‘The Last Guardian’ to have custom audio mode, vinyl soundtrack upon release

Sony spotlights The Last Guardian‘s soundtrack as part of its latest wave of pre-release announcements, revealing that players will have multiple options when buying the game’s music digitally or physically via a vinyl release.

The publisher also revealed it has a custom audio mode in store for The Last Guardian, which is specifically tuned for players who own a PlayStation audio headset.

Team Ico’s The Last Guardian is set to hit the PlayStation 4 by the end of 2016, wrapping up a nearly decade-long development cycle. Similar in structure to the PlayStation 2 classic Ico, The Last Guardian puts players in control of a young boy who befriends a gigantic winged creature. Together, the pair journey through detailed environments filled with puzzles that must be solved cooperatively.

The Last Guardian‘s soundtrack is composed by Takeshi Furukawa, with in-game tracks performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Trinity Boys Choir, and London Voices at Air Studios. After The Last Guardian launches in December, players will be able to listen to its soundtrack via a PS4-exclusive app prior to its forthcoming iTunes debut.

“We’re happy to announce that a The Last Guardian Composer’s Choice PS4 Music App of the score featuring 19 tracks will be available separately at launch via the PlayStation Store,” Sony producer Dais Kawaguchi wrote in a blog post. “The soundtrack app supports both stereo and surround playback, and also allows users to export all the tracks as stereo MP3 files via a compatible USB drive. The soundtrack will also be available via iTunes at a later date.”

A vinyl release for The Last Guardian will also launch in December through indie publishing label Iam8bit. Pricing for The Last Guardian‘s music app and vinyl release has not yet been revealed.

Players who want to experience The Last Guardian‘s soundtrack during gameplay can opt for a custom audio mode, which Sony outlined as part of Thursday’s news. The mode requires a PlayStation headset compatible with the PS4’s free Headset Companion App and must be activated prior to starting the game. While few details regarding the mode are known, Sony notes that it will “deliver a fine-tuned audio experience engineered for maximum immersion.”

The Last Guardian launches exclusively for the PlayStation 4 on December 6.