Summary
Video games are often synonymous with deep, catchy, and memorable melodies. This has become more true as they’ve evolved in complexity and theatrical elements. Some gaming soundtracks have even approached icon status in their own right, not unlikeStar WarsorJaws, with tunes that help define the experience. Who can forget the infectious themes ofSuper Mario Bros. 3, or the epic compositions ofFinal Fantasy 7?
Still, some studios have begun experimenting more with minimalism, especially regarding presentation and music. Coming full circle to gaming’s early days in a sense, many indies, in particular, have found that less can truly be more and thatstripping backthe soundtrack canaddto its realism or enhance its atmosphere.And while rare, there are even a few examples of games with virtuallyno musicto speak of — and are largely more immersive and atmospheric because of it.
The Scary Sound Of Silence
Devil Daggers
Inspired by 1990s FPS and arcade games, Devil Daggers is a fast-paced shooter that places you in an abyssal arena to face endless legions of demons. Armed with versatile magic daggers and a fluid movement system, fight to survive as long as you may. Compete for precious seconds with Steam Friends or on global leaderboards.Your spirit and skill will be tested.Face 13 horrifying enemies. Harvest demonic crystals to increase the power of your magic daggers. Learn from the world’s best or watch friends with the leaderboard replay system.Versatile magic daggers, can be used as a shot attack or rapid fire.Survive long enough to earn powerful magical homing daggers.Fluid movment allows for circle strafing, bunny hopping and dagger jumps. Advanced movement techniques allow for speed boosts and double jumps.
Sorath’sDevil Daggerscan be vaguely described as an even more twisted, abstract take onDoom— with its crude visuals, hellish vibe, andundiluted FPS action. The game boils things down to a simple-yet-grueling goal; ward off devilish foes and survive. The sense of vulnerability is palpable in this (literally) dark, desolate thriller, as players cease to exist just by touching one of these beings.
Players work with little at their disposal aside from finger-borne dagger projectiles and their own wits. Like most chaotic survival romps,Devil Daggerskeeps players on their toes, upping the ante with more potent enemy threats and action. This raw arcade style is further driven home by a leaderboard system that display the (typically brief) survival times a monster-slayer has logged.
The minimalism and crudeness — polygonal jittering and unfiltered textures — are complemented by an uneasy silence throughout. Ironically, the lack of music or theatricsenhancesthe experience, engulfing players into the ominous nightmare scene and adding to the intense, spooky vibe.
Lacking In Melodies But Not In Management
SimAirport
You control everything, from the cruise-altitude decisions to the smallest ground-level details.Challenge yourself to create an efficient & profitable international hub in Career Mode, or create an artistic masterpiece without credit rating worries in Sandbox Mode.Construct your terminal, hire staff, sign airline contracts, tweak the daily flight schedule, configure standby gate availability, plan & design your infrastructure – bag handling systems, roads & taxiways, fuel systems, runways, gates, hangars, service vehicles, and everything in between. Deeply simulated gameplay where each detail makes an impact – down to the trash cans.Simple & familiar controls for a smooth takeoff. The starter airport helps get aircraft landing & cash flowing almost immediately. Aim for profitability by scaling up, but remember: more passengers, more problems! Getting 2,000 pax out is easy. Avoiding bottlenecks for 10k+ pax will likely require different tactics!Large & complex airports require extremely smart designs. Moving walkways, multi-story structures, additional terminals, one-way taxiways, staggered schedules, and careful standby gate allocation – these are but a sampling of the concepts you’ll leverage on your way to truly mastering the art of large-scale airport operations.
This tycoon simulation emphasizes gameplay and management detail above all else. Indeed, both graphics and sound design take a backseat in this airport-building sim, as LVGameDev LLC opts for flat, simple visuals and no music to speak of. While it may seem bare-bones, it’s perhaps preferable to the rather stock tunes played ad nauseam at a real airport.
While rough around the edges — even after its Steam Early Access departure —SimAirportdelivers ample rewarding gameplay the genre is known for. Players can craft vast, multi-floored airports, runways, and hangars from the ground up — as well as maintain staff members, and even tinker with flight schedules. Like mostfun management or God sims, the goal is efficiency, profits, and happy customers as well as staff members.
While perhaps relatively lacking in atmosphere, it makes up for this with depth and the authenticity of airport logistics. The result is some alluring, engaging gameplay in its own right.SimAirport’s basic sound design is more distinct thansomein its approach; helping players stay focused in this chaotic airport scene rather than serve as an artistic trait. But it works, nonetheless.
Heart-Pounding Scares Through Silence
Slender: The Eight Pages
An intense horror experience with a unique atmosphere, where players find themselves in a dense, mysterious forest at night.It’s ideal for horror enthusiasts and those seeking a tense gaming experience with elements of mystery and uncertainty.Atmosphere of Horror: The gloomy forest at night creates a tense setting.Simple Gameplay: Collecting pages requires strategy and attention. Slenderman: A faceless antagonist who intensifies fear. Limited Resources: A flashlight with limited charge and stamina increase vulnerability.Threat Signals: Audio and visual effects warn of Slender’s approach.Unpredictability and Difficulty: A dynamic environment and increasing difficulty make each session unique.This game provides a unique experience for adrenaline seekers and horror genre fans, offering a distinctive blend of atmosphere, simplicity, and constant tension.
The legend of the tall, deadly woodland lurker called Slender Man would seem to make a great foundation for a scary survival-horror. Yet the games bearing the creeper’s name are few and far between — with a notable example being thisthis stripped-down horror game. On one level,The Eight Pagesis about as passive and bare-bones as it gets: players must roam an unsettlingly dark, desolate forest seeking out sketched pages plastered about.
The catch? The unnamed protagonist is being stalked by the quiet-but-lethal Slender Man. Using merely their stealth and a weak flashlight, players will invite intense jump scares and eerie moments as they scour the woods and unlit indoor locales for the pages. Outside of chilling ambient noises and a heart-pounding drum beat that represents escalating danger, the game features no music. But of course, this spooky silence makes the frights and nail-biting moments all the more effective.
While indie studio Playdead emphatically hit the scene with the renownedLimbo, this similar puzzle-platformer is just as effective in gripping players with its thick atmosphere and more twisted premise. Residing in a shadowy dystopian world rife with corporate-controlled mindless humans,Insidebrings many memorable, visually-driven narrative bits that guide the player from “A” to “B”.
This short-but-affecting thrill ride follows the humble, pursued protagonist on a scramble through vast industrial areas, grassy plains, and underwater depths. The game feels more akin to an experimental indie film, conveying almostnothingin the way of dialogue, interface, or music.
Immersion and fear reign in this sinister sci-fi, as players tinker with different mechanisms, traverse obstacles, and evade rabid dogs as well as employees in relative quiet. The unsettling vibe is largely maintained by eerie ambient tones and industrial sounds — which serve as the only real soundtrack.
Taking after similar survival shooters likeCounter-Strike, this game — whose origins lie in a mod forArma 2— is full of intensity, flexibility, and a more realistic presentation. Much of this vast, simulated experience takes the form of a highly minimal musical soundtrack.
This raw style makes it all the more unsettling as players fight to live another day in the hostile, post-Soviet Republic of Chemarus, which iscrawling with “infected” zombies. Of course, these bouts of silence also prove helpful, as players must remain alert and aware of auditory cues from nature and pursuing foes. After all, inhabitants will need to have their wits about them as they scour and fight for food, weapons, and supplies.
The sounds of naturecan be quite enticing and relaxing— though they could also be unsettling, as Playdead illustrates with this ambitious puzzler. An early-comer in the indie explosion, Limbo remains among the most iconic low-budget games well over a decade later.Limboditches color, detail, and depth with its visuals — instead emphasizing silhouetted figures and a potent sense of atmosphere with its grainy, shadowy 2D locales.
Players must deal with different obstacles and critters laced with dynamic physics as they take the role of a lone boy seeking out his missing sister. The experience rings organic despite its artistic style, letting sounds of nature and ambient noise (as well as clanks and patters) take center stage rather than music. This brings a more natural feel which enhances the chilling sense of solitude and urgency.
