Kitchen Masters (Bigger Games)
The Challenge
We were set the challenge of creating the sonic identity for a fast-paced, kitchen themed mobile game. They wanted the audio design to have an upbeat, catchy sound that made reference to the busyness and ambiance of a kitchen. We would have to take inspiration from the various geographic settings and difficulty levels within the game. This meant our identity had to be dynamic and cohesive despite these changing gameplay factors.
Working on a mobile game demands a fundamental understanding of pacing, interactions and technological capabilities.
Listen to the Main Theme below.
The Solution
To start, we first needed to know more about the attributes that ‘Bigger Game’s associated with Kitchen Masters. After productive talks carried out in our workshop we obtained the following attributes: Tasty, Fun, Exploration and Achieving.
Having conducted the preliminary preparation on the aesthetic behind the game, we delved deeper into the specifics of the sonic necessities of Kitchen Masters.
After thorough preparation, including workshops and in-depth discussions about the game’s overall expression, we were now ready to develop some sounds. We worked closely with Amy Balcomb, a member of Sonic Minds’ Vendor Network. She meticulously crafted a soundworld that aligned with the ‘Bigger Games’ brand. In close collaboration with the Sonic Minds creative team, she was able to weave a catchy identity that wouldn’t interfere with the game’s real time sounds, but also alluded to the kitchen setting presented.
The first element of this identity would be a main theme, a track that is the definitive ‘sound’ of the game. From this main theme, other gameplay variations could be developed and implemented into the experience.
Within the gameplay, there was also the requirement for a higher intensity ‘hard mode’. This required a greater sense of urgency and pressure, whilst still remaining interconnected with the established sound identity. In addition to this intensity change, there were also location-dependent, culture inspired tracks that were designed to reflect the setting of gameplay. This was very important to get right as we had to take influence from other genres but still keeping in line with the established theme.
The hard mode really heats things up!
The final part to completing our sound identity for Kitchen Masters was to create the transitional/ punctual effects, otherwise known as ‘stingers’. They would be used for events such as level completion or recieving rewards.
These stingers had to provide information to the user, whilst still sounding one with the identity developed. This can be a hard task, but once again, Amy was able to do this. With sounds announcing beginnings to celebrating wins, we were able to provide an immersive and unique experience to the user.
Every Kitchen Masters player will recognise our sounds, as they are intrisic to the game. Once a sound becomes associated with a game, it improves the memorability interactivity and enjoyability of the whole experience.
Ready to jump into a game?
Congratulations, you won!
This was a project that demanded fast-paced work and a clear understanding of what makes a game stand out. Through meaningful and informative sounds to catchy themes, we really think we were able to contribute to something unique and exciting.
