[h3]Devlog 2 - Sound & Music 📻🎶[/h3]
As we count down to
Nov. 15th and
the launch of Follow the meaning, we thought we’d keep you all entertained with some more behind-the-scenes of how the world of detective Paul Trilby came to life with unique soundtracks and sound effects! In our previous
devlog we shared how the environments and characters were hand-drawn and animated, and now we’d like to show you how adding music and sound effects breathed life and atmosphere into the world of Follow the meaning!
[h3]Music[/h3]
It was not long after the team at HiKing Mind reached out and started working with us that the amazing composer and musician Victor Butzelaar - well-known for handling the soundtrack for Milo and the Christmas Gift, Milo and the Magpies not to mention all Rusty Lake titles - quickly got involved. He initially lent us a hand as a first-time playtester, providing feedback and suggestions on what could be improved. Still, as soon as inspiration took over, he also started redesigning the OST for the game in a way that truly enhanced the surreal touch and puzzling mystery, as well as the game's whimsical nature! He breathed soul into Follow the meaning, by elevating the experience of playing the game through his music - something you can already experience by listening to the soundtrack present in the demo of Follow the meaning - available for free on Steam!
[h3]Sound[/h3]
After many successful collaborations with the talented team at Driftwood Audio, we did not hesitate to reach out to them once again for their creative approach to crafting unique sound effects. Not only did they provide a perfect sound effect for every little in-game detail, but they also painstakingly created a language for the residents of the little town detective Paul Trilby is trying to save from the clutches of the local Hospital.
Not only did Giliam and Jorick of Driftwood Audio provide the sound effects, but they also gave us a glimpse into their creative process in a series of videos explaining how they came up with and executed their ideas.
You can see below how Jorick wanted to enhance the night environments in Follow the meaning by adding the sounds of an owl. Instead of using a real owl which would have been too dark in tone and could clash with the whimsical, slightly surreal tone of the game, he decided to recreate the sound. To achieve this, he combined a nose flute with a regular flute and somehow managed to recreate the sound of a small tawny owl that fit perfectly into the atmosphere of Follow the meaning!
As mentioned in a few sentences above, Driftwood Audio went as far as crafting and recording a new language for everyone you and Paul Trilby will interact with in Follow the meaning. They call it 🥁 the gibberish language, and as you can see in the video below, they went above and beyond to record full conversations in gibberish talk!
And of course, they also wanted everything to be as realistic as possible. So what better way to record the sound of someone falling after being slingshot than by… falling and recording the exact sounds (luckily no Driftwood Audio member got slingshot across the room nor hurt in the process)
And of course, they also wanted everything to be as realistic as possible. So what better way to record the sound of someone falling after being slingshot than by… falling and recording the exact sounds (luckily no Driftwood Audio member got slingshot across the room nor hurt in the process)
It’s been quite amazing to see how adding custom-made music and sound effects, under the diligent watch of Victor Butzelaar and the team at Driftwood Audio, has elevated the atmosphere and gameplay experience in Follow the meaning. We hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the whole process and are as excited as we are for the launch of Follow the meaning on Steam on November
15th 22nd!
In the meantime, if you’re still curious about anything else regarding the development of Follow the meaning, or have any burning questions for the team at HiKing Mind Studio, drop them in the comments for an upcoming Q&A with HiKing Mind!
Thank you and make sure to make your local 3-eyed happy by wishlisting Follow the meaning!
(👁️👁️👁️)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2720280/Follow_the_meaning/
