I love the sound in this game


RJ_Dalton

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Quite often, you never know what you really want until you've suddenly got it, but I'm going to be completely honest, I have, since the first time I played Ocarina of Time way back in the day, always wished games paid as much attention to sound as this game does. And I know it's Ocarina of Time because I know specifically what moment it was that I realized the game had inadequate sound for me.

It was the Haunted Wasteland. I remember walking through that area and finding that bunker thing and climbing down and thinking to myself, "why can I suddenly not hear the wind? And while I'm at it, why is the wind sound effect always the same? Boy, I wish there were some additional sound cues to add to this little moment here." My disappointment was such that, when I went on to start writing stories later, I actually created something that was similar to the haunted wasteland just to make up for that initial disappointment.

And now I realize here is the game that pays attention to sound exactly as much as I wanted other games to. Sitting in the cabin, listening to the wind outside, or the blizzard, feels like a real thing. The occasional rattle as the wind shakes the shutters on the windows, or the creak of the pipes freezing, or the groan of the wood from the temperature change sends chills down my spine in the best way. The effects are so good, I can just sit and listen to them for several minutes just admiring them and how much they add to the atmosphere of the game. If you exchange the snow for sand, this game comes incredibly close to a game I wanted to make after being disappointed in the Haunted Wasteland.

The lighting's damn good, too, if I'm talking about affects that build atmosphere and tone, but it really is the sound that makes this game for me. Well, okay, actually it's the gameplay that makes the game, but it's the sound that really pushes it above and beyond just a good game to me. The sound is what makes the little moments - like when you're cooking a rabbit, or searching a cabin, or just sitting inside waiting for a storm to die down - really come alive.

So, yeah, this whole post is just me saying thanks to Hinterland. You have finally provided me with exactly what I've always wanted from sound design in a game.

Not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I wanted to say it somewhere and this seems the best place.

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I've got to say I fully agree with RJ Dalton on the sound with Long Dark. The depth and feel of the sound is fantastic, job well done Hinterland. There's so few games out there that pay as much attention to the sound to add to the gameplay that it's sometimes a bit disappointing. I know I was often just standing around in the game listening to the sound, it fits so well, and makes the game what it is. The main thing that got me to sign up and make this comment was my wife was in the other room at home and made a remark that she knew when I was waiting for a storm to pass or when one had lifted just by listening, from across the way.

So thank your sound people, and thank you for such a great, engrossing, and entertaining game.

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Totally agree, when I streamed this game on my twitch I spent like 10 minutes talking about how amazing sound is - it's truly a masterpiece, a state of art. Hell, outside of my house there is a 100km/h wind now and it doesn't sound half that good as it's in TLD :D

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I've spent a lot of time in the far north during winters, and I agree sound is spot on. The crackling of the ice might sound weird to some, but it is actually quite accurate. What I really, desperately want is the shifting, grinding, creaking and booming of ice. There is nothing more eerie than hearing the ice pack move beneath your feet. (If you've never been on lake ice-it shifts from your weight regardless of the thickness. The longer you stay in one place, the more it creaks and booms)

The wind is perfect too.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes, the sound in the game is amazing and crucial to the game. Once, I was playing without my headphones on so i did not hear Wolfy (my nickname for the wolves) coming up from my right side, he was growling but I didn't hear him, so the attack took me by surprise. From then on, I've always had my headphones on when I'm playing the game. :) You can thank David Chan, the Audio Director for the amazing sounds. Watch the video below and check out how he captures the ambient sound and noises (he appears at the 4:53 minute mark)

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  • 2 months later...

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