Game Essentials: Audio

A key factor in fully immersing the player in a game is including appropriate audio. Music will help enhance the playing experience, while background noise and sound effects provide ambiance and believability. Audio can also provide feedback and cues to the player.

The audio in Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia is just as rich and layered as the graphics and gameplay themselves; the inclusion of background sounds such as the distant rush of running water or tranquil birdcalls in Link's Ordon Village, or the echoing howl of wind and dripping water heard as the Prince navigates an underground cavern makes each world more realistic, and help to set the scene.
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Event-based sounds offer feedback to actions the player takes, or may provide audio cues. Walking over grass or stone in Twilight Princess will elicit squishing, crunching, or hollow tapping sounds, adding another dimension of realism to the visual environment. Link's signature "Heeyah!" yells and grunts when fighting, lifting rocks, or rolling add character, while the "thunk" or clanging sounds heard when he hits a tree or rock with his sword breathe life into the game world whenever the player reacts with it.

The Prince's fierce Warrior Within roars and injured grunts he makes when struck again enhance the character himself, while metallic weapon clashes, scraping sounds whenever he kicks up a fallen enemy's weapon to use as a secondary one, familiar pattering as he runs across walls, or the deep, resounding sound made by rolling over a metal prison grate all enrich the gameplay experience.

Sound effects like the hum of Sand clouds in SoT, the intimidating roaring and zooming sounds as sand creatures materialize and teleport, the whirring and slicing of deadly boobytraps, the pulse as you enter sneak attack mode in TT, or Farah's "Look out! Behind you!" warnings can help to cue the player to move or attack at the right time.

Similarly, the sound of Midna's impish laughing indicates you've reached somewhere she can teleport you to when platforming, the tinny giggling whenever a poe appears, or the ticking sound whenever a timed switch in a dungeon has been activated let the player know it's time to take action.

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Voiceovers provide spoken in-game dialogue or narration, which can add depth to characters and plotline to further shape the mood or environment of a game. Although Twilight Princess includes no voice acting past the occasional grunts, croons, or laughs of various characters and textual dialogue, The Prince of Persia trilogy makes expert use of voiceovers, including decent voice acting to help flesh out each model, as well as incorporating spoken narration to tell the story itself.

Sands of Time in particular opens like a storybook movie, combining cinematic cutscenes with the Prince himself introducing the story and providing exposition. Even when the player is given full control of the action, they are still treated to hearing the Prince's private thoughts and spoken monologues from time to time as they platform. Through these voiceovers, the Prince reveals his guilt and remorse for his actions, as well as his initial annoyance turned affection for Farah, his royal companion (" 'I'll meet you at the baaaths'- She orders me around as if I were a servant!"). Another amusing addition is how the Prince asks "Shall I continue?" when you are promted to save during a pause screen, or even corrects you at the continue screen after you die, saying "No, that's not how it happened," or "She didn't die, I saved her!". The Prince proceeds to narrate his continuing tale in Warrior Within through beautiful cutscenes and flashbacks, furthering the player's sense of his personality as he taunts and banters with enemies he's fighting. The Two Thrones is narrated strangely enough from the point of view of the deceased Kaileena, although the Prince cuts in from time to time to fight verbally with his darker counterpart, the Dark Prince.



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The soundtrack helps set the mood of a videogame and can consist of either a song soundtrack of pre-existing songs that have been licensed from copyright holders for use in the game, or an original score, instrumental music written specifically for the game. Twilight Princess and Prince of Persia are set to an imaginative set of original music, soundtracks I found so enjoyable and evocative I actually had to own them.

Twilight Princess repeats some of the classic Zelda themes like the lively and heroic music that swells during the title screen or whenever Link enters Hyrule field, as well as new tunes for specific stages and settings. All three PoP scores create a decidedly authentic flavor, incorporating archaic chanting, eastern-sounding percussion, and string instrumentals that sound like an oud or sitar with more modern musical touches like synthesized undercurrents to add a fantastical element. Warrior Within in particular unleashes a darker, tougher sound to compliment the game's brutal, bloodier combat with grungy guitar riffs and deep bass chords while still retaining the exotic sound found in the previous and following titles.

Both scores also incorporate adaptive music, which changes to conform to a player's actions throughout the game. For example, the current soundtrack might morph into a more ominous one whenever enemies appear, or special, ambient music whenever a secret cavern or mystical portal is entered.