Sound Design in Games: Behind the Sounds of HAMM-3R

HAMM-3R, a new philosophical game by Prof. Stefano Gualeni, which explores the idea that our equipment influences how we understand the world and act within it, was released last month. The game proposes that our tools—like a hammer, or a plasma gun—do not merely extend our agency but actively transform us. The sounds of the game were designed by Dr Costantino Oliva and he provides us with a peek behind the scenes of sound design for a small experimental game.

The intention was to capture the classic space odyssey, sci-fi feel established by the Alien movie franchise and the Doom video game series. The music of Hamm3r is a throwback to the 80s synth music, if you imagine adding a pulsating beat to Vangelis’ "Blade Runner” then you should have a good picture of the mood of the game. 

While Kavisky’s influential “Drive” soundtrack is also a clear reference, HAMM-3R has a more lighthearted  tone, matching the game’s peculiar blend of claustrophobic feel and puzzling, philosophical reflection. 

The sound effects of the game of HAMM-3R are a classic example of foley sound work, meaning the reproduction of everyday sound effects added in post-production, such as footsteps and prop interactions. In games sound can be an important tool to communicate information to the player. For example, in the initial scene the player needs to adjust the speed of their spaceship to dock at their mothership. The sound of the jet engines is a critical tool to  communicate the speed of the spaceship. To achieve acoustic feedback, Dr Oliva blended the sound of a fire extinguisher with synths, thereby achieving a thrusting sound that feels just like an engine at full throttle.

Voices in the game are instead entirely made up of synthesized sounds, matching the 80s’ synth aesthetic of the game. A variety of synths is matched with the various in-game characters, who communicate through the game via sci-fi devices. Rather than using real voices, the synth voices communicate a sense of alienation, while in turn realizing a simple yet playful musical juxtaposition, reflecting Dr Oliva’s interest in musicality in digital games. During the launch event last month, he even highlighted the musicality of the various UI and UX interface chimes that could lead players to play around with the sounds and rhythms of the game.

Play HAMM-3R for free on the game’s website and pay attention to the ways in which the soundscape influences the mood and atmosphere around the game. You can even try to combine the sounds into a musical exploration yourself. However, it may be easier to do so in the musical game designed specifically to explore musical behaviour designed by Dr Oliva: Night Parade of 100 Demons. For a more theoretical overview on musicality in games, he has recently published "How Musical Are Game Players? Exploring Musical Situations in Video Games" in the The Oxford Handbook of Video Game Music and Sound. 

Institute of Digital Games researchers Prof. Stefano Gualeni, Dr Ahmed Khalifa, Dr Costantino Oliva worked together on the game with the help of M.Sc. in Digital Games student Danielius Degesys and freelance artists Irina Tomova and  Daniele Giardini.

HAMM-3R was made possible thanks to the funding for the Malta Digital Innovation Authority and in addition to its philosophical experiment also explored innovative uses of AI and procedural content generation in level design.

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