GAME AUDIO PROJECTS
Ape’s Journey
Sound Design Highlights
For this game my primary task was being in charge of the in-game SFXs. From footsteps to boiling cauldrons, the spells of the protagonist and the beastly wyvern growls and chomps. My contribution also extends to the decisions regarding the game’s general sound design aesthetic and its implementation through Audiokinetic Wwise.
This game was the outcome after the extensive course in 3D Sound in Games at Sonic College delving into the basic principle of surround sound formats, such as Dolby Atmos, and utilizing the middleware to implement SFXs, Ambience and Music suitable for an immersive Game Audio experience.
The game itself was delivered to us without premade audio nor implementation-ready scripting. So we settled on an approach finding common ground regarding references and the expression and emotions the sound design should convey to ensure all aspects of the sound design would contribute to the united approach.
With the game’s visuals and gameplay, we agreed upon pursuing a playful fantasy-inspired style to support the game’s intended worldbuilding, leaving out the hyper-realistic and high fidelity sound effects in favor of the beforementioned playful and at times childish approach. We also quickly agreed on a key for the music, so I could utilize tonal elements in my SFXs.
Ape’s Journey is a short RPG-inspired game where the protagonist, Ape, receives a letter from the king requesting his aid in defeating the wyverns and saving the realm. On his journey Ape leaves the calm of his home to embark on his quest in a wyvern-infected forest and a dark magic swamp where he must brew a potion and use his magic skills in battle to prevail.
The game came to life through the hard work of my fellow Sonic College students and talented sound designers Jesper Stuhr Hansen and Alexander Schultz Vienberg, respectively in charge of the ambiences and the music.
The game was provided and developed for the course in Unity by Simon Kærslund of Eddaheim (also another talented hard-working sound designer).
Here are 6 examples out of the many SFXs I ended up making for the game, which wound up greatly serving their purpose in the game
Pick Up SFX for the Firefly.
Potion Brewing:
Here are a few SFXs for the wyverns.
Wyvern Death:
Wyvern Hurt:
Wyvern Fireball Charge:
I wanted to include this one, which was made for a part later in the game. An SFX for one of two large doors in a cavern slowly opening.
Cavern Door Opening:
HexaGone
HexaGone is a prototype for a casual puzzle game, where the player must try to expand their island by connecting the paths between the islands correctly. I built the game in Unity and implemented the audio through FMOD.
The route consists of hexagon-shaped islands, each with its own puzzles and biomes, introducing the player to varying environments and tasks of different kinds and difficulties.
Once these are solved and completed, it’s up to the player to rotate and connect the next island correctly, where new, fun challenges await.
The game’s sound aesthetics should strike a balance between a correlation between the auditory and visual aesthetics without becoming too hyperrealistic. Less is more – so to support the game’s accessibility, the sounds remain simple.
Musically, the playful approach is also supported in sound and composition. A classic arrangement in waltz time with irregular melodies is meant to make the music feel flowing and evolving.
One of the game’s core mechanics is the possibility to rotate the islands. It was of course important for me to convey the weight of the island as they are being turned. And since the rotation could happen multiple times in a row the FMOD Events had loads of pitch, volume and time randomization to create the sensation of not hearing the same sound twice:
Island Rotation (Event played twice in FMOD to hear the randomization):
For HexaGone I also wrote short piece of music, which can be heard here:
