matz. Lobanov was originally hoping to cast a woman, “but John’s audition was clearly the best. He had the range – but he also brought this positive energy, this bard joy into it.” Matz being such a perfect fit turned out to be slightly awkward, Lobanov recalls. “Gord [McGladdery, the game’s composer] knew John personally, and was like, ‘My friend John can do it!’ I said, ‘No, I want someone I’ve never met before.’ I listened to all the auditions blind, and I was like ‘This is the one, who’s this... Oh, shit!’”