Looking at the Aesthetic and Sound Design of Proteus: Some Brief Thoughts
Proteus is an award winning first-person exploration interactive experience made by Ed Key and David Kanaga for 2013. Playing Proteus feels more akin to enjoying a surrealist painting than playing a videogame, although it is expressed through basic video game mechanics. The visual aesthetic employs pixel art and references early video games, but is composed of rich, abstracted imagery. It is both whimsical and poetic, featuring highly stylized depictions of nature. It is amazing to be reminded that a great deal of visual clout can be achieved using very simple elements. One of the interesting experiences I had while playing Proteus is that the screen would sometimes break down into patches of color that took a few seconds to resolve into a recognizable image. I found this to be surprising and enjoyable, like allowing your eyes to unfocus and refocus on something beautiful. All in all, the color palette is stunning.
The sound design was intentionally crafted to complement this abstracted, whimsical aesthetic and in many ways it is the centerpiece of the work. The music and sounds were composed by David Kanaga, who worked on the project for almost 3 years. The sounds and music seem to be a combination of analog and electronic sources, which blend together to create an organic overall effect. It takes cues from both 8-bit and Classical traditions, with a bit of Science Fiction and Gamelan mixed in for good measure. The soundtrack is organized around the four seasons, which you experience as the game progresses. The music for each season changes to successfully evoke the unique mood of that season. There are several musical “ambient sounds” that playfully represent natural phenomena and contribute to the overwhelming soundscape. Tinkling rain drops fall from lazily rolling clouds, animals peep and thump, insects hum. The most overtly interactive aspect of the game is the little animals you encounter and chase. Each makes a distinctive and musical sound in response to you, a conceit which is highly charming.
Kanaga included many interesting choices in his design. Most sounds in the game are in harmony with the background music, but periodically he will break this expectation with a discordant noise to add variety and underscore the other melodic sounds. The effect is sometimes comedic, sometimes mysterious and bewildering. It suggests the chaotic nature of Nature itself. Key and Kanaga point to the barest of narrative structures by including a bizarre, incongruous monolith that sings its own strange song to the player when you get close enough. This monolith, the circle of statues and the empty cabin all contribute to an air of mystery that pervades the island. Most importantly Kanaga leaves room for quiet moments. On the island, the sound can be incredibly rich even during the night when everything softens and quiets, but in certain locations most sound falls away leaving nothing but perhaps the sound of the wind, allowing the player to breath and contemplate their experience. It is analogous to leaving unoccupied spaces on a painting to give the eye to rest, and it is just as successful.
“It’s important to me. I don’t understand games very well if their mechanics are not hugged by music. Music moves constantly in ways that it’s difficult for visuals to do without seeming messy — messy is good (see this: Len Lye “Free Radicals”), but maybe we can approach these time-based languages with sound first.”
David Kanaga, from an interview with That Damn Pixel
http://thatdamnpixel.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/interview-david-kanaga-sound-designer-of-proteus/
http://www.artandsciencejournal.com/post/26785986226/video-games-as-art-proteus-proteus-is-a-game-of
http://davidkanaga.blogspot.com/
http://www.visitproteus.com/
http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2012/03/Proteus-02.jpg
http://www.electrondance.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Proteus-2011-10-22-23-59-39-21.png
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