10 PERFECT Sound Design Moments That Improved Video Games

4. Thief – Garett V Guards

If there’s one genre of videogames that relies heavily on its sound design, it’s the stealth genre. Way before the invention of Metal Gears’ red exclamation mark, developers were brainstorming how to hide players in shadowy corners and cardboard boxes and how to communicate to players if they are hidden.

Thief was a pioneer for stealth trends; its light gem inspiration can be seen throughout the Splinter Cell and Metal Gear franchises. However, the audio really takes the cake for its subtlety in conveying to the player how sneaky they’re truly being.

Eidos spent countless hours meticulously crafting how players can be clued into a guard’s awareness. Callouts play a big part, letting players know if a guard has heard their footsteps or seen movement. Vice versa, players can keep an ear out for the footsteps of enemies, allowing them to formulate a plan of attack or escape.

Thief also uses different flooring that may attract a guard if the player moves too quickly along a cobbled street. All these neat sound design choices force the player to consider their playstyle carefully, while successfully creating a fantastically eerie soundscape of echoing stone corridors and frightening demonic enemies.