Setting the Mood With Sound
Every great game has sound design that matches the gameplay, the visual style, and, most importantly, the feel of the moment. For our bomb-diffusal puzzle game, we wanted the sound to put the player in the right emotional state: slightly tense, slightly rushed, and fully immersed.

Choosing the Right “Tension” Sound
Since the player is racing against a bomb timer, we knew right away that the most important sound in the game had to be the tick, or in our case, a sharp, electronic beep. We intentionally chose a simple, slightly annoying tone because it instantly creates that “uh-oh, better hurry” feeling without overwhelming the player.

Making Urgency Audible (Inspired by CS:GO)

Players rarely stare at the timer in the corner of the screen, especially while solving puzzles. So the sound had to communicate time pressure for us. We borrowed inspiration from CS:GO’s escalating bomb tick:

• At 15 seconds, the beep speeds up to once every 0.5 seconds.

• At 5 seconds, it becomes a rapid, almost continuous chirp.

This rising urgency pushes players to make decisions faster without needing any flashing warnings. And the best part? We achieved all this using one single sound file, just with different playback timings.

Why We Chose No Background Music
This was a big decision, and honestly, we debated it for a long time. But here’s why we ultimately went music-free:

1. Music softened the tension.
   No matter what track we tried, it diluted that sharp ticking that the whole experience was built around.

2. One level requires listening closely.
   A puzzle involving wall knocks simply doesn’t work if there’s music covering it.

3. Sound is information, not decoration.
   In this game, audio is a functional part of solving the puzzle. We didn't want anything interfering with that clarity.

So instead of constant background sound, the game feels focused, sharp, and intentional, every noise has a meaning.

Feedback Sounds That Matter
We added just a couple more crucial sounds to support the gameplay:

• Numpad Input Sound:
  Distinct from the bomb beep so players always know when a button press registered.

• Bomb Diffused “Relief” Sound:
  This is our favorite one!
  It’s a soft, satisfying exhale-like cue designed to instantly lower your shoulders after the tense buildup.

Nothing fancy just sounds that do their job.

Tiny Tools, Big Impact
To keep things quick and lightweight for the jam, we created all our sounds using JSFXR, a wonderfully simple tool for bleepy, retro-style sound effects. Good sound doesn’t have to come from complicated software.

Key Learnings

• Sound can carry gameplay information just as effectively as visuals, sometimes even better.

• You don’t always need background music; intentional silence can make your core sounds more powerful.