Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

Game Title Bloodborne

Provide detailed descriptions from chosen examples that establish… Clearly state what production technique(s) you think have been used to create specific soundtrack elements

Setting To help show the setting of the game which is of a horror themed Victorian city they use the sound of a church bell ringing. The church bell is a sign of older times from when the church was more prominent and it links with the games themes of demons and the undead with them being linked to the church through traditional horror.

The church bells that ring in the game cutscene sound like they have been recorded as ambient noise, my guess would be that they recorded a church bell being rung from a distance and then edited it to filter out any other sounds that may have been recorded alongside it and refine it to sound just right for the image on screen

Mood The mood is set with some small sound effects and the background music, one of the several sound effects used is the creak of an old wheelchair being used. The creak is used to set an eerie and uncomftable mood exaggerating the horror elements of the game. The background music to the game includes heavy string instruments which inspire a sense of dread in the player and the music is composed in such a way to build tension.

The creaking metal could have been a recording of many things such as a stiff door or an old bike and would have likely been recorded up close and the finely edited in sound software. The background music would have been recorded in a sound studio where they have a full set of instruments and a recording room to keep other sounds out.

Game genre The game is in the horror genre and this is shown through a mixture of sounds that set up tension or show danger, nearing the end of the trailer where water drops are used to create a eerie atmosphere and when the character is in danger they create a sound that starts quiet and then raises to show that.

The drops of water could have been recorded with a directional microphone and a tap. The sound to create danger sounds like it could be a instrument, if this was the case the recording of the instrument would then be edited to raise its volume at a specific time to create the sense of danger

Narrative The narrative is shown through sound effects such as the main character cutting through enemies and small sounds that indicate something is happening or on the screen such as the growling of a undead dog

The sound of the main character cutting through enemies could have been made by recording cutting meat at a butcher or by cutting fruit and veg for the crunch effects. Sounds like the dog

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

would have come from a real animal most likely a dog or possibly a wolf for a more aggressive effect.