Arguably, the most important feature to accurately adapt Paramount’s horror film franchise A Quiet Place into a game is sound design. The film’s most memorable and tense moments can be credited to its use of sound, or lack thereof. A new video for A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead shows how Saber Interactive and Stormind Games attempt to translate the film’s use of audio into a core gameplay mechanic.
How does A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead sound design affect gameplay?
A new developer diary featuring Stormind Games sound designer Diego Sambataro explains how integral audio is to its core gameplay. Players will have to watch their every step to ensure their survival from the deadly creatures stalking the game’s world.
“In a world where any sound that you can make could be your last, the design around how sound creates gameplay is critical to what makes A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead fun,” says Sambataro. “Every action in The Road Ahead demands precision as even the slightest movements can create sound.”
Every material players interact with will have varying degrees of loudness. For example, sand diffuses the sound of footsteps by pouring it ahead of the player’s walking path. In contrast, stepping on rusty metal amplifies the player’s footsteps, making them an easy target for the creatures. Additionally, other obstacles like leaves, water, and glass play a part in how loud players traverse the world.
These mechanics also apply to doors and drawers you’ll open and close. Players will have to be careful as the creaks of a door may attract the attention of the creatures.
Throughout A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead’s story, certain obstacles ask players to partake in some risky situations to progress. Each one is built to create a tense, potentially life-ending atmosphere that requires players to focus to survive.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead has difficulty levels that allow players to make more noise before getting caught. However, Sambataro says that the creatures have a few tricks that break the rules.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead launches on October 17, 2024, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
