Overwatch is full of cool sounds. But which sound comes from a beer bottle is not easily guessed.
One beer bottle per hit on the opponent
Overwatch is out. The Collector’s Editions have been delivered and provide some exciting insights into the “Source Book” around the shooter. The book highlights various inspirations and sources used in Overwatch to ultimately deliver a “good game”. One particular challenge was the sound that should occur when hitting an enemy player with the weapon.
The book quotes sound designer Paul Lackey saying:
“Another challenge was the “hit sound”. When you hit someone, you also need to know that you succeeded. The sound must be clearly audible through the mix of other effects and still feel like it doesn’t come from another hero. I tried a lot of different things. Ultimately, one night I had the thought: “It should be satisfying to hit the opponent.” And there is one thing that is quite satisfying: beer. So I opened a bottle of beer. Pssscht. The sound was reversed and a bit distorted, but that’s our hit sound.”
There you have it: Every hit is an opened beer bottle. It is probably just a matter of time before the first drinking games will emerge from this.
Generally, Overwatch is a game where a lot of attention has been paid to the soundscape. Blizzard held a long presentation at GDC and explained that one of the design goals was to be able to play Overwatch “only based on the sounds”. Therefore, there are also various mechanics in the game that support this: For example, enemy heroes are always louder than allied characters so that players can react quickly.
For more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, check out our Overwatch game page.
