Proteus

Genre: Open World / Exploration

Published: 30. January 2013

Publisher: Curve Studios (PlayStation)

Developer: Ed Key

Sound: David Kanaga

Game Description

Flower is a game developped by Thatgamecompany (designed by Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark) and released in February 2009 for PlayStation 3. The role of the player consists in controlling the wind in the third person point-of-view and move flower petals through meadows, hills and human constructions. By getting close to flowers you will gather more petals and have an impact on the environment, since it enables you to bring back to life certain dead areas of the landscape. Flower is focused on provoking emotions in the player, mainly positive and relaxing, but the game also has darker places and atmospheres.

Development

Proteus is an open-world game developped by Ed Key and David Kanaga for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux as well as PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Via. The game was released in 2013. In Proteus, you explore a procedurally generated 3d pixel art island in first person point-of-view and wander through meadows, hills and forests, also meeting animals along the way. The game has no goal. The only thing you can do is walk and sit down. The core of this game lies in music and sounds. Every object of the world has a distinct musical signature and will react to your position and movements on the island. This way, the player has an impact on the musical elements of the game. The timeline of Proteus is defined by day/night cycles and four seasons. The world and music also change depending on the season and the hour of the day.

https://www.youtube.com/v/rpkpuoq6y9s?.swf

Sound Analysis

What purpose does the sound have?

Flower's goal is pretty simple but the game lives mostly from its atmosphere in which sound plays an important part. Sounds in Flower has mainly the purpose to underline the players actions. It indicates for example when the player passes by a flower or reaches a checkpoint. It partly helps to give the player feedback but mostly contributes to the game‘s mood.

Relationship between actions and sound

Background Sound Flower has a background sound which changes with the player‘s progress and navigation. It alters with each level as well as within the level itself, when the player reaches certain checkpoints. It also adapts to the player‘s speed and therefore makes navigation more exciting, giving it a feel of lightness and dynamic.

Objects and Checkpoints Objects like flowers or windmills trigger sound that fits harmoniously into the background music. Additionally there‘s the sound of grass which occurs as the player is moving low through the grassland.

Movement In Flower, the player's character itself is and has the sound of wind, which underlines navigation throughout the world. The sounds may be influenced by the player's speed and adds to the game's dynamic gameplay.

Conclusion Objects and movement allow the player to interfere and interact with the music and atmosphere given. It motivates the player to keep exploring the environment in search for new sounds and sound combinations. It brings about a continuous variation.

Communication

Narration & Dramaturgy

Narrative Metatopics In the beginning of each level, the background music will be calm, if sad and melancholical, at a times but will pick-up speed as the player begins to gain momentum.

Dramatising When a player finishes a level, he may hear birds, insects and further nature sounds that weren't in place before as life is reeintroduced to the world. Sudden silence at the end of the level may also be used, which builds up suspense of more things meant to come.

Time perception Flower most effectively suggests change in time by the varying level design. In the beginning, the player flies through wild landscapes whereas in the later levels he must reintroduce nature to grey cities and industrial areas.

Character and Personality As according to the nature of the player's character, the only audible sounds are that of the wind progressing through grass and objects. Further sounds are introduced when the player has won a speed boost.

Suggestion, Metaphor, Subtext The recurrent theme in Flower is rebirth. Not only must the player reintroduce vibrant colours to a desolate world, he must also destroy industrial trash and reintroduce nature to a grey world left behind. Wind carries flower's seeds and therefore related sounds are predominant in Flower.

Room

Room:

Navigation, Orientation The deeper the player is into the level, more instruments are introduced, evocating progress. Basic progress through the game is audible through a female choir that sings for a half a second when the player reaches a checkpoint. When making a sudden and significant impact in the environment, sounds will reflect such achievement by a bassy crash of winds which suggest something of great scope has happened.

Setting, Scenography Flower's background music may range from ambient to orchestral and the pace may be slow or fast depending on the player's progress.

Composition / Mix / Aesthetic

The background music is played by different classical instruments (piano, string and wind instruments, choirs) and most of the sounds are realistic, the most important one being the blow of the wind through grass. Objects like flowers, human constructions or dead areas will react to the touch of the player and produce sounds and melodies. The background music will also dynamically respond to the player's actions in the game's world.

Game Comparison: Proteus

https://www.youtube.com/v/nJam5Auwj1E?.swf

Artikel erstellt von Filipe Simonette, Helen Galliker, Julie Baechtold, Rosina Brosi 2013