You don’t often notice it when a game’s sound design is weak, but when it’s on point? It heightens the experience as much as graphics, soundtrack or even gameplay sometimes.
Some of the time, the games themselves may not be all that great, but they still stand out due to the way they make you feel while playing them, thanks to a brilliant use of atmospheric sound design.
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It can be specific areas in a game that stick with you, the way a particular enemy sounds or just the way your footsteps echo through an empty building, but it’s just as important as any other aspect of a game.
All genres are able to qualify for great sound design, and we’re going to check out some games that raised their quality on the sound design alone.
10Bloodborne
A New Kind of Horror
Bloodborne
Fextralife Wiki
Bloodborneis an incredible experience and part of that is due to the amazing sound design that the game has.
From thedisturbing groans of the townsfolk in Yharnmanto the otherworldly howls of the Nightmare Frontier or the ethereal weirdness of Hunter’s Dream, every location in Bloodborne makes you feel it through its unique use of ambient sound.
There are also the fantastic blood-splashing sound effects, giving you a visceral audio response every time you hack into some horrific creature’s flesh and, of course, the horrifying growls and screams of the bosses, which sound every bit as disturbing as they look.
Bloodborne is a top choice for getting a legit speaker system, turning down the lights and letting the atmosphere envelop you whole.
Existential Ocean Sounds
SOMA is a lonely game and one that can often bemore terrifying than any game out there. You awake in a desolate underwater facility and immediately, the atmosphere is oppressive.
The sounds of a broken civilization echo through these dark and dreary corridors and when you soon find out you’re not alone, those sounds become all the more dreadful to hear.
The electronic, pained cries that you hear from the various “people” you encounter throughout the game are among gaming’s most disturbing sounds period.
It’s all about the vibes here and the ambient gurgles and creaks that this underwater hellscape has in store for you will keep you up late hours into the night.
8Death Stranding 2
Every Step You Take
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding 2isa technical achievement in many ways, but I feel one of the best things it does is the sound design.
When traveling on foot, every step is heard with clarity, your stumbles to the ground feel dangerous and the sounds of your equipment tumbling down the mountain is as shocking to hear as it is to see.
Not only that, but the BTs sound even more horrifying this time around, with subhuman sounds emerging from their disturbingly non-formed mouths and their companion enemies this time around, the Ghost Mechs, have their own sort of paranormal, sci-fi noises as they roam the land hunting for you.
I think the combat really shines in the sound department for the sequel though, with weapons sounding explosive and dangerous where they sounded rather muted and weak in the first game.
That sound design kicks up a notch during the various boss battles too, with one against the mysterious Neil Vana really upping the ante from a tension-building standpoint.
It makes you pay attention to every footstep of your enemies as well as listen for nearby commands being given out where your distance to the boss affects how clearly you hear the dialogue or not.
As great as the gameplay is in Death Stranding 2, the sound design manages to stand alone as well.
7Remnant 2
Mysterious and Punchy
Remnant 2may not be the game you think of for sound design, but from my experience, it was simply incredible.
The variety of different worlds we get here are all brought to life with some incredible ambient sounds and effects to bring the worlds to life.
From bizarre, sci-fi worlds made up of shape-shifting cubes to disturbing towns full of burning zombies, every time the silence takes over following a battle, there is always something to grab your attention sound-wise.
And we can’t forget aboutthe explosive combat sounds. From the sounds the strange and alien guns give off to the crazy roars of otherworldly enemies, everything sounds pure and visceral and the team behind the audio deserves a ton of praise for bringing this game to life from a sound design standpoint.
6Little Nightmares 2
Things Go Bump in the Night
Little Nightmares 2
Little Nightmares 2is one of the most disturbing experiences you’re able to have and a truly singular game in the platformer side scroller genre.
There isn’t a ton of music in the game, but there doesn’t need to be. The game tells its story through sounds and visuals, not words and music.
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The sound design here is impeccable, with some truly terrifying moments that are signified by nothing more than a distant ambient shriek and the little noises you’ll hear as you travel to creepy locations like an abandoned school will make you feel a sense of dread that no amount of visual or musical accompaniment could hope to accomplish.
The dark dichotomy between your cute little main character and the sounds the enemies of this world make will chill even the most hardened gamer souls, and it’s one of the reasons it’s such a phenomenal experience.
5Alan Wake 2
Whispers in the Nightmare
Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2is an amazing experience andone of the most disturbing games to come out in some time.
I think a huge part of that is the excellent sound design. There are so many moments in the game where I had to look over my shoulder, or rather feared even thinking about it, because I heard some slight ruffle in the bushes or door creaking open.
The world feels completely alive thanks to the sound design and the most harrowing usage of it is definitely with the shadowy figures that stalk Alan Wake’s every move throughout the game.
You’ll start to hear the gutteral calls of “Wake, Wake” well before they’re upon you and sometimes, those voices come out of nowhere and just startle you out of nowhere.
One of the best uses of sound design in the game is when Saga has to investigate an abandoned carnival ground and the visual atmosphere is foreboding, but it’s the sound of slight movements here and there and the almost deadness in the air that gives you a truly unsettling feeling while playing it.
Sounds of the West
Red Dead Redemption 2
While there is a handful of memorable music inRed Dead Redemption 2, it isn’t the soundtrack that stands out from an audio standpoint.
It’s the sound of guns exploding to life in the hands of dreary, desperate outlaws of the old west. It’s the sound of a nearby campfire crackling to life as you travel along the road. It’s the sound of a sudden ripple of water as you wade through a swamp attempting to ambush an enemy.
Everything bursts to life through the speakers in this iconic game and it’s thanks to the incredible sound design. There is a classic and worn nature to so much you hear from this game, whether it’s background noise in a crowded bar, or the over-the-top bombastic sound of dynamite exploding nearby.
The reason Red Dead Redemption 2 grips you in its world is because, even in the silence in between missions, you hear that wind passing through the trees and the sounds your horse makes as it leaps over a fence. You’re there, and the sound design makes sure you believe it.
3Elite Dangerous
Alone in the Universe
Elite Dangerous
Elite Dangerous can be an intimidating game. You’re alone in the vastness of space, and it’s you and a bunch of otherlost pilots looking to make their way into this mysterious universe.
Part of what makes the experience so immersive is the top-notch sound design. Your engines, for example, sound unique on every ship you’re on, and it can be a bit of a surprise when you fire one up for the first time.
The controls on your ship all have unique bleeps and bloops in proper sci-fi fashion, so even if the music is on the light side, you still provide plenty of reasons for there to be sound effects.
Things can get awfully scary on the sound front here. For example, getting sucked into a White Dwarf, hearing your ship slowly implode and the creeks and engines failing all at once as you’re slowly burning up is completely panic-inducing and without the incredible sound design, you wouldn’t feel nearly as much.
Overall, it’s a brilliant depiction of less is more from the sound design team, and it’s clear they wanted this to feel like a heavy, lonely experience in all aspects of the game.
2The Last of Us: Part 2
You Can Hear the Brutality
The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us: Part 2leaves a lasting impression on you regardless of what your feeling on the overall game is. I think part of the reason is the game uses sound design more uniquely than any other game in this genre.
There are a handful of reasons for this, and the first one is the enemies. The clickers and other undead threats are as scary sounding as ever, but it’s the human enemies that take the stage this time around.
Humans call out to each other by name, panicking if their friends are killed and unleashing absolutely primal yells of aggression and horror in response to our actions, scaring the player far more than any zombie-type enemy could.
There are also the perfectly fitting sounds the makeshift weapons make, such as pistol silencers, Molotov cocktails or the various melee weapons. They all have such weighty and vicious effects, showing that the world in the game is as dark and brutal as its two main protagonists.
I think the ambience in The Last of Us: Part 2 is also well displayed, with the various locales all feeling real thanks to little background sounds like infected running in the distance, soldiers combing through the forest searching for Eliie or a clicker hearing a rogue gunshot in the background and roaring to action.
Overall, it’s got some incredible sound design that will keep you gripped in the terrifying world.
1Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
It’s All In Your Head
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificeis a one-of-a-kind experience solely because of its sound design.
It uses atmospheric sound and ambience better than any game I’ve ever seen, and itingrains you in this world in such a deep waythat it’s hard to describe. The biggest triumph in sound design here, however, is the voice in Senua’s head.
They are meant to depict real-life schizophrenia, and they do so by putting multiple voices in the main character’s head throughout the journey, with different voices overlapping and contradicting each other. It’s truly a harrowing experience.
If you have headphones, this is the best possible game to use them with, as the voices come through only on one side, giving you the exact feeling Senua may have as she struggles to clear her mind throughout the journey.
There is also the sound of combat, with extremely satisfying blade clashing and weapons tearing through flesh, resulting in a disturbing medley of sound.
There are a few games that are must play simply because of the sound design. However, if there is one that it’s true for, it is 100 percent Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
