Especially really good and satisfying gun sound effects.
Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have fantastic sound design. The environmental sounds of wind, water, trees and wildlife accompanied by that understated soundtrack makes you feel out in the wilds even though the graphics are minimal.
While not the greatest games, I've found that the newer Star Wars Battlefront games have some of the best sound design in any game I've ever played. Especially the thermal imploder. Definitely a highlight of an otherwise alright game.
Any Dice game, really. The Battlefield games have always had incredible sound design.
Disclaimer: I haven't played the latest one.
Subnautica. Sound takes you to fear:)
Scariest game I've ever played.
Elite Dangerous is still the GOAT of sound design IMO. That game would be nothing without it's sound.
Doom 2016 - remake of a classic that everyone loved, with the soundtrack being a very large part of it.
Tarkov is known for how great the soundscape is. I highly recommend using the SPTarkov mod to play offline though.
I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Returnal. On the PS5 with a headset it uses the "3D Audio". It's pretty amazing.
I bought Returnal last week! I was loving it but I kept hitting the limit on my 8GB VRAM :( decided to put it down and wait until Nvidia VRAM consumption on Linux improves or (more likely) I upgrade my GPU.
I'm not really into roguelikes, but that description intrigues me, especially because it's an included game for PS+ Extra subscribers like myself!
It's not really a full on roguelike. You do "upgrade" weapons as you use them, so when you die it's not a complete loss. Also once you beat a boss you never have to fight them again if you don't want to. You just make it through three areas (3 bosses each), and then you unlock the next 3, but you don't have to start from the very beginning for the last 3.
Maybe it helps if you think of it as an arcade version of a soulslike game? Play it in 30 minute increments, don't stress about beating it and naturally you'll get better enough to beat it.
The story and setting is pretty unique and awesome as well.
Totally recommend toggling “always sprint” on if you do try it out
The game is absolutely amazing. It being a roguelike is really secondary. There's also decent progression, and I didn't think it was that hard, you just have to get a good loadout running. Occasionally you'll just get RNG'd within 10 minutes of a run and just start over.
That's good to hear. I had heard that you could just get RNG'd out of a run after like 45-60 minutes of good play, so I was just immediately turned off even though the bare premise I'm aware of seems at least interesting. Because it's free for me, and my time ROI will probably be only like an hour, I will definitely try it! Thanks!
Yeah, I would recommend looking up some build suggestions. You can definitely get RNG'd later, but it's way less likely to happen if you have a good build plan going after the first 10-20 minutes. If you just take whatever looks good in the moment, without considering how it fits into your overall build, you'll get screwed down the line.
Also, I missed a ton of story because I didn't die enough. So it really is an intended part of the experience.
Also, I missed a ton of story because I didn't die enough. So it really is an intended part of the experience.
This is a massive relief. Roguelikes and roguelites are stressful for me because I hate the idea that I've just wasted a bunch of time on a run with nothing to show for it, so it's nice that even dying could be a form of progression lol.
Is there significant risk of encountering meaningful spoilers if I look up builds?
I wouldn't think so, besides some boss spoilers, but the bosses really need to be played and heard to appreciated, they're not the most interesting visually.
I would say play 30 minutes of the game, then go watch GamesRadar's overview video. That should be enough, but you can also look at specific builds (even if you can't always build into them.)
And GamesRadar's video is correct: just get the Electro Pylon Driver. I mean, play with all the weapons, but that thing is OP.
Edit: Oh, and I played with a controller that had back bumpers (Elite Series 2). I think that's probably the main thing that made it easier, jumping and dashing while keeping both thumbs on the sticks made combat way easier.
Edit 2: Oh, and after you beat the game, watch this video essay. Actually, go ahead and watch the first 2:30m of the video now. It's one of the greatest lore/story/interpretation breakdowns I've ever seen and gave me a huge appreciation for the absolute gem of a game this was. It's an absolute piece of art and heady as hell. If you bounce off the game, and you are sure you'll never beat it, go ahead and watch the video anyway. It's really that good.
Well in terms of taking advantage of really good headphones. Senua's Sacrifice
Headphones absolutely mandatory. Hellblade is the first title that came to mind seeing this thread.
Warframe has great sound design, and it's f2p. The Corinth shotgun sounds like God slamming a car door.
Hi-Fi rush.
Thank me later.
Absolutely magnificent game. I wish we got more mid sized games instead of every new game being a 100h+ second job.
Do you have any suggestions for games like HiFi? I found it super comfy. Doesn't need to be music based, I just found the design, style and character interactions nice
Not really. HiFi Rush reminded me a little bit of Lego Star Wars (which also Had a mechanic that made you deal more damage if you attacked on beat with your lightsaber!), but that may have been my nostalgia for the Lego game more than some deeper similarities
Elite Dangerous has some amazing sound design.
assetto corsa competizione
or really any quality racing game. its almost like 50% of my enjoyment
Literally bought it this weekend for the awesome force feedback. Blows F1 22 out of the water.
Tetris Effect on VR (ps/quest). think hypnotic trance
Seconding Tetris Effect. Even without vr the soundtrack is great. Ultimate "flow" game. Super chill.
Hollow Knight! The orchestral sound design is an experience in itself!
I haven't experienced anything quite like HuntShowdown. It's a slower-than-most extraction shooter with several objectives on each map.
Every sound matters. You can hear people shooting in the next compound over, but you can also hear someone crouch behind the wall next to you. You have to watch for sound traps like birds, horses, dogs, etc. Always be on the move because if you stop, someone might already be taking aim to shoot you through the wall.
This is mine too. I switched from closed back to open back headphones to better experience the sound in Hunt Showdown
Yeah it is without hyperbole the best sound engine / sound design of any game I’ve ever played.
Two moments made me fall in love with Hunt:
My first game was in the early beta when nighttime missions were legitimately dark as hell. I spawned knee-deep in the swamp. Crouchwalking around through a swamp where I couldn't see anything, hearing all sorts of weird shit everywhere and trying to avoid it like I was stuck in a horror game.
Realizing that someone was hiding in an outhouse, because I heard them breathing. Just to see if it would work, I stabbed them right through the wood with my bowie knife. Yep, it works.
I had a solo match where I played really well, third partied a lot and almost wiped the server (before the necro change). At the end it was just me, Scrapbeak, and one guy hidden somewhere in the base. I start looking for him, going from house to house, and then I turn the corner going up some stairs and I just instantly die. Dude headshots me with a pistol at the same moment I see him and it's game over for me. All that work, all that luck, and I die just like that. Hunt giveth and hunt taketh away and god damn I am just sold
It's not gun sounds, but I always thought the entire soundscape in Journey was pretty special.
STALKER (Shadow Of Chernobyl or Call Of Pripyat).
Music: off
Headphones: On
Good luck not getting spooked out of your mind by random industrial noises.
Not the gun sound effects, not the sound track, problably not a lot of things - but the atmosphere the sound effects in Control created, man it's like 50% of what makes the game what it is, and it's a truly great game.
I always thought of control as "that tech demo game with DLSS". It's actually a good game?
If you like action-adventures, the paranormal and strong audiovisuals, absolutely. If character development of the protagonist is important to you, definitely not. The storytelling is solid otherwise, though.
But the sound and visual design work just so well to create this atmosphere or mood that let me immerse deeply but that also let me sigh in relief when I quit the game. It gave me this almost constant sense of dread even though it's not terrifying like a horror game at all (and I really hate horror games or movies) that fit the story so well. It's hard to describe, it's weirdly different but not in a bad way.
If you have the HW power, I recommend playing with RT but without DLSS. Otherwise with RT and DLSS. DLSS does introduce some weird kind of artifacts or such sometimes. Not bad, just better without if you can.
Edit: I guess if you're looking for epic quests, this might also not be the right game - heck, it's hard to describe or say what's good or bad about this game, it's all kind of intertwined. All I can say that I think the package is an excellent game made with a lot of attention to detail. And with that unnerving sound design, that I kinda hate to endure, but love how well it's made and fits the game.
undefined> I guess if you’re looking for epic quests, this might also not be the right game
Except of course the Ashtray Maze, which is undeniably epic
For a unique take... The music and background sounds in Kenshi. Music is so sparse that when it does kick in, and how it kicks in, is just really unlike any other game.
The sound designers at Bungie deserve double their pay.
Destiny has plenty of issues but sound design is not one of them. Some of those gun sounds are orgasmically good, and so satisfying to shoot.
The feeling of guns in general is the best in any game I've ever played
Agreed. The gunplay is magical.
For overall sound design Prey (2017) really nails it. The stealth mechanics are also included in sound design so when you get spotted or escape there's intense auditory cues that track with the thriller/sci Fi horror vibe of the game.
If you go into it expecting a first person shooter though you'll be disappointed, it's an immersive sim for sure. Shotgun sounds really good though and there's an experimental weapon called the Q beam which has a phaser sort of sound as it fires. Also really cool.
Also, Elite Dangerous has incredible sound as well. Guns sound alright but you won't be firing them on foot as much as in space most likely.
NieR:Automata and Cyberpunk 2077 have phenomenal soundtracks
As much as I dislike them the gun audio on both the 2019+ call of duty modern warfare games is very well done.
New World has its fair share of issues, but the sound of your pickaxe hitting a rock will make it seem like the best game ever made.
I hated New Worlds, but the sound design really was top notch.
This isn't exactly what you're talking about, but the game A Blind Legend uses just sound!
My favourite gun sounds are the plasma gun from doom 3 and the bolter / heavy bolter sounds in space marine, im really hoping the sequel lives up to the standard set by the first, as the new boltgun game just doesnt quite cut it on that front for me.
Well, there is a game that's been designed specifically for that. Metal Hellsinger, you can play a demo for free. It's a doom style shooter that rewards you for shooting and reloading to the beat of metal music, which is dynamic to how well you are doing and the situation. Really cool concept and really rewarding to get a combo going.
Given that you asked for guns specifically I'll go out on a limb and say we are very different gamers!
But Subnautica would be my suggestion. Crazy good sound design.
Interesting you bring up Subnautica, because I remember thinking when I played it "Wow, this game sounds a lot like Half Life!" And wouldn't you know it, the devs started out as Half Life modders. It goes without saying that the sound design in Half Life is impeccable, and truly iconic. Clearly they learned something!
Definitely seconding this suggestion.
TIL! Makes sense now you mention it though!
Never played it personally, but I remember being really satisfied with the sounds from Hawken watching the gameplay trailers. https://youtu.be/udEAEARD-Fo
Edit: reading up on it, the final game was pretty lame, and it’s apparently dead now.
Hawken was fun, but it was trapped in a weird position between a real "mecha game" and traditional arena shooter that didn't really satisfy either crowd.
Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have fantastic sound design. The environmental sounds of wind, water, trees and wildlife accompanied by that understated soundtrack makes you feel out in the wilds even though the graphics are minimal.
While not the greatest games, I've found that the newer Star Wars Battlefront games have some of the best sound design in any game I've ever played. Especially the thermal imploder. Definitely a highlight of an otherwise alright game.
Any Dice game, really. The Battlefield games have always had incredible sound design.
Disclaimer: I haven't played the latest one.
Subnautica. Sound takes you to fear:)
Scariest game I've ever played.
Elite Dangerous is still the GOAT of sound design IMO. That game would be nothing without it's sound.
Doom 2016 - remake of a classic that everyone loved, with the soundtrack being a very large part of it.
Tarkov is known for how great the soundscape is. I highly recommend using the SPTarkov mod to play offline though.
I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Returnal. On the PS5 with a headset it uses the "3D Audio". It's pretty amazing.
I bought Returnal last week! I was loving it but I kept hitting the limit on my 8GB VRAM :( decided to put it down and wait until Nvidia VRAM consumption on Linux improves or (more likely) I upgrade my GPU.
I'm not really into roguelikes, but that description intrigues me, especially because it's an included game for PS+ Extra subscribers like myself!
It's not really a full on roguelike. You do "upgrade" weapons as you use them, so when you die it's not a complete loss. Also once you beat a boss you never have to fight them again if you don't want to. You just make it through three areas (3 bosses each), and then you unlock the next 3, but you don't have to start from the very beginning for the last 3.
Maybe it helps if you think of it as an arcade version of a soulslike game? Play it in 30 minute increments, don't stress about beating it and naturally you'll get better enough to beat it.
The story and setting is pretty unique and awesome as well.
Totally recommend toggling “always sprint” on if you do try it out
The game is absolutely amazing. It being a roguelike is really secondary. There's also decent progression, and I didn't think it was that hard, you just have to get a good loadout running. Occasionally you'll just get RNG'd within 10 minutes of a run and just start over.
That's good to hear. I had heard that you could just get RNG'd out of a run after like 45-60 minutes of good play, so I was just immediately turned off even though the bare premise I'm aware of seems at least interesting. Because it's free for me, and my time ROI will probably be only like an hour, I will definitely try it! Thanks!
Yeah, I would recommend looking up some build suggestions. You can definitely get RNG'd later, but it's way less likely to happen if you have a good build plan going after the first 10-20 minutes. If you just take whatever looks good in the moment, without considering how it fits into your overall build, you'll get screwed down the line.
Also, I missed a ton of story because I didn't die enough. So it really is an intended part of the experience.
This is a massive relief. Roguelikes and roguelites are stressful for me because I hate the idea that I've just wasted a bunch of time on a run with nothing to show for it, so it's nice that even dying could be a form of progression lol.
Is there significant risk of encountering meaningful spoilers if I look up builds?
I wouldn't think so, besides some boss spoilers, but the bosses really need to be played and heard to appreciated, they're not the most interesting visually.
I would say play 30 minutes of the game, then go watch GamesRadar's overview video. That should be enough, but you can also look at specific builds (even if you can't always build into them.)
And GamesRadar's video is correct: just get the Electro Pylon Driver. I mean, play with all the weapons, but that thing is OP.
Edit: Oh, and I played with a controller that had back bumpers (Elite Series 2). I think that's probably the main thing that made it easier, jumping and dashing while keeping both thumbs on the sticks made combat way easier.
Edit 2: Oh, and after you beat the game, watch this video essay. Actually, go ahead and watch the first 2:30m of the video now. It's one of the greatest lore/story/interpretation breakdowns I've ever seen and gave me a huge appreciation for the absolute gem of a game this was. It's an absolute piece of art and heady as hell. If you bounce off the game, and you are sure you'll never beat it, go ahead and watch the video anyway. It's really that good.
Well in terms of taking advantage of really good headphones. Senua's Sacrifice
Headphones absolutely mandatory. Hellblade is the first title that came to mind seeing this thread.
Warframe has great sound design, and it's f2p. The Corinth shotgun sounds like God slamming a car door.
Hi-Fi rush.
Thank me later.
Absolutely magnificent game. I wish we got more mid sized games instead of every new game being a 100h+ second job.
Do you have any suggestions for games like HiFi? I found it super comfy. Doesn't need to be music based, I just found the design, style and character interactions nice
Not really. HiFi Rush reminded me a little bit of Lego Star Wars (which also Had a mechanic that made you deal more damage if you attacked on beat with your lightsaber!), but that may have been my nostalgia for the Lego game more than some deeper similarities
Elite Dangerous has some amazing sound design.
assetto corsa competizione
or really any quality racing game. its almost like 50% of my enjoyment
Literally bought it this weekend for the awesome force feedback. Blows F1 22 out of the water.
Tetris Effect on VR (ps/quest). think hypnotic trance
Seconding Tetris Effect. Even without vr the soundtrack is great. Ultimate "flow" game. Super chill.
Hollow Knight! The orchestral sound design is an experience in itself!
I haven't experienced anything quite like HuntShowdown. It's a slower-than-most extraction shooter with several objectives on each map.
Every sound matters. You can hear people shooting in the next compound over, but you can also hear someone crouch behind the wall next to you. You have to watch for sound traps like birds, horses, dogs, etc. Always be on the move because if you stop, someone might already be taking aim to shoot you through the wall.
This is mine too. I switched from closed back to open back headphones to better experience the sound in Hunt Showdown
Yeah it is without hyperbole the best sound engine / sound design of any game I’ve ever played.
Two moments made me fall in love with Hunt:
My first game was in the early beta when nighttime missions were legitimately dark as hell. I spawned knee-deep in the swamp. Crouchwalking around through a swamp where I couldn't see anything, hearing all sorts of weird shit everywhere and trying to avoid it like I was stuck in a horror game.
Realizing that someone was hiding in an outhouse, because I heard them breathing. Just to see if it would work, I stabbed them right through the wood with my bowie knife. Yep, it works.
I had a solo match where I played really well, third partied a lot and almost wiped the server (before the necro change). At the end it was just me, Scrapbeak, and one guy hidden somewhere in the base. I start looking for him, going from house to house, and then I turn the corner going up some stairs and I just instantly die. Dude headshots me with a pistol at the same moment I see him and it's game over for me. All that work, all that luck, and I die just like that. Hunt giveth and hunt taketh away and god damn I am just sold
It's not gun sounds, but I always thought the entire soundscape in Journey was pretty special.
STALKER (Shadow Of Chernobyl or Call Of Pripyat).
Music: off
Headphones: On
Good luck not getting spooked out of your mind by random industrial noises.
Not the gun sound effects, not the sound track, problably not a lot of things - but the atmosphere the sound effects in Control created, man it's like 50% of what makes the game what it is, and it's a truly great game.
I always thought of control as "that tech demo game with DLSS". It's actually a good game?
If you like action-adventures, the paranormal and strong audiovisuals, absolutely. If character development of the protagonist is important to you, definitely not. The storytelling is solid otherwise, though.
But the sound and visual design work just so well to create this atmosphere or mood that let me immerse deeply but that also let me sigh in relief when I quit the game. It gave me this almost constant sense of dread even though it's not terrifying like a horror game at all (and I really hate horror games or movies) that fit the story so well. It's hard to describe, it's weirdly different but not in a bad way.
If you have the HW power, I recommend playing with RT but without DLSS. Otherwise with RT and DLSS. DLSS does introduce some weird kind of artifacts or such sometimes. Not bad, just better without if you can.
Edit: I guess if you're looking for epic quests, this might also not be the right game - heck, it's hard to describe or say what's good or bad about this game, it's all kind of intertwined. All I can say that I think the package is an excellent game made with a lot of attention to detail. And with that unnerving sound design, that I kinda hate to endure, but love how well it's made and fits the game.
undefined> I guess if you’re looking for epic quests, this might also not be the right game
Except of course the Ashtray Maze, which is undeniably epic
For a unique take... The music and background sounds in Kenshi. Music is so sparse that when it does kick in, and how it kicks in, is just really unlike any other game.
The sound designers at Bungie deserve double their pay.
Destiny has plenty of issues but sound design is not one of them. Some of those gun sounds are orgasmically good, and so satisfying to shoot.
The feeling of guns in general is the best in any game I've ever played
Agreed. The gunplay is magical.
For overall sound design Prey (2017) really nails it. The stealth mechanics are also included in sound design so when you get spotted or escape there's intense auditory cues that track with the thriller/sci Fi horror vibe of the game.
If you go into it expecting a first person shooter though you'll be disappointed, it's an immersive sim for sure. Shotgun sounds really good though and there's an experimental weapon called the Q beam which has a phaser sort of sound as it fires. Also really cool.
Also, Elite Dangerous has incredible sound as well. Guns sound alright but you won't be firing them on foot as much as in space most likely.
NieR:Automata and Cyberpunk 2077 have phenomenal soundtracks
As much as I dislike them the gun audio on both the 2019+ call of duty modern warfare games is very well done.
New World has its fair share of issues, but the sound of your pickaxe hitting a rock will make it seem like the best game ever made.
I hated New Worlds, but the sound design really was top notch.
This isn't exactly what you're talking about, but the game A Blind Legend uses just sound!
My favourite gun sounds are the plasma gun from doom 3 and the bolter / heavy bolter sounds in space marine, im really hoping the sequel lives up to the standard set by the first, as the new boltgun game just doesnt quite cut it on that front for me.
Well, there is a game that's been designed specifically for that. Metal Hellsinger, you can play a demo for free. It's a doom style shooter that rewards you for shooting and reloading to the beat of metal music, which is dynamic to how well you are doing and the situation. Really cool concept and really rewarding to get a combo going.
Given that you asked for guns specifically I'll go out on a limb and say we are very different gamers!
But Subnautica would be my suggestion. Crazy good sound design.
Interesting you bring up Subnautica, because I remember thinking when I played it "Wow, this game sounds a lot like Half Life!" And wouldn't you know it, the devs started out as Half Life modders. It goes without saying that the sound design in Half Life is impeccable, and truly iconic. Clearly they learned something!
Definitely seconding this suggestion.
TIL! Makes sense now you mention it though!
Never played it personally, but I remember being really satisfied with the sounds from Hawken watching the gameplay trailers. https://youtu.be/udEAEARD-Fo
Edit: reading up on it, the final game was pretty lame, and it’s apparently dead now.
Hawken was fun, but it was trapped in a weird position between a real "mecha game" and traditional arena shooter that didn't really satisfy either crowd.