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Introduced to the video game realm by his brothers Dennis and Francisco, Javier began playing almost every afternoon after school. Having an already active interest in music, Javier noticed that video games had music and someone must have composed what he heard.
While playing Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 3Ds, Javier fell in love with the unforgettable melodies of Koji Kondo, and his burning passion for composition was kindled.
Javier decided to pursue music abroad and studied piano under the guidance of Dr. Magdalena von Eccher. During his studies, Javier was given the opportunity to compose music for Andes Game Studio.
Although Javier did not formally study composition, Professor Glen Montgomery and Dr. Gavin Fraser, along with other mentors and collaborators, have guided him personally to hone his craft.
Javier's curiosity and deep love for video game audio drive him to explore every project he embarks on with uttermost care and dedication. His adaptability allows him to adjust his style to the situation at hand, without entirely sacrificing his voice.
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Below are some of the major projects that I have had the pleasure to score. More information coming soon!
Credits
These are the game jams I have the pleasure to participate in:
Game Jams
What Some Will Never Witness
Role: Composer
About the Jam
A prototype based on a story about a character, Aurora, who fears the light. The emotional storyline follow Aurora through a journey battling fear to get back to society.
About the Music
Being a 7 day jam, we were not able to fully accomplish what we planned, but the concept behind the project was to create an interactive score that would fade layers in and out to represent the level of darkness Aurora felt while isolated from society. Completing puzzles would help reduce the darkness or fear surrounding light.
Temporarily Paused
About the Project
Project Jester was a quick respite from worMoon: Awakening. We had been working on worMoon for a few years and felt we were in a creative rot. We took some time off and we started brainstorming ideas and this project was born. I cannot disclose much information as we ended up pausing the project temporarily to resume worMoon, but some day we hope to reveal this secret to the world.
About the Music
After a few years of composing music for worMoon and developing my voice as an artist, I discovered I enjoyed writing metal music, so it became part of who I am. I still enjoy writing with other instruments and in other styles, but writing metal just came naturally to me, for some reason. On Project Jester, the goal was to take advantage of this newfound passion and supplement with other styles to bring a unique palette to project.
Paused Indefinitely
About the Project
Project Magallanes was our attempt to reduce the scope of the highly ambitious Metroidvania (Project C#), but we never imagined creating a game for small kids was going to be as difficult as it was.
My brothers, being parents, thought it would be great to create fun interactive experiences for kids and the studio-beloved character "Star Jomei" was born. The game was great, but the scope was still to big, so we decided to pause the game indefinitely.
About the Music
My second video game project, was heavily inspired by the jazz of New Orleans and the music of Nintendo. One thing I knew for sure is that I did not want to "dumb-down the music" for the kids. I still firmly believe that while a kid is not mature enough to communicate and understand complex emotions, they still can feel them very strongly. I aimed to have music that was catered to children, but that also could be listened by adults, like Nintendo.
Project Magallanes was also my first experience with interactive video game music, I started experimenting with FMOD and learning from the one of the masters, Austin Wintory. His YouTube channel helped me ignite a passion that I did not know I had, interactive music. I learned to change my mindset from creating solely loop-based music to more complex music systems that adapt to the player's journey, but without sacrificing the storytelling aspect.
Paused Indefinitely
About the Project
Set in a world powered by music, Project C# was a combat focused Metroidvania with rich illustrations and a heart-wrenching story. Being Andes Games Studio's first game, Project C# was a demonstration of passion and love for video games which quickly turned to be too ambitious for a studio barely dipping it's toes in the industry.
Knowing we could not bring our vision to fruition the way we wanted, we decided to pause the project indefinitely and return to it once we matured as a Studio.
About the Music
Project C# was my first video game music project. There was a lot of experimentation involved and great ideas came from it. I lacked the experience to create music that felt finished, but I compensated with a burning passion for writing music for games. I approached the music with careful attention to motivic storytelling and injected countless emotions into every track. Without Project C#, the music of worMoon: Awakening would not exist.
Below are some projects in which I did extensive music tests, but that were temporarily paused or paused indefinitely.
Other Credits
Good Morning Grandma
Roles: Composer and Sound Designer
About the Game
A prototype based on a story about a character, Aurora, who fears the light. The emotional storyline follow Aurora through a journey battling fear to get back to society.
About the Music
Being a 7 day jam, we were not able to fully accomplish what we planned, but the concept behind the project was to create an interactive score that would fade layers in and out to represent the level of darkness Aurora felt while isolated from society. Completing puzzles would help reduce the darkness or fear surrounding light.
Lightfelt
Role: Composer
About the Game
A prototype based on a story about a character, Aurora, who fears the light. The emotional storyline follow Aurora through a journey battling fear to get back to society.
About the Music
Being a 7 day jam, we were not able to fully accomplish what we planned, but the concept behind the project was to create an interactive score that would fade layers in and out to represent the level of darkness Aurora felt while isolated from society. Completing puzzles would help reduce the darkness or fear surrounding light.
Sin's Hands
Role: Audio Implementer
About the Game
A prototype based on a story about a character, Aurora, who fears the light. The emotional storyline follow Aurora through a journey battling fear to get back to society.
About the Music
Being a 7 day jam, we were not able to fully accomplish what we planned, but the concept behind the project was to create an interactive score that would fade layers in and out to represent the level of darkness Aurora felt while isolated from society. Completing puzzles would help reduce the darkness or fear surrounding light.
Keep Your Hands Off My Cards!
Role: Composer and Soung Designer
About the Game
A prototype based on a story about a character, Aurora, who fears the light. The emotional storyline follow Aurora through a journey battling fear to get back to society.
About the Music
Being a 7 day jam, we were not able to fully accomplish what we planned, but the concept behind the project was to create an interactive score that would fade layers in and out to represent the level of darkness Aurora felt while isolated from society. Completing puzzles would help reduce the darkness or fear surrounding light.