Medal Of Honor: Above and Beyond brings the historic battlefields of World War II back to the forefront as you’ll play as an Allied agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), tasked with infiltrating, outgunning, and outsmarting the Nazi war machine.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond returns to the series’ roots, transporting players to a boots-on-the-ground World War II setting that spans the earth, sea and sky, with players jumping from planes, skiing down mountainsides and sabotaging Nazi bases. Aspiring soldiers won’t be going it alone, however: a veteran sergeant and young British medic will serve as companions throughout the single-player campaign, and the game will feature appearances from other Medal of Honor legends, including Manon Batiste and Dr. Gronek.

The game, which is being built for Oculus Rift from the ground up by a team comprised of veteran developers of the series, will put players in the role of an agent in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Players will go behind enemy lines to sabotage Nazi facilities, subvert enemy plans, and aid the French Resistance. Players will also experience a rich, exciting single-player campaign that takes them through historic events on land, air, and sea, all in virtual reality.

Additionally, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond will feature a variety of multiplayer modes, some of which are only possible in VR and with the addition of Steam support, players will benefit from cross-platform play across multiple different devices. Keep an eye out for more information on these modes in the months ahead.

In addition to both a full narrative campaign and multiplayer modes, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond includes a unique story gallery, letting you sit with WWII veterans and survivors to hear their stories while witnessing first-hand the events and locations that have shaped our history. The game will lean into the franchise’s history of education through entertainment, bringing the stories of WWII veterans to life for players in emotionally powerful ways.

EA, Respawn and Oculus announced and released the score for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, which was created by famed Academy and Grammy award winning composer Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad.

Known for creating the scores for an array of iconic movie franchises, including Star Wars, The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, Jurassic Park, Planet of the Apes and many more, Giacchino also composed the soundtrack for the original Medal of Honor game in 1999. Now, decades later, Giacchino has returned to the series to work with Game Director Peter Hirschmann and composer Nami Melumad to create a powerful new soundtrack for this highly-anticipated new game. Additionally, Melumad is the first woman composer to contribute to a Medal of Honor game.

When developing the new score for the game, Giacchino and Melumad worked together to bring to life the emotional journey of Above and Beyond. In order to do so, they had to uniquely incorporate their changed perspective on the world we live in today, including the fight against evil and oppression, while integrating elements from Giacchino’s 1999 score to stay faithful to the original game. 

The new score from Giacchino and Melumad for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is available to stream now on Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes and other streaming platforms in anticipation of the game’s launch on December 11, which is accompanied by the full soundtrack release.

Today marks the release of the original Medal of Honor Soundtrack, scored by Academy-Award winning composer Michael Giacchino. Game Director Peter Hirschmann reteamed with Michael, along with composer Nami Melumad, to create a powerful new soundtrack for Above and Beyond.

“He’ll take the emotion and articulate it, and translate it into music. That’s his superpower,” said Peter.

The goal for Medal of Honor has always been to show as much truth as possible. That’s what Michael set out to do twenty years ago when composing the iconic original score, and it was the goal for Above and Beyond as well. But a lot has changed since 1999. Peter and Michael wanted to create something that would feel new, and still be distinctly Medal of Honor. And they had to make it happen in the midst of a pandemic.

In the decades since composing the score for the original, Michael Giacchino had gone on to score blockbuster films like Jurassic World, Star Trek, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and many, many others. “It’s such a privilege,” said Peter, “He’s an Oscar Winner [for Pixar’s Up], he’s doing the music for The Batman. For Michael to come back and make this profound contribution is just a dream.” Michael recently finished working with composer Nami Melumad on An American Pickle. They reunited to develop a new score to partner the emotional journey of Above and Beyond.

“It’s always a nervous thing when you come back to something from earlier in your career,” said Peter, “you don’t want to repeat yourself, but you can’t abandon everything that made it so great the first time around.” Like the original Medal of Honor, Above and Beyond is set in World War II. But a lot has changed in the last twenty years. “We’re all different people than when we made that first game,” he said, “this reflects the world we’re in now. The themes of fighting against evil and oppression have sadly never been more relevant.” Their approach had to marry that changed perspective while still integrating elements of the beloved score from the original. Beyond the existential challenges, today’s world presented some serious logistical obstacles as well.

The soundtrack was recorded two months ago under COVID-19 guidelines. “We had to record each group of musicians in separate sessions, string, then brass, percussion, on different days,” said Peter, “we were all listening over the internet.” Thankfully none of those challenges are apparent when you hear the finished product. “When the orchestra brings it to life, it’s such a powerful moment. It was truly terrific”

Manot’s sister Juliette is a new character in Above and Beyond. She starts out as a brash, rebellious teenager who doesn’t take the danger seriously. Then things start to go sideways. “She matures a lot over the course of the game, going from a happy-go-lucky teenager to someone who is willing to sacrifice herself for a cause.

“The first time I heard ‘Juliette’s Theme’ I cried,” Peter said. “It tells the emotion of the story in a very tangible way. I listen to it while I work on the game, while I write her dialogue.”

Beyond “Juliette’s Theme,” Michael and Nami worked together to produce a score that gives the entire game a rich emotional backbone. “It was very much a partnership, she took his themes, new and old, and wove together a beautiful score for the rest of the game,” said Peter. And once the score is set into the game, it totally changes the entire feel of the game.“It can feel epic, and incredibly intimate. It’s always powered by emotion”. Ready to experience it yourself?

Take a moment between grenade throws to stop and listen to the music. And don’t be afraid to cry.

- The Medal of Honor team

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is developed by longtime series developers and in partnership with Oculus from Facebook, and explores the theatre of war in an entirely new cinematic and immersive way. Respawn worked directly with WWII veterans to capture their riveting stories to add context around the historical set pieces players will engage with in the game’s powerful story and unique VR gameplay. 

Medal Of Honor: Above and Beyond is coming Oculus Store for Oculus Rift and Steam with OpenVR support and cross-platform play on Dec. 11, 2020.