This document analyzes the soundtrack elements in a cutscene from the game Killzone Shadow Fall. It examines the setting, mood, game genre, and narrative established by the cutscene. For most elements, such as the narration, in-studio recording was used. However, for the gunfire sound effect, field recordings were likely used and edited with specialist software to achieve the final sound. The cutscene establishes a sci-fi setting involving a war between alien races and the destruction of a planet, creating feelings of sadness, anger, and a sense that justice has been served.

1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
Game Title Killzone Shadow Fall
Provide detailed descriptions from chosen examples that establish… Clearly state what production technique(s) you
think have been used to create specific soundtrack
elements
Setting This cutscene seems to be a documentary because the place that the cutscene is
about seems to be constantly jumping around, never being able to isolate a definite
place the cutscene in being filmed in. Moreover the narration is talking about a group
of people, or a species, as a whole. This is because of how the narration is talking
about lots of different thinks. For example at the opening it is talking about, what I
assume to be, a bomb and next it is talking about how the people affected by it
recovered and how they did.
In studio recording would have been used to make
the narration.
Mood In the first two seconds of the cutscene there is really dramatic music. At the third
second narration comes and talks about how a war between the Vektans and the
Helghast ‘ended in seconds’ and then ‘they call it the terracide’. This gives the games
a sad feeling. After this, at 0:20 the words ‘reducing it to a lifeless rock’ are used this
can give me a feeling that a planet was destroyed, which makes me feel sad and
angry. After this it appears that the people who did the destruction were forced to
make way for the refugees that had their home destroyed. This makes me feel like
justice has been severed. At 1:02 I hear gun fire, which makes me think that the
people who live on the area being taken over by refugees (Vekta) are being militarily
taken over. This make me feel even more like justice has been served.
In studio recording would have been used to make
the narration. To make the gun fire sound-effect,
field recordings would have been used and edited
with specialist software.
Game genre The game genre is clearly Sci-Fi. This is because of how there was a war between
the Vektans and the Helghast. This sounds like a war between two different alien
races. At 0:33 the words ‘the survivors were to be given refuge on another world…’
this makes the game indisputably a Sci-Fi game.
In studio recording would have been used to make
the narration.
Narrative The narrative for almost the entire cutscene is narration. This is because words are
the only think that is really being used to help the audience understand what is
happening in the cutscene. At one point in the cutscene there is gun fire which is a
directional sound recording.
In studio recording would have been used to make
the narration. To make the gun fire sound-effect,
field recordings would have been used and edited
with specialist software.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH1k33Epb00