What Makes Sonic Drowning Music So Terrifying?

greetings everyone there are fewer things more terrifying in video games than a countdown in the arcade you are scrambling for quarters trying to continue your game in some games you have to escape before the level blows up on you but for me i would say that arguably one of the most terrifying countdowns in all the video games is trying to get sonic out of the water before he drowns in this video we're going to talk about what is it that makes the sonic drowning music so terrifying i was at the tender young age of six when i first started playing sonic the hedgehog 2 that was packaged in my sega genesis everything went along smoothly enough in emerald hill no problem but then when chemical plant zone came about there was a new hazard i had never experienced before water okay not exactly water mega mech but still the problem was that sonic cannot swim he sinks like a rock [Music] oh see ya [Music] and you only have a limited amount of time to get sonic back up to air before the most horrifying piece of music ever to grace your ears in the 90s comes your way it was the stuff of nightmares when this happened you knew that you were about to die it was the music of certain death you either survived and lived to tell the tale or you cried in your apple juice and you had to try all over again in this video we're going to break down the musical components and understand what is it that makes this drowning music so terrifying first let's talk about the melody as it were the voice of the melody is like a blaring clack song it's a warning signal telling you that something dreadful is happening at this moment it's strident it's harsh and it catches your attention on purpose the thing that makes it interesting is that it's different from the music used in the zone that you're playing with labyrinth zone has a sort of cool calypso feeling to it sort of laid back even though it's really one of the more difficult levels in the game [Music] in sonic 2 chemical plant zone while industrial and having an edge to it it still has an interesting mix of jazz organ with a saxophone lead with the rhythm section that gives it an interesting feel not too threatening [Music] aquatic ruin has a mystical and ancient sort of tone with an echoey melody that's paired with rhythm sections that feel latin in nature [Music] but the voice of this drowning theme is different from all of those it stands out from the theme of the music you're listening to purposefully to catch your attention another thing that's interesting about the melody is the way that it moves its motion is up and down by octave like flashing lights except by sound again built to get your attention the notes of the melody go back and forth between c and d flat this is what we call a half step or otherwise we call it a minor second minor intervals tend to have a darker quality and it can be used in a more sinister way than perhaps major intervals could be and this is not the first tune to use minor intervals to indicate a danger in the water now behind all of this is some higher tones that sound almost like they're under water they're not harsh and strident like the main melody is but at the same time they also use dissonant intervals that clash against the tonic of the c or the d-flat this subtle yet dissonant tone adds to the unsettledness of the piece and it continues to create anxiety within the player it sounds almost as if the bubbles are escaping from sonic's lips and there's nothing you can do to stop it so not only is the voice of the melody threatening and not only is the motion of the melody menacing in its own right but it also increases in speed and gets louder in music we call this echelorando and crescendo as the music goes on it increases speed by doing this it simulates the feeling of your heart racing as you're panicking trying to find a way out or at least find an air bubble or a water shield something to stave off the panic it continues to get faster and faster as the countdown goes lower and lower now coupled with this is the element of crescendo there's something getting louder in it i find this particularly effective in the original version of sonic 1 and sonic 2. there is an extra layer that is increasing in intensity that reminds me of the tremolo of strings when they bow back and forth quickly against the string to create an element of tension that gradually increases in intensity as the piece reaches its ending up in the high string area if you will that final crescendo coupled with the accelerondo the harshness of the voice and the intervals used the dark and menacing minor intervals of it creates a perfectly terrifying 10-second piece that tells you you're going to die if you don't get out right now as a final terrifying moment to finish it all off there is dead silence for a half of a second this is the moment where your life flashes before your eyes and you either escape by the skin of your teeth or you perish so that is what makes sonic's drowning theme so terrifying and i think one of the more terrifying countdowns in video games thank you for watching and as always may the force be with you [Music] you

Channel: masterluke1986

Views: 281,699

Keywords:

Id: lD9cV10ARwE

Length: 8min 23sec (503 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 28 2021