Games · Game prototype
Hover Dash
Rami Al-Balawi
Dec 15, 2024
Concept arcade platformer
Game designer/developer · Sound designer · Composer · Mixing engineer · FMOD implementation · Unity implementation
Hover Dash is a fast-paced, retro-futuristic hoverboard racing game set in a busy, urban cityscape.
Game audio reelProject overview
The audio style of Hover Dash is fast-paced and energetic, blending futuristic timbres with funky and breakbeat elements. The sound design and music are aimed to enhance the gameplay experience, creating an exciting and immersive atmosphere for players of all ages.
Read about the process
The game features a hoverboard racing concept in a futuristic urban setting, where advanced technology coexists with tattered, outdated tech.
The music in Hover Dash is upbeat and dynamic, driven by fast breakbeats and funky grooves. Featuring expressive guitars, moving basslines, clavinets, and horns, the music evokes a sense of thrill and exploration, with a spy-like flair. The tracks aim to complement the player’s high-speed maneuvers and maintain a fun, lighthearted tone throughout gameplay.
I designed and composed my audio using Pro Tools, and implemented them with FMOD using a systematic approach.
Roles
- Game designer/developer
- Sound designer
- Composer
- Mixing engineer
- FMOD implementation
- Unity implementation
Technical skills
- signal flow understanding
- audio cleanup
- balancing
- equalization
- compression & limiting
- automation
- critical listening skills
- Unity
- C#
Creative skills
- composition
- instrumental arrangement
- sound synthesis
- modulation
- effect processing
- adaptability based on visual source
Outcome and impact
It's safe to say that a great deal of work and learning came from this project. My objective was primarily focusing on the audio aspect, such as sound effects and music.
More about the experience
However, I went as far as building a simple prototype of Hover Dash in Unity. I felt this method allowed me to target the audio assets in a more deliberate manner. This way, I could better visualize the core assets and general gameplay. This included the mechanics, power-ups, aesthetic, among other elements I wanted to call attention to.
The project also required me to deliver all facades of audio, allowing me to approach the sound effects and music in a particular fashion. This was an opportunity to tie in all the elements with a strong concept for I wanted the player to feel/hear. All in all an extremely rewarding project and learning experience.
Nightmare Wizard
Games · Rami Al-Balawi
Let’s make something worth hearing.
Feel free to get in touch. I'm always open to collaborating on projects of all kinds.
ramialbalawi@gmail.com