Legendary Composer Alberto J. González Returns with the OST for S.O.N.A.R.
All hands on deck! Abylight Barcelona (Citadelum, One Military Camp) and publisher Abylight Studios announce the return of legendary composer Alberto J. González "McAlby" with S.O.N.A.R. (Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready).
With a career spanning over three decades since entering the video game industry in the late 1980s, McAlby is one of the most prolific figures in European game audio history, having contributed to more than 100 titles. As a co-founder of both Bit Managers and Abylight Studios, his legendary 8-bit and 16-bit compositions defined an era, crafting iconic soundtracks for classic European hits such as North & South, The Smurfs, Tintin in Tibet, and Asterix.
McAlby is particularly celebrated for his masterful work on the original Nintendo Game Boy, where his signature style pushed the sound chip to its absolute limits, compositionally touching roughly 2% of the entire global library for the system.
In recent years, he has continued to shape modern indie audio pipelines, serving as Executive Music Producer for Abylight’s critically acclaimed management and strategy titles, One Military Camp and Citadelum. With S.O.N.A.R. (Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready), McAlby steps back into the spotlight to deliver a rich, immersive musical experience tailored specifically for the dynamic atmosphere of submarine operations.
In Alberto’s own words: To compose the main theme for S.O.N.A.R., I started from clear requirements set by the creative director: the music needed to convey a certain element of tension, in line with the nature of the game. However, I always find it difficult to resist the temptation of creating a catchy melody.
Starting from a preliminary idea, I envisioned the complete track as a journey through three distinct sections, orbiting around a sonar ping. The first is a suspenseful introduction aimed at building anticipation before the mission begins. The second gives way to a more melodic, two-part heroic section, designed to represent the vessel's crew and convey their team spirit. Finally, the third section depicts the confrontation and its outcome, driving the music toward a climax of higher intensity.