Every video game, no matter the genre, has that one sound—the one to which every hair on your body stands upright, causing immediate panic. It can be as mundane as some warning, ominous music that plays for very specific enemies, or vocalizations that tell you danger is just around the corner.
While perusing the web, I came across a discussion on Reddit where players were sharing the sounds that make them panic as soon as they hear them in games. A lot of interesting ones came up, though the one most commonly mentioned is the Sonic drowning timer.
I might be too young or lack the experience in Sonic games to understand this, but it seems to be something that genuinely struck fear into the hearts of many gamers, considering how many named it in the thread.
The Metal Gear spotted sound is a close second, and that one genuinely has to be inducted into the Panic Sounds Hall of Fame. For me, a stealth-obsessed gamer, it’s not only a sound of fear and shock, but it’s also a herald of my abject failure. I love keeping to the shadows in these games, taking the role of a sneaky clandestine combatant or a silent, unseen sniper-assassin. Getting that “!” tells me I did my job poorly and that I have to restart the mission.
There’s also the Minecraft creeper charging up to explode, or a TNT doing the same. Both are memorable, striking sounds that I think have become part of popular culture where even those who don’t play the game know the sound.
But I think few sounds come even remotely close to the sound made by Marta, the recurring enemy of Outlast 2. That game had many flaws and failed to come to the heights of its predecessor, but one of its main antagonists, Marta, was certainly great.
She would prowl much of the game even when you least expected it, and once you had heard that “ARRGGH” roar, then you’d know you were in real trouble. She had a knack for keeping to the shadows, creeping around the game’s many levels with silence and secrecy, letting you know she saw you only when it was almost too late. As soon as you hear that, you’re meant to bolt it, finding whatever progression checkpoint there is to evade her fury.
The only sound(s) that come close to this are those related to the Witch in Left 4 Dead 1 and 2. If you hear her cry or hear that music theme of hers, you’d turn around and go back the way you came. It’s incredible how powerful sound can be in games, especially horror titles, evoking as much emotion as the game itself.
Do you have a sound that makes you panic? A music score, atmospheric noise? Let me know below, I’d love to see your answers.
