Farming Simulator 16-Bit: Interview with Chris Hülsbeck

Guess what The Great Giana Sisters, the Turrican series and Farming Simulator have in common! Well, we spoiled it in the headline already, but: it's the composer - Chris Huelsbeck.

We're proud to have collaborated with him on Farming Simulator 16-Bit Edition. You can listen to 8 original tracks in the game while virtually farming as if you were traveling back in time - all authentic as if he composed them back in 1989. After we had a chat with our retro developer Renzo, now we talk to Chris - find his interview below!

Farm like it's 1989!

🎮 Authentic 16-bit Experience🎮

🎮 Retro Backgrounds pixeled by hand🎮

🎮 Soundtrack by Chris Hülsbeck🎮

🎮 Digitized Engine Sound Effects🎮

🎮 3 Maps to play simultaneously🎮

🎮 14 Machines with pre-rendered sprites 🎮

Talking to Chris Huelsbeck

Video Game Composer & Sound Designer

Known for some of the most iconic video game music of the early '90s, the award-winning music producer and sound designer from Germany helped shape the style of that particular era in video gaming.

So much so that video game orchestras around the world continue to perform his compositions with ensembles of violins, cellos, flutes, and trumpets to carry his timeless melodies through the decades. But let's talk to the man himself, shall we?

How did you approach to create a retro-style soundtrack that fits the feel of farming and Farming Simulator?

I first wanted to capture the carefree time of early game music, with catchy melodies and harmonies, just something you could enjoy at any time (in this case as a player).

Did you want the music to feel authentically old school, or more modern with retro flair?

The authenticity came almost automatically, since I composed it for the original hardware of the Sega console.

I had already made soundtracks for the Megadrive / Genesis at the beginning of the 90s, but I had to work out a lot of things all over again.

Aside from the technical aspects, how did you make sure the soundtrack captured the vibe of the late 80s and early 90s?

Since I've always been a big fan of the music from that era, it was really easy for me to find the right mood. It was a lot of fun and one of my coolest projects in recent years!

Do you compose a 16-Bit soundtrack today the same way you would have then? What changed in the process? 

Even today, I still try to bring something innovative to every project. In this respect, I have invested a lot of time in patching the FM chip to get a bit more out of it.

16-bit music, especially back then, often had to loop without feeling repetitive. How do (and did) you generally make sure that doesn't happen?

I've learned over the years that a track should be at least 3 minutes long to avoid becoming too repetitive.

With clever composition and arrangement, you can even conceal the loop point so that it is no longer noticeable.

What do you personally associate with that 16-bit era of video games - what did it mean to you back then, and what does it mean to you now?

Anyone who experienced the transition from 8-bit to 16-bit computers and consoles back then will certainly remember how great the technical progress was.

Suddenly everything seemed possible, as colors, memory, sound possibilities and computing power multiplied enormously. And if you grew up in that era, then you also feel a lot of nostalgia when you play a game from that era today.

For me, it was a carefree time of new beginnings and probably the biggest boost to my career and set the course for my future.

Chris is still busy in creating new albums. Check out his website if you want to learn more about him and his work. If you haven't played Farming Simulator 16-Bit Edition, you can find it on our eShop. Don't worry, you don't need a 16-Bit console, you can play it directly on PC! Just click this thing here: