Game Worlds - Fundamentals of Game Design - page 99

FIGURE 4.9
Grim Fandango com-
bines Aztec, Art Deco,
and Mexican Day of the
Dead themes.
Physical surroundings include sounds as well as sights: music; ambient environ-
mental sounds; the particular noises made by people, animals, machinery, and
vehicles. If you think about the sounds things make at the same time that you
think about how they look, this helps you create a coherent world. Suppose you're
inventing a six-legged reptilian saddle animal with clawed feet rather than hooves.
How does that creature sound as it moves? Its scales might rattle a bit. Its feet are
not going to make the characteristic cilp-clop sound of a shod horse. With six legs,
it will probably have some rather odd gaits, and those should be reflected in the
sound it makes.
The physical surroundings play a big role in setting the tone and mood of the game
as it is played, whether it's the lighthearted cheerfulness of Mario or the gritty reali-
ties of the Godfather series (see Figure 4.10 ). The sound, and especially the music,
will contribute greatly to this. Think hard about the kind of music you want, and
consider what genres will be appropriate. Stanley Kubrick listened to hundreds of
records to select the music for 2001: A Space Odyssey , and he astonished the world
with his choice of “The Blue Danube” for the shuttle docking sequence. You have a
similar opportunity when you design your game.