For composer Antonio Teoli, rock 'n' roll is more than just a musical genre. The style, characterized by heavy guitar solos and arrangements that can energize arenas full of fans, has always been a part of the life of this native of the Amazon. Fueled by this passion, Antonio ventured into the world of games with Black River Studios to launch "Rock&Rail," the first virtual reality game produced in Amazonas, available on the Samsung Gear VR platform.

The game, which combines monsters and planets, features a soundtrack that traverses different branches of rock. Responsible for composing all the tracks that accompany players, Antonio says he tried to extract as much information as possible from the designs made for the game to stay true to the theme of each level. "It was a collaborative effort where, from the beginning, we worked on the audio and gameplay as closely as possible. Since the levels are set in different worlds, I tried to translate that into the music. In colorful environments, the music is more upbeat; in darker settings, the sound is heavier, more ominous," he explains.

His main inspiration came from glam rock, a branch of the genre that became very popular between the 1980s and 1990s.

When we started the project, we considered various musical styles. We did some research and found that '90s rock was the best fit for what we had in mind. We drew a lot of inspiration from bands like Twisted Sister, Van Halen, and Skid Row," he says.

In a creative process that lasted eight months, the composer reveals that he avoided listening to other branches of rock besides those that would be featured in the project. This was an attempt to stay as true as possible during the production of the arrangements. "Some people like to work with direct references when creating something, but I'm the opposite; I don't like doing that. I believe that creation and memory coexist and mix strongly. If I listen to a lot of Metallica, for example, when it's time to create, a bit of that will inevitably end up in the work, which naturally limits the originality a bit," Antonio explains.

THE GAME

Defeat space monsters and glide swiftly through the skies in true Rock 'n' Roll style. That's the premise of *Rock & Rails*, a game released on the 6th of this month. In the game, the Beasts of Silence are taking over the world, but you and your bandmates aren't going to let that happen. Using rails powered by pure rock, players can fly and destroy creatures with the riffs from their instruments, reclaiming the world from the clutches of the silent threat.

The game is divided into nine levels full of challenges, where you soar through Glam Cities, Metal Caves, and Dark Skies, facing enemies of all sizes. Players can choose to take on these challenges as Groove, the Bassist, or Mischa, the Guitarist. As you progress through the game, you unlock Steve, the Keyboardist, completing the trio of characters.

*Rock & Rails* for Gear VR is available for $4.99 on the Oculus Store.

ABOUT THE STUDIO

Black River Studios was founded in 2014 with the goal of developing relevant content to accompany the launch of Samsung's brand. Black River consists of a team of highly skilled designers, engineers, developers, and artists dedicated to creating games for cutting-edge technologies. The studio develops games for mobile and virtual reality, such as *Rock & Rails*.