Alien Isolation is not only one of the most stress-causing horror games released in years, it's also one of the purest stealth experiences. In horror movies, well-crafted audio is crucial because it sparks the imagination, and all that is needed to scare people in an empty house is the footsteps on the stairs, and the same law applies to horror games, and van Dijk, the music director of Alien Isolation, recently shared his own mental journey in making the game sound, let's take a look.
Alien was released in 1979, and Van confessed that he was scared before he saw the film. "I still remember that poster line, in space, no one can hear your screams!" This concept is deeply rooted in my heart." To help make a game as close to the first film as possible, 20th Century Fox gave The Creative Assembly access to the original sound effects, which were taken from the eight tracks and carefully arranged throughout the game. Although the production team could not simply replicate the sound due to the low quality of the film's audio, Fox offered them an opportunity to recreate it using modern technology.
In the game inspired by Alien Isolation, Van Dijk specifically mentioned the sci-fi horror game Dead Space, arguing that the game itself borrowed heavily from alien movies. "In Dead Space, the audio they use is called the Fear Launcher, and they're basically just a point, and they're placed in various parts of the level, and if you get closer to that point, the concert crossovers to get the player into a state of tension, and if the player walks away quickly, the audio will gradually shrink. At the same time, they are not only fixed points in the game, but the production team will also attach them to monsters, especially important monsters. As they approach you, the music is amplified, reminding the player while creating a horror atmosphere.
Van Dijk admits that the Alien in Alien Isolation has a similar enhancement effect, the main instrument used is the trembling violin sound, when the aliens approach, the squeaking, sparks and trembling in the environment gradually fade, and the gradual sound of the violin murmur will make the player more aware of the protagonist Amanda's breathing and the clicking sound of the object or open device, which can significantly cause pressure on the player.
Meanwhile in the game, Van Dijk also creates a sound profile that is linked to the protagonist Amanda's every move, from sterile plastic in the medical pod to the silt of an alien lair. They mainly do this by applying pressure on different surfaces, including using soil covered with a variety of slimy vegetables and broken wood residue.
However, the real difficulty in the game all comes from getting the right noise for the Alien. "Initially it just didn't sound right. It sounds like a big robot or something like that. It has claws, so we have to know something about claws, but we want to create monsters that are strong and heavy, so we need to get some of the right frequency of movement so that when it walks around, the player will feel the floor shake a little, and with the sound, the pressure will be shaped at once," Van Dijk said.
In James Cameron's Alien, the Alien's sound comes from a post-tuned baboon call. In Alien Isolation, the production team used the same method to sample the animals, and then carefully compiled the results through the musical effects unit. These synthetic sounds, which are not arranged all over the place, we chose to have some places to place a little bit, it adds to the weirdness of stepping into a new room and will make the player think that the aliens are there, as they heard.
But sometimes, the player thinks that the sound of the alien was heard in a trance, which may be true. The sound of the alien crawling overhead was initially randomly placed, triggered unpredictably by the player, but Van Dijk said the effect was not what he wanted. "When the alien is in the vents and ducts, it's actually supposed to be there. When it leaves the screen, it's just a wireframe skeleton, but he's actually moving around and following physical principles as it's looking for ways to find the player. From the developer's perspective, the player can see that the alien is running around, and when the player touches something, they can see that it hears your voice and starts walking towards the player. These measures will ensure that all the sounds emitted by the alien sound correct and in the right place, because it should actually behave exactly like the real thing.
Through Van Dijk's brief description, Xiaobian also has a preliminary understanding of the importance of sound in the game, but also to appreciate the difficulties of making the game, a single sound link can be divided into such a complex module, a good game itself will need how much effort, fortunately, the pay is rewarded, "Alien: Isolation" even today, whether it is the shaping of the horror environment or the arrangement of the level are of high quality, it is still a unique horror game, which may be the best reward for van Dijk and other developers.