Summary
UPDATE: Hi-Fi Rush won Best Audio Design at The Game Awards 2023!
Audio design is an often overlooked aspect of the video game world, but it’s easily one of the most integral. While graphics are immediately noticeable, gameplay can be felt instantly, and music can be heard clearly, audio design tends to be a little more subtle. It’s the creaks in a floorboard as the player moves over it, the distant sound of a scream that indicates an enemy is lurking nearby, and the sound of a gunshot rebounding off echoey walls. Essentially, sound design is that final element that brings a game to life, andThe Game Awards 2023’sBest Audio Design categoryis home to some of the year’s very best at doing this.
From survival horror games to superhero action/adventures to even a game based all around the concept of sound and rhythm,The Game Awards 2023’s Best Audio Design category has nominees from all corners of the gaming ecosphere, and each one is deserving of this award, and to be honest, each one probably has about an equal chance of winning it in the end. That being said, there may be one nominee that has a slightly higher chance than the rest.
2023 Best Audio Design Nominees
Alan Wake 2
Up for a ton of Game Awards this year,Alan Wake 2is a truly impressive title from start to finish. With an excellent dual narrative structure,Alan Wake 2throws players into two main settings, the sleepy mountainside town of Bright Falls, and the nightmare alternate dimension known as the Dark Place. WhileAlan Wake 2’s art directionis what really separates these two settings, the game’s audio design is what cements those differences, giving the Dark Place an eerie dream-like quality with shadowy echoes, and Bright Falls a more empty, isolated feeling with its naturalistic ambient noise.
A remake of the 2008 beloved survival horror classic, 2023’sDead Spaceis a complete ground-up remake that encompasses audio. While the originalDead Space’s audio design is famously excellent, 2023’sDead Spacegoes above and beyond to not only recreate it, but enhance it in every way possible. Using thenew “A.L.I.V.E.” programming system,Dead Spaceintroduces a vast range of realistic audio enhancements, from a natural breathing cycle for Isaac based on his fear and adrenaline, to changes in recorded voice-takes if he’s in an injured or healthy state. On top of that, there are mechanical wails, creaky pipes, distant sirens, crunchy Necromorphs, and white-hot plasma that all sound ridiculously real.
Hi-Fi Rush
As one would expect for a game based around sound and rhythm,Hi-Fi Rushhas some of the best audio designs of 2023, and it’s no wonder that it’s nominated for the Game Awards in this category. A third-person brawler,Hi-Fi Rushrequires players to time their attacks, blocks, and parries with the beat of the music, which in turn usually adds a little musical flair to whatever track is playing, such as a cymbal beat or a guitar strum. Audio design is baked into the very DNA of thisXbox single-player gameand it’s one of the main reasons the game has stood out in such a busy year, but that core gimmick doesn’t stay fresh for too long, and it might not be enough to win it this particular Game Award.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
An excellent sequel by all accounts,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2takes its predecessors' already-great formula and improves on it in almost every way, and that’s definitely true for its audio design. FromSpidey’s web shootersto the sound of the Symbiote suit’s tendrils and Venom’s scream,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2has some top-notch audio design, though its familiarity might end up keeping it back from winning the award for Best Audio Design.
Resident Evil 4
Another phenomenal survival horror remake,Resident Evil 4is also an incredibly atmospheric game. From the iconic villager rumblings to Ashley’s cries for help, including the sound ofDr. Salvador’s chainsaw, each and every one ofResident Evil 4’s original iconic sounds has been remade and modernized perfectly. Paired with its cutting-edge visuals and immensely satisfying mechanics,Resident Evil 4’s audio design is easily some of the best of the entire year.
Final Prediction
Every nominee for The Game Awards 2023’s Best Audio Design category is worthy of the win, but only one can walk away victorious. While the end result could really go any way,Dead Spaceseems like the most likely candidate to win the Best Audio Design category atthis year’s The Game Awards. A game’s atmosphere is one of its most important elements, and that’s especially true for the survival horror genre.Dead Spaceuses its audio design to work hand in hand with its other technical elements, all combining to make one of the most atmospheric games of the year.
