Game: 10 Second Ninja
Developer:
GameDesignDan, based in UK
Website:
Release Date :
5th March 2014
Platform:
PC/Mac
Reviewed on PC
We at The Sound Architect are very exhilarated to announce that we had the pleasure of playing the new game 10 Second Ninja from GameDesignDan out now! We discuss the sounds and music as well as speak to the game’s composer/sound designer Tim Rurkowski!
In 10 Second Ninja you play as the worlds first ninja who has been targeted by Robot Hitler and his Nazi robots from space (Duh!). The goal of each level is to defeat all of the robot Nazis in your vicinity before defeating Robot Hitler himself. Oh wait yeah, every level has to be done in 10 seconds, (Yes even Robot Hitler himself!).
Panic is the first word that springs to mind when listening to the soundtrack of 10 Second Ninja is panic. Tim Rurkowski has managed to capture the intensity of the imposed time limit within the soundtrack perfectly. When playing 10 Second Ninja my heart rate is constantly peaking at adrenaline overflow with the pumping music and rushing of carnage!
The music includes a variety of instrumentation, combining oriental synth sounds with fast-paced drums and epic metal-esque guitar that inspires you to kick robot ass! The music is also quite intricate in the fact that there are layers. For example in the level select screen is layer 1, then layer 2 is added once you choose a level. Tim manages to capture the oriental essence whilst also maintaing an upbeat repetitive dynamic that works great with the game. It’s like the music itself is enticing you back to have another go…..and another go….. and another…. just one more! Right, OK back.
The SFX in 10 Second Ninja compliment the theme perfectly, using a lot of quick swipe sounds that intensify that fast-paced action situation. Lots of great sounds for the ninja stars, sword and robot explosions. The two most frustrating sounds in the game that will eventually create an immense fury rise inside of you are, the death music, and the sound the shuriken makes when you miss. You’ll understand the music when you’ve had to do the same level over and over again…Plus that “THUNK” as a shuriken hits a wall/floor instead of your enemy…..These sounds can soon start to ingrain themselves as the sounds that instantly make you rage!
Personally, I really like the sounds that the robots make when they explode. It’s a nice old school explosion sound from the likes of Streets of Rage etc. It’s not just the sound itself but the epic feeling of satisfaction that it inspires within you as you hit the damn thing!
I spoke to Sound Designer and Composer for 10 Second Ninja, Tim Rurkowski.
What was the first step in creating the audio for 10 Second Ninja?
I got a basic list of Sound Effects from Dan, and I played through the game and filled in what I thought was needed on top of what he gave me. I started with the more important sounds, ninja movement, shurikens, sword slashes… The stuff that would be heard the most.
And you created the music as well?
Yes, yes and yes. I love composing for games (and sometimes just on my own time), so I pretty much take any opportunity I can to do both Sound Design and Music Composition.
How did you begin writing the music for 10SN?
When I started working on the game, Dan Pierce and I had gone through a few ideas on what we’d do for music. Initially we planned on doing lots of 10 second bites of music that would be randomized each time you start a level. We quickly scrapped the idea as it became very obvious to that it would be annoying to the player after hearing a few of them over and over. We decided to go with standard looping music (with layers depending on if you were in game or on the world select menu.)
After that, the main goal was to create a theme. I started with the melody line that is heard on the main menu.
Beginning with the instrument, it just seemed natural to go with a koto-like plucked instrument for a ninja themed game. After messing around with a pentatonic scale, I found something that was suitable and built outwards from there: bass, drums/percussion, guitar.
What software/instruments did you use?
The synths and samples that come included with Logic 9 (Sculpture, ES P, ESX), Absynth, Steven Slate Drums, EWQL Gold Symphonic Orchestra, Heavyocity: Evolve Mutations, and Plogue Chipsounds.
What one word would you say describes the approach you took with the audio in 10SN?
*looks around room nervously* Ninja-y?
Did you use any other specific games for inspiration?
For the most part, the in-game music was done without a reference, but for cutscenes and credits/ragequitmode music: Zelda, Mario, Blake Robinson (you may recognize him from the Stanley Parable sound track.)
Specifically:
Credits music: I used Six Sided Sanctuary music and Mario for inspiration. We wanted it to be really happy, but I thought it’d be cool to revisit the game theme as well, and it just happened to mix really well with the big band horns that I’d recently heard while playing Bowser levels in Super Mario 3D world.
General cutscene music: Blake Robinson’s compositions and Zelda music (specifically their sillier material… think of Hitler as Groose) <— No way that can possibly be taken out of context.
Rage Quit: Eye of the Tiger (Survivor) for the beginning and it moved more towards a strange Primus track in the middle. The idea was to begin the track “Inspiring like a Rocky training montage.” Then I wanted to play on frustration and do some weird stuff in the middle. There were a few different iterations to get it to a place where both Dan Pierce and I were happy with it.
Do you have a piece/sfx from 10SN that is your favourite and if so, why?
SFX: Hitler’s speech… Who doesn’t wanna go blah blah blaah BWAAHHHH into a mic for dialogue?
Music: End credits, mostly because I had the most fun writing it (Ragequit being a close second)…
I had the chance to revisit one of my favorite tracks in Six Sided Sanctuary for inspiration and then proceed to sing horribly. It was also the point where we realized that we were mostly done with the game and that it was being released soon.
How did you implement the audio?
Since 10 Second Ninja is actually made in Game Maker, I gave Dan all of the assets and instructed him on how I wanted them to work in game. He also built me a nice little mixing tool in game where I could control audio levels for each Sound Effect independently. All of the SFX were implemented in a standard way, basically playing whenever specific events happen. However, with the Music we did something somewhat interesting. Each piece of music has two layers, the first layer is the basic music with the more important instrumentation, this plays chord structure and minimal melodies. Then I have my second layer which adds extra instrumentation on top of the base layer and generally makes the music more intense.
The first layer plays on the world/level select and when you start playing a level the second layer unmutes.
Leaving us panicked and frustrated we love 10 Second Ninja! We leave you with this announcement trailer to show how Dan Pearce tackles making a cup of tea in 10 seconds.
10 Second Ninja is available now on PC & Mac via Steam and GetGames for $9.99/£6.99/€7.99! More info at www.10secondninja.com and you can catch Dan and Tim on Twitter at @GameDesignDan and @TRurkowski.
We hope you enjoyed the article and enjoy playing 10 Second Ninja!
Enjoy!
The Sound Architect
Review by Sam Hughes
Uploaded 26/03/14