Cyberpunk 2077, Warframe, Alan Wake 2: How Diegetic Music Elevates Gaming

We analyze diegetic music in Cyberpunk 2077, Warframe, and Alan Wake 2, and how it transforms storytelling. From Johnny Silverhand and Samurai’s iconic "A Like Supreme" performance to Warframe and Temple’s "Lamenting the Days" defence mission and Alan Wake 2’s "Herald of Darkness" musical nightmare, these games prove soundtracks can be more than background noise—they can change how we play.

Some of gaming’s most unforgettable moments aren’t just about the visuals or gameplay—they’re about the music that exists inside the game world itself.

When the music in a game isn’t just background noise but an active part of the story, it deepens character arcs, reinforces themes, and makes the game world feel alive. 

Today, we’re looking at three incredible moments where music wasn’t just part of the experience—it was the experience.

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Why Diegetic Music Rocks

Non-diegetic music can only be heard by us, the gamer - think of it as a traditional soundtrack, which exists outside the character’s reality.

Take Doom for example—when its pulsing metal score kicks in, you feel the adrenaline pumping—but the Slayer and his enemies don’t. 

On the other hand, diegetic music exists within the game world—characters can hear it, react to it, and even play it.

In a game like Metal Hellsinger—its metal tunes are woven into the gameplay, with its player character, named The Unknown, enhancing their power by executing an attack on the beat.

Diegetic music is not just for the player… it’s of the world. But why does it matter? Because when done right, diegetic music does three key things—

• It grounds the world in authenticity, making it feel lived-in.

• It reinforces character motivation, turning songs into storytelling and gameplay devices.

• It creates a lasting connection with the player, making moments unforgettable long after the game ends.

Now, let’s look at three games that have mixed and mastered diegetic music.

A Like Supreme

Cyberpunk 2077 is a world fueled by rebellion, and at its heart is a band that never truly died—Samurai.

Johnny Silverhand wasn’t just a terrorist or a ghost in V’s head—he was a rock legend whose music became a rallying cry against corporate oppression.

A stage drenched in neon. A guitar gripped like a weapon. A crowd hungry for defiance. In one of Cyberpunk 2077’s most electrifying moments, players step into Johnny’s boots, experiencing a Samurai concert firsthand. 

“A Like Supreme” isn’t just a song—it’s a war cry. Its pounding rhythm and ferocious energy fuel the fight against oppression, but its lyrics carry a darker truth—that no matter how loud the scream, the system endures. 

It’s the perfect anthem for Johnny Silverhand, a man torn between revolution and self-destruction, hope and futility.

Cyberpunk further blurred the lines between fiction and reality when they enlisted legendary hardcore band Refused to bring Samurai to life. Samurai now exists beyond Night City, with real albums, real fans, and real influence. In doing so, the game extends its rebellion beyond the screen, making Samurai’s music more than just a part of the game—it’s part of our world, too.

Temple of War

Warframe has always embraced cinematic storytelling, but with Temple—its 60th unique frame—it goes full rock opera. Inspired by a mix of David Bowie’s theatricality, KISS’s flamboyance, and heavy metal’s rebellious spirit, Temple transforms music into a weapon of defiance against the oppressive military force, Scaldra.

In Warframe 1999, players battle to earn Temple’s parts through a defence mission where diegetic music becomes part of the narrative—blasting a siren song that lures enemies like moths to a flame.

Temple (whose human counterpart is named Flare) turns the battlefield into a musical narrative by performing the song “Lamenting the Days,” a track created with members of the progressive metal band Periphery and Elliot Coleman. More than just an anthem, the lyrics convey a sense of isolation, existential uncertainty, and the futile search for meaning, symbolising a character’s struggle with identity, disillusionment, and the loss of connection in a collapsing world

Temple isn’t even the first music-themed Warframe. That honour belongs to Octavia, a Warframe that lets players compose their own battle hymns, turning rhythm into raw firepower. From Octavia’s symphonic warfare to Temple’s heavy metal defiance, Warframe proves that diegetic music isn’t just for immersion—it’s a storytelling force, shaping both narrative and gameplay.

Herald of Darkness

Alan Wake 2 continues Remedy Entertainment’s tradition of weaving music into the very fabric of its surreal horror narrative, and no moment exemplifies this more than “Herald of Darkness”—a scene where music isn’t just an accompaniment but a force that warps reality itself.

Performed by Old Gods of Asgard—the in-game alter ego of the real-world band Poets of the Fall—the song serves as more than just a spectacle. It becomes a ritual, a threshold between fiction and reality, where Alan’s battle against the Dark Presence transforms into an almost mythic confrontation.

The soundstage, bathed in projection screens and surreal distortions, represents Alan’s fractured mind, caught between creation and destruction, control and chaos.

Lyrically, Herald of Darkness mirrors Alan’s existential struggle. The song’s apocalyptic tone echoes his fight against forces beyond comprehension, while its soaring, anthemic energy embodies his fleeting moments of defiance. As Alan fights, the boundaries between the written word and lived experience blur—the music driving the combat, dictating the tempo, as if the performance itself is scripting his reality in real-time.

In this moment, Alan isn’t just a writer shaping events; he’s a performer in his own doomed narrative, trapped in a stageplay written by a force greater than himself.

Resonance

So why do these moments hit so hard? Well diegetic music makes the world feel real—the music isn’t just background, it’s part of the universe. They connect us to characters—Johnny Silverhand’s defiance, Warframe’s eternal battle, and Alan Wake’s fight for his sanity.

Most importantly, they create memories—because the best moments in gaming don’t just happen, with music they evoke an emotion that forever sticks with us. 

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