“Fear Is Something You Hear First” – The Occultist Dev Diary Episode 4 explores the game’s handcrafted music
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2026 5:39 pm
“Fear Is Something You Hear First” – The Occultist Dev Diary Episode 4 explores the game’s handcrafted music
New developer diary episode reveals orchestral recording, choral themes, and the role of silence in horror
Hamburg, Germany – March 05, 2026 – In the fourth episode of the developer diary series for The Occultist, the team at DALOAR turns the spotlight to one of the most crucial elements of horror: sound. Titled “Fear Is Something You Hear First,” the new episode explores how music, sound design, and silence work together to shape the unsettling atmosphere of the island of Godstone.
To create the game’s musical identity, the developers chose a deliberately ambitious approach. Instead of relying purely on digital production, the soundtrack was recorded with a real orchestra and choir, performed by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, giving the score a cinematic scale rarely heard in indie horror games.
The diary also explains how different musical themes reflect the emotional layers of the story. From epic orchestral passages accompanying Alan Rebels’ journey across the cursed island to intimate melodies tied to key characters, the score aims to heighten both dread and emotional resonance. A central motif, known as Whitney’s theme, echoes the curse haunting Godstone and connects the island’s past with the horrors unfolding in the present.
At the same time, the developers emphasize that horror is not created by music alone. Strategic moments of silence play an equally important role, allowing tension to build before the next scare strikes. As the team puts it: in The Occultist, fear often begins with what players hear before they see.
Featured in this Dev Diary
Pepe Herrero, Composer for The Occultist
David Lorenzo, CEO and Founder of DALOAR
Watch the new dev diary on Youtube:
Have a look at the latest The Occultist videos and dev diaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXNLS6q ... 25bRSYFpyi
About The Occultist
Blending first-person exploration with slow-burning psycho-horror, The Occultist focuses on atmosphere, vulnerability, and the disturbing weight of helping the dead find peace—often at the cost of the living.
A demo for PC (Steam) is currently available in English, Spanish (Spain), French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish (Latin America), Traditional Chinese and Turkish.
The full game is set to launch on April 8, 2026.
About DALOAR DALOAR (formerly Pentakill Studios) is a video game company founded in 2021, built upon years of experience in computer graphics and development. The company's origins trace back to the creation of iVisual, dedicated to advancing training in 3D technologies and video games.
About Daedalic Entertainment Celebrating its 20th publishing year, Daedalic Entertainment is a renowned publisher with nearly two decades of experience supporting indie developers across all major gaming platforms. The lineup of games includes a diverse variety of unique titles, focusing on four distinct areas: storytelling, strategy, co-op games, and wholesome games. With an international team of around 45 employees, Daedalic is currently working with various development studios to create a new lineup of innovative games across consoles and PCs to market. Recent hits include Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown, New Cycle, Barotrauma, Unrailed!, Bloodgrounds, Into the Emberlands, Deponia, Shadow Tactics, Inkulinati, Hidden Deep, Fling to the Finish!, and more.Please look out for upcoming games like The Occultist, Woodo, Barotrauma Home & Harbor Expansion, and many more. Since April 2022, Daedalic Entertainment has been a subsidiary of the French publishing house, Nacon.
For more, please visit: https://press.daedalic.com.
Follow us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/daedalic
New developer diary episode reveals orchestral recording, choral themes, and the role of silence in horror
Hamburg, Germany – March 05, 2026 – In the fourth episode of the developer diary series for The Occultist, the team at DALOAR turns the spotlight to one of the most crucial elements of horror: sound. Titled “Fear Is Something You Hear First,” the new episode explores how music, sound design, and silence work together to shape the unsettling atmosphere of the island of Godstone.
To create the game’s musical identity, the developers chose a deliberately ambitious approach. Instead of relying purely on digital production, the soundtrack was recorded with a real orchestra and choir, performed by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, giving the score a cinematic scale rarely heard in indie horror games.
The diary also explains how different musical themes reflect the emotional layers of the story. From epic orchestral passages accompanying Alan Rebels’ journey across the cursed island to intimate melodies tied to key characters, the score aims to heighten both dread and emotional resonance. A central motif, known as Whitney’s theme, echoes the curse haunting Godstone and connects the island’s past with the horrors unfolding in the present.
At the same time, the developers emphasize that horror is not created by music alone. Strategic moments of silence play an equally important role, allowing tension to build before the next scare strikes. As the team puts it: in The Occultist, fear often begins with what players hear before they see.
Featured in this Dev Diary
Pepe Herrero, Composer for The Occultist
David Lorenzo, CEO and Founder of DALOAR
Watch the new dev diary on Youtube:
Have a look at the latest The Occultist videos and dev diaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXNLS6q ... 25bRSYFpyi
About The Occultist
Blending first-person exploration with slow-burning psycho-horror, The Occultist focuses on atmosphere, vulnerability, and the disturbing weight of helping the dead find peace—often at the cost of the living.
A demo for PC (Steam) is currently available in English, Spanish (Spain), French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish (Latin America), Traditional Chinese and Turkish.
The full game is set to launch on April 8, 2026.
About DALOAR DALOAR (formerly Pentakill Studios) is a video game company founded in 2021, built upon years of experience in computer graphics and development. The company's origins trace back to the creation of iVisual, dedicated to advancing training in 3D technologies and video games.
About Daedalic Entertainment Celebrating its 20th publishing year, Daedalic Entertainment is a renowned publisher with nearly two decades of experience supporting indie developers across all major gaming platforms. The lineup of games includes a diverse variety of unique titles, focusing on four distinct areas: storytelling, strategy, co-op games, and wholesome games. With an international team of around 45 employees, Daedalic is currently working with various development studios to create a new lineup of innovative games across consoles and PCs to market. Recent hits include Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown, New Cycle, Barotrauma, Unrailed!, Bloodgrounds, Into the Emberlands, Deponia, Shadow Tactics, Inkulinati, Hidden Deep, Fling to the Finish!, and more.Please look out for upcoming games like The Occultist, Woodo, Barotrauma Home & Harbor Expansion, and many more. Since April 2022, Daedalic Entertainment has been a subsidiary of the French publishing house, Nacon.
For more, please visit: https://press.daedalic.com.
Follow us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/daedalic