10 PERFECT Sound Design Moments That Improved Video Games

1. Inside – The Pulse

This isn’t Playdead’s first rodeo into immersive storytelling games. 2010’s Limbo was a perturbing black and white foray that uses blurry, vague visuals, and sounds to create a rather unnerving playing experience. INSIDE is slightly different in its use of a sharper art-style, focusing on the gritty story of a boy infiltrating a sinister facility for reasons unknown.

While the precise creation of the boy’s laboured breathing from sprint to cooldown is commendable, resonating through underwater corridors and desolate cityscapes, the soundscape that is most mystifying is everything surrounding The Pulse level.

The Pulse resides in The Atrium, a chamber seemingly spanning miles that emits a shockwave every six seconds, decimating anything outside of cover. As the boy attempts to open the gigantic door to The Atrium, the player may notice the sounds of far-away booms. The level itself is a breath-taking masterpiece that uses sound as a neat game mechanic as the boy must dodge shockwaves behind metal walls and panels to safety in a genius use of the side-scrolling format.

Music even serves the sound design, as the melodic hums come and go with each wave. The level is a fantastic piece of world-building that explains the sheer expanse of the facility, as well as making you ponder its purpose and your own.