Abstract
- Learn the way Monument Valley 3 transforms each interplay right into a dwelling soundscape for a totally immersive expertise.
- Audio Director Todd Baker shares how the sport’s music and sound design inform Noor’s emotional journey.
- Monument Valley 3 launches July 22, 2025, for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One and the collectible vinyl soundtrack is accessible to pre-order now from iam8bit.
Once we started engaged on Monument Valley 3 at ustwo video games, our aim was to push the boundaries of what sport audio could possibly be. We didn’t need the soundtrack to easily sit alongside the visuals: it wanted to be deeply embedded within the storytelling and gameplay, emotionally linked to each transfer the participant makes. That strategy has led to the sound design, audio route and soundtrack being nominated on the D.I.C.E Awards, Cell Recreation Awards, and extra.
For Monument Valley 3, I labored carefully with co-composer Lucie Treacher to blur the road between conventional composition and interactive sound design. Collectively, we crafted an audio expertise that’s meant to be absolutely immersive – one which I imagine is greatest appreciated with headphones when the sport launches on Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One on July 22.
A Contemporary, Experimental Method to Sound
Whereas Monument Valley and its sequel had been celebrated for his or her serene, ambient soundscapes, I intentionally selected to not revisit these soundtracks throughout manufacturing as an try to interrupt away from the method of the earlier video games. I wished to maintain my perspective contemporary and permit new concepts to take root with out being overly influenced by what had come earlier than. This determination gave me and my co-composer Lucie Treacher a clean canvas, and with it, the liberty to experiment.
Every stage in Monument Valley 3 turned its personal miniature sound world. As a substitute of scoring the sport with one overarching musical theme, we approached each chapter as a self-contained sound set up. This allowed us to tailor the sonic expertise to the emotion, visible design, and narrative beats of every atmosphere.
It additionally opened the door to incorporating world 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 devices weren’t chosen for novelty, however as a result of they introduced texture, cultural richness, and emotional resonance to the world of Noor, the sport’s heroine. All on high of a 17-piece string part as our stable base.
A Dwelling, Responsive Soundscape & Water As A Musical Component
Crucially, Lucie and I wished sound to be interactive. One of many sport’s core themes is transformation, so it felt pure to create an audio system that might morph in real-time primarily based on how gamers transfer and manipulate the world. I leaned closely on granular synthesis and digital instrument design to realize this. In sure ranges, the structure turns into an instrument itself: as you shift blocks, rotate towers, or information Noor by way of a puzzle, the music responds and evolves. It’s such as you’re composing as you’re taking part in.
This concept of interactivity additionally prolonged to our strategy to environmental audio. Water is a central motif in Monument Valley 3, symbolizing each destruction and renewal. To do it justice, I recorded and processed an enormous library of water sounds, together with rivers, lakes, pouring faucets, underwater ambiances, and used them as each musical and textural parts. In some moments, the water offers light atmosphere; in others, it turns into a part of the melodic construction. Each drip, ripple, and splash had been thought-about.
A Tactile and Cinematic Rating
The sport’s tactile nature was additionally key to the audio expertise. We wished every interplay to really feel musical, like a word being performed in a bigger composition. This meant designing detailed, layered suggestions for each touchpoint. The sound of turning a gear isn’t only a mechanical click on; it’s tuned, rhythmic, and harmonically in key with the scene’s ambient music. Lucie and I usually considered the complete soundscape as a dwelling instrument, with gamers improvising a novel efficiency every time they performed.
In fact, this stage of element requires collaboration. Lucie and I labored carefully with stage designers and narrative leads all through the manufacturing. Sound was by no means an afterthought because it needed to be there from the very starting, woven into the narrative arcs, spatial design, and even the puzzles themselves. We regularly constructed music and mechanics collectively, making certain that one enhanced the opposite.
Certainly one of my favourite examples is a stage impressed by paper and origami. Visually, it unfolds like a print coming to life, and we wished the music to really feel equally handmade. We used crinkling paper textures, lo-fi tape hiss, and analogue synths to create an intimate, tactile really feel that matched the extent’s delicate visible aesthetic.
What I’m most pleased with, although, is how the audio in Monument Valley 3 helps the sport’s emotional journey. Noor’s story is considered one of grief, progress, and hope. The music gently guides gamers by way of that emotional arc, rising and falling with the character’s inner struggles and triumphs. In additional reflective moments, sparse strings and breathy flutes go away area for introspection. Throughout climactic puzzles, the soundtrack swells, bringing a way of momentum and catharsis.
We’ve designed Monument Valley 3 to be greatest skilled with headphones, the place the complete element and nuance of the soundscape could be appreciated. It’s a sport that rewards cautious listening, and I hope gamers on Xbox will really feel immersed not simply visually, however sonically.
I’m excited for much more individuals to listen to the story we’ve advised: not simply by way of dialogue or artwork, however by way of sound.
Monument Valley 3, developed and printed by BAFTA-winning impartial studio ustwo video games, will likely be launched globally for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One on July 22, absolutely optimized for widescreen shows, Xbox controllers and, after all, excessive constancy audio. MV3 follows within the footsteps of Monument Valley 1 & 2, which had been launched for Xbox for the primary time in April.
As well as, the Monument Valley 3 Unique Recreation Soundtrack is now obtainable to stream on all main music streaming platforms. It’s also obtainable as a restricted version vinyl completely from iam8bit.
Monument Valley 3
ustwo video games
$19.99
$17.99
Set sail for journey in MONUMENT VALLEY 3, a model new story within the award-winning Monument Valley collection.
Information Noor, an apprentice lightkeeper, by way of inconceivable monuments, shifting landscapes, and tranquil seascapes to uncover the Sacred Gentle and save her house.
Monument Valley 3 takes you past the monuments and into the open sea. As Noor, you’ll navigate gorgeous, altering environments, resolve mind-bending puzzles, and uncover the secrets and techniques of the Sacred Gentle. Along with her village threatened by rising tides, Noor should chart her personal course—and uncover her personal power—on this gorgeous, emotional journey.
Sail between geometry, manipulate structure to disclose hidden paths, and let the enduring soundtrack information you ahead. With new mechanics, breathtaking visuals, and the collection’ signature allure, Monument Valley 3 is a voyage like no different.
Options:
– Defy Perspective: Rotate and manipulate the atmosphere to disclose hidden paths, resolve intricate puzzles
– Uncover The Thriller: Assist Noor unlock the secrets and techniques of this ever-changing world.
– Stunning Artwork: A shocking world impressed by trendy design, world structure and hand-crafted, private tales.
– Each Replace Included: Full Story is included, with model new updates to return
Journey awaits—will you uncover the sunshine that guides the best way?
ustwo video games are proud impartial builders, greatest identified for the award-winning Monument Valley collection, Land’s Finish, Assemble with Care and Alba: A Wildlife Journey.
Monument Valley 1&2 Bundle
ustwo video games
$17.99
Expertise the magic of Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 in a single full bundle.
Step right into a world of gorgeous structure, inconceivable geometry, and meditative puzzle-solving. Information Ida and Ro by way of surreal landscapes, manipulating monuments to uncover hidden paths and resolve intricate illusions.
With each chapter and DLC included, Monument Valley 1 & 2 Bundle is the definitive solution to expertise these award-winning video games, now superbly reimagined for brand spanking new platforms.
