This game raises the question, taking the action movie approach whereby any two wooden crates in close proximity will explode with the pulse-pounding impact. I was left wondering, “What if everything you ever wanted came in a rocket can?”
: Zubon
4 thoughts on “Do Sound Effects Matter?”
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Yeah. Sound effects matter. I just couldn’t take it anymore. >:P
To answer seriously, sound matters a lot. It can do so much to set the mood. Examples from LotRO: music in the Old Forest. The sound of the wind blowing through the cracks in the glaciers in Forochel. Totally changes the atmosphere.
Triangle Wizard is a 2D overhead shooter based on roguelike games and the author decided that having sound effects was against the spirit of the genre. The player’s explosive spells just don’t feel as impressive without a kaboom. Sound creates feedback, adding to the apparent responsiveness of the game to your actions.
Sound matters. Absolutely.
Oh geez when surround sound first hit games, I remember how much it revolutionized my personal gameplay. Playing Unreal for the first time, I was astonished I could hear other players coming up behind me. Directional audio is a wonderful thing in games.
Music on the other hand, I dislike when it connects too much into the gameplay. Invariably I’m going to turn off the music, often sooner than later due to repetition and the desire to listen to my own playlist. I’ve had discussions with Tommy Tallarico and other game musicians about this: How game music should be used as introduction rather than cues.
Quality of the audio and music almost goes without saying. World of Goo is a delight to play, in part because of the wonderful soundscape.