I firmly believe that, when it comes to horror, less is always more because no matter what you’re presented with it’s nowhere near as terrifying as what your own mind can conjure up in its stead. Now, when it comes to video games, sound design is the true key component when trying to make a top tier horror title.
That said, I’ve been playing a lot of the Resident Evil 2 remake since it came out and, other than being blown away by the game visually, I really have to hand it to the sound design for heightening the tension. There’s nothing more dreadful than entering a room you’ve never been in before, hearing something shuffling around a corner and not knowing what’s there; other than maybe hearing the heavy footsteps of Mr. X somewhere near you and coming ever closer to you.
However, I have to say that there’s really only one aspect of the game which has left me feeling rather underwhelmed if not even entirely disappointed: the music. This might sound weird, but I found the music to be a bit too “modernized” for my tastes in terms of feeling too far polished. The music is not as gritty and/or raw as the original soundtrack, which I think really comes down to something being said about the progression in recording and listening technology actually taking away the organic nature of music, like the pops in vinyl or the hiss in a cassette tape being replaced by nothing but digital silence. Continue reading
Gyoza King is another side project for neon shudder, who also produces under low.poly.exception, and their album Life Sim Cafe is like an eclectic mix of drinks off its retro-electro menu. As the album art might suggest there’s a bit of a 1990’s video game vibe to be found within but it’s so much more than that as its influences further range from anime to synthwave. It’s altogether lighter fare than what they usually produce, which is nice as it shows their range, so sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Watermelon Banzai 