The Sounds of Love: On Florence's Soundtrack

Written by Naomi “Bez” Norbez

Florence is a beautiful game. For me, one of the most beautiful parts of it is the music. Kevin Penkin, the composer, did an absolutely fantastic job on this, as did all the musicians and sound mixers involved. So I will therefore gush about the soundtrack. Hold on tight.

Since Florence mainly communicates with pictures and symbols, the music does a lot of the talking, and it has a lot to say. This is discussed in an interview with WSHU Public Radio where Penkin states, “There were times where we would use melody as a catalyst, to have these characters speak to each other.” And speak they do, all throughout the game.

A simple tune serves as Florence’s (the character’s) theme. This tune is elaborated upon multiple times throughout the game, given depth and breath for each situation. For example, at the start we hear it in the background as she goes throughout her day. When going through her memories, we hear a version of Florence’s theme, and the notes go down the piano as we dive into her past. Later, when she and Krish are dating, her tune intertwines with Krish’s cello. And, most importantly, Florence’s theme is nearly always played by the piano. This instrument represents her throughout the game.

In fact, both she and Krish are given an instrument in the background. Penkin elaborates on this in the same interview, saying, “We only started talking about a couple of key things. Intimacy was one of them, and we also started talking about the representation of characters through instruments - mainly the two main characters - Florence, and Krish, the love interest of the game. So talking about how a piano and a cello can interact with each other was a big topic of early conversation.”

This is a huge part of the game - Florence as piano, and Krish as cello. When Krish plays cello in the park, it starts out with just his instrument playing. But as Florence is entranced by the music, her instrument, the piano, plays with him. And during the crash, the cello plays loud when Florence speaks to Krish, as if she is being overcome by his presence, and her crush. When they go on their date, the cello and piano start to hesitantly combine at first, but as Florence and Krish get to know each other, they come together, melody and harmony, just as the two lovers do as they get closer.

But their closeness doesn’t always last. Sometimes the music uses sharp and flat notes to show that things are not right, that they are distorted. This happens several times in Florence - first during the Grocery chapter, where Krish and Florence get in a small argument. Then in the Erosion chapter, when they start becoming distant from each other. Finally, this occurs in the Flight chapter, with some deviations - major notes dominate the argument, but minor notes poke in from the background, highlighting the wrongness of it all.

And then the breakup happens, and Krish moves out. I love that the game keeps its string instruments in the background of the music, instead of purely using Florence’s theme now that she’s alone. Even once you’ve let go of a person, your time with them doesn’t just go away. Florence may not have her boyfriend anymore, but that time with Krish is still a part of her now, part of her life experience, and the music reflects that.

Finally, there’s something beautiful about the music being performed live. Penkin reminisces, “Hearing the live musicians play was so rewarding because it was really honest, and knowing that was about to replace a fairly standard synth cello, and knowing that people were going to listen to it and have a very profound reaction to it—that was a satisfying moment for me.” The live music makes the game feel closer to reality, something more raw and human than an electronic synth. And I think that’s perfect for such a human story.

These are just a few notes on Florence’s amazing soundtrack. Penkin makes the music speak for these characters, and throughout the game, the instruments sing the story to us.

NAOMI “BEZ” NORBEZ

is a interactive fiction developer and writer. You can find his work at https://norbez.itch.io/, and talk to them on Twitter @NaomiNorbez.