The most recent work I have done in game sound design is in Sentiment and Escape. I did the complete sound design including sound effects, music, and in Sentiment, voice acting.
Sentiment
While we wanted the main character to be ambiguous, the voice acting in the beginning and end of the game is female, which may seem confusing. The reason this was done is because the monologues are to set the mood of the game and to show the player the state of mind the character is in. It's not necessarily the character's own voice, but rather an external voice describing the character's situation, like an omnipotent being. The tone in the voice further shows the change in attitude of the character from the beginning to the end of the game from depressed and cynical to slightly more hopeful.
The background music also reflects this progress from sad and melancholy to a more uplifting piece.
The background music also reflects this progress from sad and melancholy to a more uplifting piece.
Escape
One of my favorite things I did in Escape in terms of sound design was the sound effects. The "Attack" sound effect changes depending on what weapon you have, so if you are using your fists it's a punching noise, a knife is a slicing noise, and a gun has a gunshot noise. It's a subtle change and not many people seem to notice, but I really love it. Also, the "Run Away" has a scuffling noise, and clicking something has a satisfying "click" tone. Additionally, each player or demon has a corresponding scream or noise they make when they are killed. Though the demons all have the same noise, the humans have different screams or grunts, which I thought was neat. One thing I wish I added was a munching noise for eating and a gulping noise for drinking. I simply ran out of time to add those features in, but I could easily go back and change it. Furthermore, even though it is simple, I really like the walking noise. However, sometimes I notice a bug where it seems like the walking noise ceases, which I'm not completely sure why.
The background music was fun to pick out because there were very specific moods I wanted to set with each ending, and each level. I think the hardest level to find music for was the beginning part where the character is sane. I never thought it would be that difficult to find a good background music that instilled a sense of urgency and alarm, to set the player on edge, while not being annoying since it could loop many times. Despite the challenge, I am happy with the result. The insane level was also very interesting to find a piece for, and I actually ended up speeding up a piece by Clark Powell. As for the endings: Sane, Insane, Dead, and Complete Insanity, I already had pieces in mind that I wanted to correspond with each ending.
The background music was fun to pick out because there were very specific moods I wanted to set with each ending, and each level. I think the hardest level to find music for was the beginning part where the character is sane. I never thought it would be that difficult to find a good background music that instilled a sense of urgency and alarm, to set the player on edge, while not being annoying since it could loop many times. Despite the challenge, I am happy with the result. The insane level was also very interesting to find a piece for, and I actually ended up speeding up a piece by Clark Powell. As for the endings: Sane, Insane, Dead, and Complete Insanity, I already had pieces in mind that I wanted to correspond with each ending.