{"id":1539420,"date":"2026-03-29T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/98w9ENhkkwYioBweRQh4TF"},"modified":"2026-03-29T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T16:00:00","slug":"i-am-obsessed-with-these-deep-dives-into-how-overwatch-cultivates-its-incredible-sound-design-for-each-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/i-am-obsessed-with-these-deep-dives-into-how-overwatch-cultivates-its-incredible-sound-design-for-each-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"I am obsessed with these deep dives into how Overwatch cultivates its incredible sound design for each hero"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I do a lot of prattling on about how videogame music is a core component of design. Its exclusion is like baking a cake without any sugar or sweetener. Sure, you can still eat it, but it’s not going to taste anywhere near as good without that syrupy twang.<\/p>\n

Something I don’t <\/em>prattle too much about, though, are the sounds that reverberate beyond a game’s score. Audio design is equally integral, though infinitely more difficult to perfect. Good sound design should feel effortless, despite the mountain of work that certainly goes behind it. Noises that immerse you further in a game’s world, or act as audio cues that allow you to react to whatever is happening around you.<\/p>\n

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Critical Hit<\/div>\n
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Welcome to Critical Hit (formerly known as Soundtrack Sunday<\/a>), where I celebrate and lament all things videogame music, audio design, and the ways our favourite games make our ears tingle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes for good sound design since hopping back onto Overwatch<\/a>\u2014formerly known as Overwatch 2, the sequel to Overwatch\u2014last month. For the tumultuous love-hate relationship I’ve had with Blizzard’s hero shooter over the last decade, the one thing that has remained in my good books is just how robust its overall sound design is.<\/p>\n

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\"Overwatch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

(Image credit: Blizzard)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Footsteps to alert me of a flanking enemy, satisfying little trills each time I eliminate an opponent, wooshes and bleeps that signal what kind of bullets are whizzing past my head or whose ultimate is about to eviscerate me. Even the way my own character communicates\u2014like the sounds that tell me when my Wuyang’s water orbs have successfully smacked an enemy around the corner, or the whir of Moira’s damage that lets me know I’ve latched onto a target.<\/p>\n

It’s not always perfect, mind. New hero Jetpack Cat has drawn ire for being incredibly quiet, coupled with her small frame that makes surprise ambushes from her just a little more frustrating than they need to be.<\/p>\n

But for the most part, I really dig it. So imagine my delight when I discovered that some of Overwatch’s key sound designers offer glimpses behind the curtain. All of the different ways to manipulate noises that not only act as effective communication, but speak to a character’s aesthetic and personality.<\/p>\n

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