In the previous part, we talked about the sound effects, now let's broaden our eardrums gaze and take a look at the—

The amount and structure of background music depend on the game’s genre, scope, narrative, and gameplay style. In games like Doom, music is central — it drives adrenaline and encourages fast, aggressive play. Metal: Hellsinger goes further, making audio integral to gameplay itself.

In tactical shooters, however, this approach would be counterproductive. Here, precise sound positioning is key: enemy footsteps, reloads, bomb setups, etc. Music takes a backseat to critical audio cues and is used minimally — in menus, round intros, or moments when battles are resolved. During active combat, music is either absent or subdued as ambient sound, emphasizing tension and atmosphere rather than controlling game tempo.

Modern game sound design often uses interactive music systems, dynamically reacting to the player’s actions and world events. There are two main approaches to designing these systems:

• Horizontal — different sounds play for different locations (city, forest, factory, etc.), clearly signaling environment changes.

• Vertical — layered music, e.g.:

  • base layer plays during exploration;

  • tension layer adds when enemies notice the player;

  • combat layer transforms the base track into a dynamic composition, heightening intensity toward the climax.

“Excellent examples of game music include brutal Doom (2016), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, capturing the spirit of Slavic fantasy, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with one of the most detailed and expansive music systems. Nobuo Uematsu’s work in Final Fantasy inspired me to create music, while indie games like Undertale show how 8-bit compositions enhance immersion.” — Vitaly Davidovich, Sound Designer

Character themes often use leitmotifs, musical phrases reflecting the character’s personality, behavior, etc. By adjusting instruments, tempo, or key, composers can subtly signal mood shifts or narrative context.

Menu music is another vital aspect — it becomes the project’s audio “face” as it is frequently heard by players. It must be memorable without becoming tiring.

Overall, interactive music can range from 20-30 minutes in small indie games to 4-5 hours in AAA titles.

Share in the comments if you have a favourite track from any game! What do you listen it to?

How often do you listen to video game music outside of gameplay? Chances are, your long playlist includes at least a few tracks from your favorite titles!

Creating memorable tracks is a complex process, but it’s only part of the long and meticulous work that goes into sound design — most of which happens behind the scenes. In this article, we’ll pull back the curtain and explain the principles and processes behind game sound design using the NCORE project as an example.

Game audio serves three key functions:

• informational — sounds or music can alert the player or communicate important information, such as an enemy around the corner;

• artistic — sound establishes atmosphere and enhances immersion;

• emotional — sound evokes feelings in the player: empathy for characters, anger, or joy.

These functions add another dimension to the gaming experience alongside gameplay and visuals. Players can often notice how audio complements and amplifies the overall feeling of the game.

“Good sound design works for the player without drawing attention to itself.” — Sergey Komar, Lead Sound Designer

Working with audio in games is a delicate and intricate process. The challenge lies in enhancing visuals and gameplay without making individual sounds or tracks intrusive, while still conveying critical information about events on screen. This ensures the game world feels authentic.

The variety and depth of sounds depend on the game’s genre, content volume, and, of course, the development budget. In some cases, minimal audio is sufficient, but large projects often require extensive and detailed sound design.

For a tactical shooter like NCORE, feedback sounds are crucial. Their primary role is to provide immediate audio confirmation of the player’s actions. This is a fundamental function that confirms the player’s input has been received and processed by the system. This category includes sounds like gunfire, hits on enemies, footsteps, menu clicks, item pickups, and more.

Informational sounds are equally important — they convey critical details that help the player make faster tactical decisions. Examples include damage alerts, low health warnings, ammo depletion, projectile fly-bys, or activation of special abilities.

Immersive sounds are not critical for gameplay but help shape the world’s atmosphere. In most action shooters, these are lower priority, but they deepen immersion and realism. These sounds include birdsong, wind howls, city noises, music from in-game radios, etc.

What sounds in games do you pay attention to the most? Is it the ambient music, the sounds of the guns you're firing, or the sounds of your surroundings? Tell us in the comments!