One of my most favourite games of all time is 'Dark Souls 3' developed by From Software. It's a masterpiece of a game not only in gameplay but in all aspects of it's design. The visuals of the game are consistent even if some areas look drastically different from each other.
One of my most favourite aspects of the games design is the audio. It matches the tone of the game perfectly and provides the player with information without directly hinting at it.
In this post I will be discussing the opening sequence of the game along with some general audio design that is consistent throughout the game.
Close to the beginning of the game the player arrives at a destination known as 'The High Wall Of Lothric'. It is here the player is met with a constant harsh wind that indicates to them they are far far away from any normal ground in a place lost and abandoned. It adds to the general uninhabited feel of the area. The wind also adds to the scale of the area, it makes you feel like you've entered this vast once populated kingdom now left to scavengers and tortured souls.
High Wall Of Lothric, Dark Souls 3, Bandai Namco, 2016
As you progress on from the initial bonfire you are met with a path of tortured souls, kneeling on the ground praying to whatever god they believe could save them. To add to this grim path, you hear the constant groaning of these individuals as they beg for mercy. If the player decides to end these harmless souls of their suffering, they let out one final tired groan before falling to the ground dead. I feel this works as a perfect way to set the tone of what is to come for the rest of the game. The player is about to set on a journey fighting against ruthless enemies that are made to cause suffering, it's almost as if the developers are foreshadowing that the player will soon be begging for mercy wanting the suffering to stop, but unlike these tortured the souls the player must push on to end the agony.
Once the player passes through the path they enter into a building. The first thing that you'll notice is how it almost becomes silent as soon as you enter. The aggressive wind of before has now become a muffled static in the background, it gives the player a sense of security, at least at first. What players of 'Dark Souls 3' will come to realise is that when things are quiet it's a warning from the developers that danger is much closer than you expect. By cutting out the louder noises it becomes a more focussed hostile environment that if the player pauses for a second they can hear the sounds of nearby enemies, either by their groans or by footsteps. This is great Audio Design as it provides the player with feedback without directly hinting to them danger is near, the player must take their time in order to fully understand what is around them. By playing smarter the player is rewarded with information, and that's great as it helps those less skilled in the game to plan ahead or potentially give them a chance to avoid an enemy encounter.
A little further into the opening area the player will encounter an enemy that converts into this snake like beast. Not only is this terrifying to witness but the added audio effects multiply this fear and sense of danger. The sound is an amplified bursting of flesh, followed by the sharp death noise of when an enemy is killed. All these effects going off at once alerts the player to run, which is clever audio design. If you decide to face the enemy you will come to realise that the noise wasn't an exaggeration and soon you will be dead much like the enemies around the beast.
Pus Of Man, Dark Souls 3, Bandai Namco, 2016
Just a little onward the player will encounter a mini boss like enemy. This enemy is a large round knight which visually doesn't look too threatening. This is where some of the strongest Audio Design of the game comes into play. Due the look of the enemy not being threatening the developer had to turn to audio to warn the player to maybe not attempt challenging the enemy quite yet. Before you get a look at the knight you hear the loud thuds as he walks around surveying his area for any intruders that may be unfortunate enough to run into him. The crash as he walks is accompanied by the sound of his armour rattling with each step. The best part about this audio is how the player can still hear it faintly inside the buildings surrounding the enemy. It lets the player know there is this lingering threat nearby and that in any second they will come into contact with it. 'From Software' really done a great job in letting you visualise this enemy before you even see them, you can tell from the armour rattling that it will be some sort of knight and the crashing footsteps that you can constantly hear in the surrounding area really paints the picture that they are much more grand in scale.
Winged Knight, Dark Souls 3, Bandai Namco, 2016
To finish off this blog I just want to mention some consistent audio design that is apparent throughout Dark Souls 3.
The player only encounters music whenever they are facing a boss, unless it is in universe which is rare. By having little music it really adds to the emptiness of the world, further making the player feel like they are wandering desolate lands.
When stood near a bonfire(which is essentially the checkpoints of the game), the player not only hears the crackle of fire, but also a gentle high pitched hum. Personally I feel this adds a sense of security, it's much more lighter in tone compared to other sounds of the game and almost lets you picture the aura of the bonfire.
Similarly there is a spell known as 'Tears Of Denial' that essentially lets you survive from dying, meaning that when you hit 0HP you immediately get added 1HP. When casted a visual flame appears on your character, but to also inform the player the spell is active a high pitched tone plays over any other general background audio such as wind and footsteps, this is really useful as when in intensive fights the player might not be focussed on looking on their character but rather the enemy so the noise keeps them in the right. When the spell activates a large burst effect plays, along with a visual effect to accompany it. This is a great example of 'From Software's' excellent audio design and how the visuals and audio work together to inform the player.
This concludes the blog post, I hope you enjoyed reading this post. I definitely have more of an appreciation for 'Dark Souls 3' now after breaking down its audio elements, as I've gained more insight into the audio clues the game provides along with how it makes me feel more immersed in it's world. I look forward to breaking down the audio design of other games I enjoy and seeing how different genres compare to each other in both informing and immersing the player in their respective worlds. Thanks for Reading.
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