SummaryLearn how Monument Valley 3 transforms each interplay right into a dwelling soundscape for a completely immersive expertise.Audio Director Todd Baker shares how the sport’s music and sound design inform Noor’s emotional journey.Monument Valley 3 launches July 22, 2025, for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One and the collectible vinyl soundtrack is accessible to pre-order now from iam8bit.
After we started engaged on Monument Valley 3 at ustwo video games, our purpose was to push the boundaries of what recreation audio could possibly be. We didn’t need the soundtrack to easily sit alongside the visuals: it wanted to be deeply embedded within the storytelling and gameplay, emotionally related to each transfer the participant makes. That method has led to the sound design, audio route and soundtrack being nominated on the D.I.C.E Awards, Cell Sport Awards, and extra.
For Monument Valley 3, I labored intently with co-composer Lucie Treacher to blur the road between conventional composition and interactive sound design. Collectively, we crafted an audio expertise that’s meant to be absolutely immersive – one which I imagine is greatest appreciated with headphones when the sport launches on Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One on July 22.
A Recent, Experimental Method to Sound
Whereas Monument Valley and its sequel have been celebrated for his or her serene, ambient soundscapes, I intentionally selected to not revisit these soundtracks throughout manufacturing as an try to interrupt away from the formulation of the earlier video games. I wished to maintain my perspective recent and permit new concepts to take root with out being overly influenced by what had come earlier than. This resolution gave me and my co-composer Lucie Treacher a clean canvas, and with it, the liberty to experiment.
Every degree in Monument Valley 3 grew to become its personal miniature sound world. As an alternative of scoring the sport with one overarching musical theme, we approached each chapter as a self-contained sound set up. This allowed us to tailor the sonic expertise to the emotion, visible design, and narrative beats of every setting.
It additionally opened the door to incorporating international musical influences, from the breathy tones of the Bansuri to the resonant chimes of Gamelan and the earthy plucks of the Kora, which is a harp from West Africa. These devices weren’t chosen for novelty, however as a result of they introduced texture, cultural richness, and emotional resonance to the world of Noor, the sport’s heroine. All on prime of a 17-piece string part as our stable base.
A Residing, Responsive Soundscape & Water As A Musical Ingredient
Crucially, Lucie and I wished sound to be interactive. One of many recreation’s core themes is transformation, so it felt pure to create an audio system that would morph in real-time based mostly on how gamers transfer and manipulate the world. I leaned closely on granular synthesis and digital instrument design to realize this. In sure ranges, the structure turns into an instrument itself: as you shift blocks, rotate towers, or information Noor by means of a puzzle, the music responds and evolves. It’s such as you’re composing as you’re taking part in.
This concept of interactivity additionally prolonged to our method to environmental audio. Water is a central motif in Monument Valley 3, symbolizing each destruction and renewal. To do it justice, I recorded and processed an unlimited library of water sounds, together with rivers, lakes, pouring faucets, underwater ambiances, and used them as each musical and textural parts. In some moments, the water offers light atmosphere; in others, it turns into a part of the melodic construction. Each drip, ripple, and splash have been thought-about.
A Tactile and Cinematic Rating
The sport’s tactile nature was additionally key to the audio expertise. We wished every interplay to really feel musical, like a observe being performed in a bigger composition. This meant designing detailed, layered suggestions for each touchpoint. The sound of turning a gear isn’t only a mechanical click on; it’s tuned, rhythmic, and harmonically in key with the scene’s ambient music. Lucie and I typically considered all the soundscape as a dwelling instrument, with gamers improvising a novel efficiency every time they performed.
After all, this degree of element requires collaboration. Lucie and I labored intently with degree designers and narrative leads all through the manufacturing. Sound was by no means an afterthought because it needed to be there from the very starting, woven into the narrative arcs, spatial design, and even the puzzles themselves. We frequently constructed music and mechanics collectively, making certain that one enhanced the opposite.
One in all my favourite examples is a degree impressed by paper and origami. Visually, it unfolds like a print coming to life, and we wished the music to really feel equally handmade. We used crinkling paper textures, lo-fi tape hiss, and analogue synths to create an intimate, tactile really feel that matched the extent’s delicate visible aesthetic.
What I’m most happy with, although, is how the audio in Monument Valley 3 helps the sport’s emotional journey. Noor’s story is considered one of grief, progress, and hope. The music gently guides gamers by means of that emotional arc, rising and falling with the character’s inner struggles and triumphs. In additional reflective moments, sparse strings and breathy flutes go away house for introspection. Throughout climactic puzzles, the soundtrack swells, bringing a way of momentum and catharsis.
We’ve designed Monument Valley 3 to be greatest skilled with headphones, the place the complete element and nuance of the soundscape might be appreciated. It’s a recreation that rewards cautious listening, and I hope gamers on Xbox will really feel immersed not simply visually, however sonically.
I’m excited for much more folks to listen to the story we’ve informed: not simply by means of dialogue or artwork, however by means of sound.
Monument Valley 3, developed and revealed by BAFTA-winning impartial studio ustwo video games, can be launched globally for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One on July 22, absolutely optimized for widescreen shows, Xbox controllers and, after all, excessive constancy audio. MV3 follows within the footsteps of Monument Valley 1 & 2, which have been launched for Xbox for the primary time in April.
As well as, the Monument Valley 3 Authentic Sport Soundtrack is now accessible to stream on all main music streaming platforms. Additionally it is accessible as a restricted version vinyl solely from iam8bit.
Monument Valley 3
ustwo video games
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$19.99
$17.99
Set sail for journey in MONUMENT VALLEY 3, a model new story within the award-winning Monument Valley collection.
Information Noor, an apprentice lightkeeper, by means of not possible monuments, shifting landscapes, and tranquil seascapes to uncover the Sacred Mild and save her residence.
Monument Valley 3 takes you past the monuments and into the open sea. As Noor, you’ll navigate gorgeous, altering environments, resolve mind-bending puzzles, and uncover the secrets and techniques of the Sacred Mild. Along with her village threatened by rising tides, Noor should chart her personal course—and uncover her personal power—on this gorgeous, emotional journey.
Sail between geometry, manipulate structure to disclose hidden paths, and let the enduring soundtrack information you ahead. With new mechanics, breathtaking visuals, and the collection’ signature allure, Monument Valley 3 is a voyage like no different.
Options:
– Defy Perspective: Rotate and manipulate the setting to disclose hidden paths, resolve intricate puzzles
– Uncover The Thriller: Assist Noor unlock the secrets and techniques of this ever-changing world.
– Stunning Artwork: A surprising world impressed by fashionable design, international structure and hand-crafted, private tales.
– Each Replace Included: Full Story is included, with model new updates to come back
Journey awaits—will you uncover the sunshine that guides the best way?
ustwo video games are proud impartial builders, greatest identified for the award-winning Monument Valley collection, Land’s Finish, Assemble with Care and Alba: A Wildlife Journey.
Monument Valley 1&2 Bundle
ustwo video games
☆☆☆☆☆
3
★★★★★
$17.99
Expertise the magic of Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 in a single full bundle.
Step right into a world of gorgeous structure, not possible geometry, and meditative puzzle-solving. Information Ida and Ro by means of surreal landscapes, manipulating monuments to uncover hidden paths and resolve intricate illusions.
With each chapter and DLC included, Monument Valley 1 & 2 Bundle is the definitive solution to expertise these award-winning video games, now superbly reimagined for brand spanking new platforms.
