{"id":345845,"date":"2025-07-18T13:44:42","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T18:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/18\/how-monument-valley-3-uses-soundscapes-to-tell-its-story\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T13:44:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T18:44:42","slug":"how-monument-valley-3-uses-soundscapes-to-tell-its-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/18\/how-monument-valley-3-uses-soundscapes-to-tell-its-story\/","title":{"rendered":"How Monument Valley 3 Uses Soundscapes to Tell Its Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n
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Learn how Monument Valley 3<\/em> transforms every interaction into a living soundscape for a fully immersive experience.<\/li>\n
Audio Director Todd Baker shares how the game\u2019s music and sound design tell Noor\u2019s emotional journey.<\/li>\n
Monument Valley 3<\/em> launches July 22, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One and the collectible vinyl soundtrack is available to pre-order now from iam8bit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
When we began working on Monument Valley 3 <\/em>at ustwo games, our goal was to push the boundaries of what game audio could be. We didn\u2019t want the soundtrack to simply sit alongside the visuals: it needed to be deeply embedded in the storytelling and gameplay, emotionally connected to every move the player makes. That approach has led to the sound design, audio direction and soundtrack being nominated at the D.I.C.E Awards, Mobile Game Awards, and more.<\/p>\n
For Monument Valley 3<\/em>, I worked closely with co-composer Lucie Treacher to blur the line between traditional composition and interactive sound design. Together, we crafted an audio experience that\u2019s meant to be fully immersive \u2013 one that I believe is best appreciated with headphones when the game launches on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on July 22.<\/p>\n
A Fresh, Experimental Approach to Sound<\/strong><\/h2>\n
While Monument Valley<\/em> and its sequel were celebrated for their serene, ambient soundscapes, I deliberately chose not to revisit those soundtracks during production as an attempt to break away from the formula of the previous games. I wanted to keep my perspective fresh and allow new ideas to take root without being overly influenced by what had come before. This decision gave me and my co-composer Lucie Treacher a blank canvas, and with it, the freedom to experiment.<\/p>\n
Each level in Monument Valley 3<\/em> became its own miniature sound world. Instead of scoring the game with one overarching musical theme, we approached every chapter as a self-contained sound installation. This allowed us to tailor the sonic experience to the emotion, visual design, and narrative beats of each environment.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
It also opened the door to incorporating global musical influences, from the breathy tones of the Bansuri to the resonant chimes of Gamelan and the earthy plucks of the Kora, which is a harp from West Africa. These instruments weren\u2019t chosen for novelty, but because they brought texture, cultural richness, and emotional resonance to the world of Noor, the game\u2019s heroine. All on top of a 17-piece string section as our solid base.<\/p>\n
A Living, Responsive Soundscape & Water As A Musical Element<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Crucially, Lucie and I wanted sound to be interactive. One of the game\u2019s core themes is transformation, so it felt natural to create an audio system that could morph in real-time based on how players move and manipulate the world. I leaned heavily on granular synthesis and virtual instrument design to achieve this. In certain levels, the architecture becomes an instrument itself: as you shift blocks, rotate towers, or guide Noor through a puzzle, the music responds and evolves. It\u2019s like you\u2019re composing as you\u2019re playing.<\/p>\n
This idea of interactivity also extended to our approach to environmental audio. Water is a central motif in Monument Valley 3<\/em>, symbolizing both destruction and renewal. To do it justice, I recorded and processed a vast library of water sounds, including rivers, lakes, pouring taps, underwater ambiances, and used them as both musical and textural elements. In some moments, the water provides gentle ambience; in others, it becomes part of the melodic structure. Every drip, ripple, and splash were considered.<\/p>\n
A Tactile and Cinematic Score<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The game\u2019s tactile nature was also key to the audio experience. We wanted each interaction to feel musical, like a note being played in a larger composition. This meant designing detailed, layered feedback for every touchpoint. The sound of turning a gear isn\u2019t just a mechanical click; it\u2019s tuned, rhythmic, and harmonically in key with the scene\u2019s ambient music. Lucie and I often thought of the entire soundscape as a living instrument, with players improvising a unique performance each time they played.<\/p>\n
![\"Monument](\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/Lucie-Orchestra-1-e52fe844dc82cd9a2f38-1900x1080.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Monument](\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/MV3_Screenshots_3840x2160_3-7299a94b72bdd1516020-1900x1080.jpg\")