While 2020 has been a challenging year for almost everyone, it has been a banner year for video game music, with the release of several highly anticipated titles. What’s more, the video game cover community has been more active than ever.

For this article, I reached out to prog-metal guru Ro Panuganti to share some of his favorite covers that he’s written along with his inspirations and anecdotes. What follows is an illuminating look at the development of an artist, a person, and a friend.