Production: 2023
Zelda Skyward Sword Gameplay
This is gameplay footage of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with my original sound design. There is no music only to show my sound design skills on a more complex game than my other projects sound-wise.
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I love the Zelda franchise but when I played this game, I had the idea of making my own sound design and to improve it with my personal touch.
Zelda Skyward Sword - Original Sound Design
About this project
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword offered an enjoyable gameplay experience, but throughout my playthrough, I felt that the sound design didn’t quite meet the standard it deserved, especially when compared to more modern Zelda games.
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This was particularly noticeable in a temple with a massive spinning pillar. The room lacked the sense of scale it deserved, as the pillar was completely silent in the original game.
Core Ideas
The spinning pillar
Even if the pillar is massive and should have made a loud rocky sound, from my perspective and not to make the ear tired, I made the pillar mostly loud just when aside from it. It would have been tiring otherwise.
This series of game normally have mysterious and ambiant music, so I considerate this aspect as well if my video had music.
Audio spatialization
Even without access to a game build, I designed all the sounds as if they were already implemented in an engine, using Reaper DAW. This turned out to be a valuable exercise in manually automating each sound.
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Creating sounds for large objects, like the massive doors, the spinning pillar, and the whirlpool at the end, was particularly enjoyable.
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I haven't yet spatialized all sounds, such as the leaves when Link climbs them, the rupees (green jewels), the arrows, or the plant leaves. In my opinion, not every small object or element that requires attention needs reverb. Avoiding excessive echo or unnecessary amplification helps maintain clarity and balance in the soundscape.
I practice reproducing some iconic sound like the enemy defeat cloud, the UI lock-on, rupees, and the audio cues for obtaining treasures or solving puzzles.
Reproducing and reimagining iconic sounds
I reworked sounds like the magic whip, adding an aura effect when the whip hooks onto a target to give it a more magical feel. Deku Babas (enemy plants) were also fun to design, given their menacing appearance. Instead of the usual slimy sound from other Zelda games, I opted for a sharp sound to make them feel more threatening.
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I’m particularly proud of the sequence when Link uses the whip to swing across a gap. I aimed to capture the sensation of his velocity with the sound of wind, the tension in the magic whip's rope, and the subtle clinks of his equipment.