Acoustics as a Storytelling Tool in a “Narrative-Lite” Game
Topo Mole Game is without a story. Yet UK players create one using the soundscape. The lively fanfare after a level isn’t just a victory jingle. Many hear it as the moles celebrating your skill, or maybe taunting you for the next round. The speeding up and thickening of the popping sounds conveys the story of a level’s rising tension. Some players in innovative cities like Brighton give the moles personalities, picturing deeper pops as “angry boss moles.” This player-initiated storytelling succeeds because the sound design has distinctiveness. The sounds are not generic. They have character, which allows your imagination construct a world around the simple action. It turns into a lighthearted battle of wits against a saucy underground opponent.