Cult of the Lamb composer Narayana Johnson, who worked under the pseudonym River Boy, has passed away, leading developer Massive Monster to call for fans to give them “some space and some kindness”.
In a post on the game’s Steam page, Massive Monster says it’s “impossible to describe how much of a void” Johnson’s passing will leave at the studio. He was Massive Monster’s audio director, but the dev says he was “more than” that; he was also a “creative powerhouse”, a “friend”, and “[their] silly little guy”.
Massive Monster goes on to say that Johnson is “woven into the soul of Cult of the Lamb” thanks to his audio work on the game, and that both the game and the studio “won’t be the same” without him.
No cause of death was given for Johnson, and no illness was previously revealed either, so it’s not entirely clear how he passed away at present.
Massive Monster says it recommends that you “take a moment to look at nature” and “touch your feet to the earth” to celebrate Johnson’s life, and that “he would want you to listen to his music and remember how much it meant to him to share it”.
If you’re not familiar with Johnson as a composer, he often worked under the pseudonym River Boy, and he was also half of the duo Willow Beats.
According to his website, Narayana Johnson made music that “draws extensively on his childhood and teenage years spent roaming creeks, forests and mountains in the Northern Rivers, New South Wales”.
His work on Cult of the Lamb feels very evocative of the game’s tone; it’s dark, eerie electronica, but there’s a playful element to it as well, reflective of the game’s mixture of sacrificial rituals and cutesy animals.
If you’d like to hear Johnson’s work on Cult of the Lamb (and play a pretty great game into the bargain), you can check it out right now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. You can read Alex’s review of the game here.
