The Voices of Age of Darkness: Final Stand
Protectors of the Light,
From the captivating voice of Edwin to the harrowing and ominous tones of Hector, the voices behind each and every one of the characters are what truly bring them to life. Within this blog, we wanted to highlight the incredible voice actors behind Age of Darkness: Final Stand who brought their electrifying performances to the Flames of Retribution campaign - as well as the Audio team who worked with them to create the captivating performances.
PlaySide Audio Team
Left to right: David, Tamara, Chris, Zach, Thomas, TaliaUNEARTHING THE CHARACTER
The search for the ultimate voice actor is an incredibly fun experience and the process starts with getting to know the ins and outs of the character. It begins with a massive deep dive into the character that is being cast and during this process, the Audio team actively brainstorms ideas with both Narrative and Design, as well as the casting specialist, Kevin Powe. There is so much that goes into finding the right actor to fit the role.
The aim is to achieve a point of difference for each character, allowing them to be brought to life in their own unique way, to this end their accent is a really important part. As with all of the Heroes and characters within the game, we lean towards a more English accent. Naturally there are many variations of the English accent, so from there, the team dive even deeper into each character by using their physicality, intentions, backstory, character arcs, personal bias and their region of origin which will determine their accent.
Narrative Lead, Patrick Kolan, noted that from the outset, even before the Campaign development began, it was important to have accent consistency for the Factions. This did not mean that they necessarily needed to be generically British, but regionalised to get the most diversity of sound. For example, our villagers will sound different to our Order Knights in a scene, which also makes it easier to differentiate the characters in a busy soundscape too.
After many ideas have been thrown around, the team can then form a really clear picture of the type of Voice Actor they are looking for. Casting calls are sent far and wide into the ether to find the most suitable candidates – from that, a shortlist of auditions are collated for the team to evaluate and used to pick the best fit for the character.
THE CREAM OF THE CROP
Putting some of the demo lines into the game engine for testing was something that the Audio team felt was of vital importance. Often just listening to an .mp3 file, as opposed to hearing the lines spoken by the character in the game, is not enough. Hearing the voice lines in context helps to gain an understanding of how the voice lines can be brought to life and really helps when selecting the best actor for the game!
This process assists the team to pinpoint the perfect actor for the role - and it's not always the one we initially thought would be the most suitable. There were a few instances where, when checked in context, the second or even third choice can unexpectedly surprise the team and hit the mark flawlessly.
Typically, the voice actors are given 3-4 lines to work with and use for their audition. This means they really need to hit the mark and showcase their abilities to portray a particular character in a really short snippet. So when selecting the perfect candidate, the team needs to bear in mind that often this can only give a limited snapshot into a talent's overall suitability or capabilities.
A truly talented actor has the ability to take the words from the page and turn it into pure gold in their performance. They don't just recite lines, they can bring a character to life in a way that is uniquely their own. By adding their own interpretation to the brief we provide, they can add depth and complexity to the character, which sometimes can reveal hidden breadth that might not have been apparent before.
Once the actor has been picked, this is where it starts to get even more exciting. The voice actors will go through coaching sessions to really cement the voice of the character in the game. On occasion, even though the talent absolutely crushed their audition, when they were given more lines the performance wasn’t translating as strongly throughout the rest of the script. The coach can then assist them in consistently capturing the right tone and feel to really enhance their entire performance.
THE PERFORMANCE
The recording sessions are widely enjoyable and the entire team and the voice actor chosen really bring an amazing vibe to bolster the performance. Our voice actors are situated all over the world and it’s so gratifying to be able to work with such a diverse group of people.
Within the recording sessions, the Voice Coach, Audio Producer and Audio Engineer will be there to help guide the talent through the journey. The Voice Coach pays close attention to the performance, delivery and accent of the lines and the Audio Producer keeps track of the time and keeps the session moving. The Audio Engineer receives a remote feed of the recording from the talent and is there to make sure that the quality is up to scratch.
There is a lot of love for all our characters, so sometimes on really emotional lines it’s easy to get caught up in the moment!
It’s not just the voice lines that are recorded during this session, the voice actors also create the sound effects for the characters when they attack, get hit and even die. Sometimes, not every piece of audio can be used. Merek’s burps for example were so incredibly grotesque and confronting that, unfortunately, they were mostly removed from the game.
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FLAMES OF RETRIBUTION
With so many of our Voice Actors being in completely different locations to each other, for all of the voice lines in Flames of Retribution, all characters were recorded separately. Although many of the characters interact with each other throughout the Campaign, especially in the cinematics this method worked incredibly well.
By recording each character separately, it gave the Voice Coach, Kevin Powe, the ability to give each of the talent the attention required to bring out the best possible performance.
With any part of game development, there will always be obstacles that you need to overcome. With the recording sessions, some of our actors were being recorded remotely via livestream from some really exotic places, such as The Isle of Man. We know how unstable the internet can be at the best of times, so if it happened to drop this meant that it was highly possible to lose some of the audio recorded – which is heartbreaking when the Voice Actor completely nails a line!
Apart from having all of our magnificent Voice Actors, the Age of Darkness: Final Stand dev team were able to join in on being a part of the Campaign! While creating the Dunstock cinematic, it became clear the team needed the help of the studio at large to truly capture the power and deliver a thundering rendition of The Order’s oath. This was a blast and something we will continue to do more of in the future… Not for my glory, for the Light!
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IMPACT ON THE STORY
Voice acting is a vital component that can take a game from good to truly unforgettable. By giving voice to the characters and dialogue, this helps players connect with the story on a much deeper level, and can add so much more emotion to a story.
When it comes to a great campaign, voice acting is like the ultimate power-up that can elevate players' experience to the next level. Being able to hear your favourite characters come to life with their own unique voices and personalities, delivering lines of dialogue that can add layers of depth and richness to the story. Not only are you immersing yourself in a world that is visually captivating, but audibly as well.
With voice acting, you're no longer limited to just reading text on a screen and guessing how the character may deliver the line. Instead, you are able to experience a fully realised world that feels more authentic, as every line of dialogue brings you closer to the heart of the adventure.
The voice acting marries perfectly with the narrative to provide contextual clarity and ensure that the narrative beats expressed hit at the right times to amplify the strength of the story. It truly creates a memorable experience that makes playing Age of Darkness: Final Stand so much more fulfilling.
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THE VOICES BEHIND IT ALL
We wanted to really highlight in this blog how much work goes into all of the impeccable Audio that you hear in Age of Darkness: Final Stand and also to take the time to feature all of the Voice Actors who have helped bring all of our characters to life.
Guy Cunningham - Edwin EverardFollow Guy on: Twitter and Linkedin
Rhiannon Moushall - Aelis SyrenFollow Rhiannon on: Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin
Peter Wicks - Vizargo OriahFollow Peter on: Twitter and Website
Rio Attoh-Wood - Cyrus BravarisFollow Rio on: Twitter, Instagram and Website
Ryan Laughton - Merek LongholdFollow Ryan on: Twitter, Instagram and Website
Crystal Lee - Aurelia PelegrenFollow Crystal on: Twitter, Instagram and Website
Steven Kelly - Hector GreymontFollow Steven on: Twitter and YouTube
Kymberley Cochrane - ThedaFollow Kymberley on: Twitter, Website and Linkedin
Kevin Powe - Casting Director & HunterFollow Kevin on: Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook
So make sure you take the time to listen to the captivating voices that have breathed life into Age of Darkness: Final Stand.
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Till next time Protectors of the Light…
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Age of Darkness: Final Stand