Downtown Devourer

by 06:07 0 comments
Another year, another game jam. Once again I teamed up with Paperbox Studios to make a game in one weekend under the theme of Your Are The Monster. You can see the games Ludum Dare page here.

The idea of the project was simple, the scope not so much. You play as a simple mutant beast who just wants to get through life by feasting on the blood of innocent city dwellers. But because you are a clever mutant, you can transform yourself to look like one of the locals. That way the police won't shoot you. And when they are not looking, you simply transform into your hideous true self and devour the population. You can play it for yourself in a browser here, or download a standalone for Windows here.

In terms of sound design, there was a lot required. So much so, that I ended up creating most of them with just my own lungs. (In comparison so Kid Got Lost - the game we made for a Ludum Dare last year - Downtown Devourer featured ten-times the amount of individual sound files.) My vocal work can be seen on the townspeople, but where my unquestionable talent primarily lays in the making 'slurpy' monster noises. Everything from the sliding movement to the hideous transformation gurgles of the monster made for a very sore throat the next day. I also had fun creating the sounds for the bumbling townspeople. I repeat their happy little mumbles so much perhaps we should all communicate by 'blub-blub-blubbing' to each other...

As soon as I saw early prototypes for the game I knew it had to have a rock soundtrack. Early ideas were thrown around such as 'horror' and 'tense', but for some reason the idea of rock music matched the monster perfectly. It became apparent very quickly that this wasn't going to work as a tense horror game, mostly because of my interpretation of the audio. However, the slow human music creates the calm atmosphere that the townspeople all bop along to, and the heavy monster music raises the stakes and intensity for when they should be running for their lives.

It is a difficult game, but a fun one to work on nonetheless. My high-score is about 10, which I imagine is easily beatable.

 

Callum Bigden

Developer

Callum Bigden is a freelance Sound Designer and Composer living in London. If you want to get in touch you can contact him through the social networks below, he would appreciate it.