In December 2021 I was contracted as a freelancer to join the team behind Tanjea as their music producer and sound designer. Tanjea is a play to earn mobile game where players compete to earn currency and collect creatures.
This was a huge step for me in my career as it marked the first large scale project that I professionally worked on as a freelancer.
The game was very early in production when I joined the team, attending meetings where we discussed the theme and functions of the product we were aiming to create. The game would need a vast amount of sound and music for all the different aspects, from menu UI sounds to minigame music.
My first step in this project was to create a mindmap of my thoughts mixed with the requirements from the developers. This allowed us to have conversations about how the sounds should function in game and allowed me to develop a theme for the audio. This initial period was very important to ensure we were all on the same page and that everyone was satisfied with the desired product before work was started.
The game is set in the first kingdom of Tanjea, named Anona. This natural, grassland environment hugely influenced the theme I developed for the sound, being very acoustic and organic. This not only impacted the music, using African drums and natural orchestras, but also the sound effects, with the menu sounds using percussive hits such as wood blocks and xylophones. This allows the player to surround themselves in the theme of the game through visuals and audio to immerse themselves in the games universe. The game being set in a region of a larger universe also allowed me to fully embrace the style of the region. With plans for follow up games set in other regions, this would allow distinct themes in music and sound effects in each different game.
Through my first year with the team, I worked with a variety of game programmers working on different parts of the project, tailoring the audio to their needs and making it sound as fluid and in theme as possible
Early Development UI
My first main task I set myself was to create a consistent theme through sound effects and music. This would help set a solid base for the rest of the audio to follow and also helped show the importance of having a strong theme to the developers and earn their trust and creative freedom with the project.
I wanted to heavily lean on the theme when approaching the creation of sounds and avoid the typical UI sounds you encounter in most games. I used a wood block as the standard selection sound, with percussive clicks for sub menu interaction. I then created additional delayed layers of audio for key interactions such as entering the marketplace or opening the inventory. This allowed me to add detail to each sound making them distinct but also sound consistent and in theme. I planned and recorded each menu tab sound using various objects like a door, bells, pen and paper and coins.
This early development video also features a dynamic ambient track, that plays a gentle forest ambience which is accompanied with a marketplace atmosphere that fades in and out when the player enters and exits the marketplace.
After the initial batch of music and sound effects, I began to work with the marketing team on promotional material. They had created a veriety of videos and animations that required music and sound and this was a great opportunity for me to put my sound design and foley skills to use.
This was a marketing post made to announce the first region that the game would take place in. The task I was set was to create an immersive atmosphere for the listener with a big focus on the creature sound at the end of the video.
The story behind this video is that this portal leads to the universe of Tanjea, therefore I was given guidance that it should be very strong, mysterious and electronic. I used a vast amount of electronic synths to create atmospheric hums as well as the sharp portal sounds, all of which were aligned with the visuals and automated over time to create a flowing, living feeling.
The game consists of minigames that can be played to place on a global leader board. These games are not only intended to be enjoyed by the player, but their placement determines the amount the player earns in currency, therefore bringing a competitive nature. For these games I designed sounds that not only fit the theme, but also to be satisfying and addictive to add to the appeal of the game.
For this flyer game the main focus was on collecting items and avoiding obstacles. The collection sounds needed to be timed according to the rate in which they are collected. Simple, subtle ticks were used for the potion collection whereas the rarer gold coins have a satisfying and rewarding sound.
I also designed sounds for the players ability to shoot and destroy obstacles, as well as the sounds for missiles and lasers, that the player must avoid.
All these sounds had to sit well on top of the music I had created, this was achieved by creating a light and natural music loop which allowed any sounds I made to be heard clearly.
This minigame also includes bosses that appear at the end of levels to fight the player. These bosses have different appearances and move sets therefore I created sounds specific to the style and appearance of the boss. I used light, insect sounds for the first two bosses, who are the lowest level and the easiest to defeat, and then harsher, stronger sounds for the later bosses. Boss 3 has a rock like appearance, so I used breaking and crushing sounds for his movements and attacks, whereas boss 5 is ghost like in appearance, therefore I created whispering, mysterious sounds to enhance the visuals.
See Also: Tanjea Music
