Other games where enemies have music?

[Secret Foxfire]

I'm doing some research for a video essay and I'm looking for more games where each enemy has music or ambient sound that plays near it, so you can hear them coming. I haven't found any examples other than Windbound. Does anyone know of any others? Thanks in advance!

[Vandal Savant]

Maybe Souls games? Most of the bosses in Demon's Souls for instance have unique music, and could offer interesting input in how they affect the feelings of their encounter. Shadow of the Colossus would fall into that as well; music is very important for conveying emotions in games with very little narrated storytelling.

But if you're asking for like, contextually sensitive music, I'd recommend stuff like Dishonored, where music can get quietly tense whenever near an enemy's detection range, which offers the player an extra cue for stealth play.

[Secret Foxfire]

Yes, I am looking for games where music and/or other sound cues are used to indicate when an enemy is nearby. Naturally music is key to emotional impact, but I'm working on a video essay about games using sound as a mechanic to let you know when an enemy is coming (and conversely, where an absence of such sound lets the player know there are no threats nearby). It seems to be quite a rare thing. I'll take a look at Dishonored, thanks.

[Vandal Savant]

Yeah, that's a really rare thing. My best guess would be to explore the horror game sphere for that, since they thrive on all kinds of anxiety-building cues.

In other stealth games though, one that does that "hear them before you see them" use of sound is perhaps the Thief games. Guards make a lot of sound, coughing, humming, grunting, grumbling to themselves, with very loud footsteps that can be even more apparent depending on what kind of surface they're walking on. It's pretty brilliant for such "old" (1998) series.

Thief Gold, the first in the series, is also on sale for about $1 if you're invested enough to look at it firsthand and get it working correctly on a modern pc.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/211600/Thief_Gold/

[Nab]

sortof: Music as part of the gameplay
Crypt of the Necrodancer
Furi (subtle but the music is important)
Bürtal Legend if I remember correctly

And everyones favorite: The WoW Murloc

Most games feature general combat/peace music, but enemy specific music is rare

[fiverest]

Another example somewhat like the Thief one: Void Bastards. It's a cel-shaded FPS with stealth, crafting, and rogue-lite elements.

There's distinct music that plays when you encounter security elements (such as gunpoints, basically turrets) that can often tip you off before you've noticed, especially if they get a lock on you through a window (through which they can't shoot).

Also all other enemies have distinct sounds and chatter, and to help reinforce the comic-book aesthetic, you can often see these distinct sounds as comic word text before opening a door to a new room, to give you a sense of what might be there. Cameras whir, janitors mutter, etc...

There are also enemies who have the ability to disappear when you see them, and reappear behind you - the battle music that kicks in is often a cue that one's nearby and has seen you, even if you hadn't yet noticed.

[Brolaire of Astora]

In Monster Hunter World you know exactly when Bazelgeuse or Deviljho spotted you because their themes start playing. And they're menacing.
Do you have a youtube channel? I like video essays about games.

[Secret Foxfire]

Originally posted by Brolaire of Astora:

In Monster Hunter World you know exactly when Bazelgeuse or Deviljho spotted you because their themes start playing. And they're menacing.
Do you have a youtube channel? I like video essays about games.

Thanks for the tip. Yes, I do have a YouTube channel: youtube.com/secretfoxfire

[Brolaire of Astora]

I totally forgot about the enemies in Remnant: From the Ashes.
Alot of them have special sound effects that make you aware that they are approaching.
Sub bosses get a loud shrieking noise that sounds like a braking train.
Other smaller enemies that explode when they're close to you have a buzzing sound that gets louder the closer they are. They're called the Rot Ward.

[Falaris]

For sound in games, a lot (surprisingly much) has a music track that adapts to what is happening - adaptive music. It's unique in windbound more for its transparency than anything else (you're near this so you hear that). It can be fairly subtle.

Two classic examples would be tomb raider and the halo games. The latter use both vertical re-orchestration and horizontal re-sequencing with some randomization.

[Comric]

In each of these, in their own different way, music is an important part.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1372320/Cloud_Gardens/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/582620/Copoka/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/683320/GRIS/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1289310/Helltaker/

[Comric]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/944080/Pode/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1040550/Spring_Falls/

[Secret Foxfire]

Hey folks, although I appreciate all the people trying to help, I think folks have misread my request, so once again: I am not looking for "games where music is important". I am only looking very specifically for games where enemies have music that plays around them at all times, like in Windbound, so you can hear enemies coming and avoid them if you want. It seems to be a very rare mechanic.

Again, I do NOT need a list of games where music is important, or where boss fights have unique music, or where music is a part of gameplay, or where the music is just really good. Specifically I am only seeking games where you can use an enemy's unique music/sound to tell when they are nearby and avoid them if you want to. (Although at this point I think it's clear that Windbound's system is unique and, aside from stealth-focused games, there probably aren't really any other examples.) Thanks. Wishing everyone the best.

[Dread Guacamole]

Honestly can't think of any games where each enemy has their own theme, or at least where I realized they did.
There's Proteus, where everything you encounter have their own sound elements that contribute to the game's music... But IIRC even music-centered games, like Brutal Legend don't really do it- plenty of them have themes for characters, but not for every type of monster in them. Factions, maybe.
A couple of indie musical games which sound like they may have something like this (can't really remember, sorry!) and flown under your radar: Figment, Karmaflow, Ephemerid; Though I'm fairly sure the music in them is more situation/story than enemy-based.

[Nyu]

Nier: Automata partly adds music.
and also has one of the best musicfights IMO

i still get flashbacks of that fight if i hear the song.

[TheRealRws]

Dead by daylight possibly