Discussing the subtle genius of DBD's Chase music
With the Unknown releasing with another chase theme that the community at large refers to as a "Washing Machine Loop" track, I thought it'd be fun to discuss the intention behind these tracks and why they are the way they are
Obviously, I am not a member of BHVR's music team, I can't speak for what they intended with any of these themes, all of this is just my interpretation
To begin with, I want to discuss the purpose of the Chase Themes, in game they are meant to signal a killer's proximity to a survivor, starting with a more subtle or ominous sound at either 32m or 24m (or 40m in the case of Wesker), and slowly building up to what is intended to get the survivor to start panicking as they are chased or get the killer's heart pounding as they chase a survivor down, this is done by dividing the tracks into separate layers, and adding or removing layers depending on the killer's proximity, based on this, we can divide the tracks into 4 different bits
I'll be referring to Layer 1 as the Warning layer, as this layer plays when the killer is very far away from the survivor, this layer is designed to warn the survivor that the killer can and probably has seen them, and that it's in their best interest to start looking for a place to hide
Layer 2 will be referred to as the Approaching layer, this layer plays when the killer is getting closer to the survivor's location, this layer usually doesn't change very much from the Warning layer, at most adding a extra instrument and upping the volume a bit
Layer 3 is the Panic layer, playing when the killer is close enough to be practically breathing down the survivor's neck, adding on extra instruments or drastically changing the theme to sound more imposing
Finally, there's the Chase itself, or what I call the Payoff layer, this is meant to be loud and, well, payoff the build-up set up by the previous 3 layers, this is the most important of the four layers, as this is what the other 3 layers all set up and is the layer people will hear the most
It should also be pointed out that there is a hidden, 5th layer that not a lot of people seem to appreciate, that being the killer's ambient noises that they themselves produce, for a example, lets look at Knight's chase music
Knight's song is alright and fits his character, however, what makes it special is all of his ambient noises, including spawning guards, guards hunting survivors and all of the noises they produce, and the sounds of Knight's heavy footsteps, this is why I think a lot of killers recently have small loops, because the devs intend that killers' ambient noises will help break up the loop, as another example, Demo and Blight, they have obvious loops that are broken up by the fact that the pair of them are incapable of shutting up and staying quiet for longer then 5 seconds, Demo roars and screeches when he does almost anything, Blight screams and slams into things every couple of seconds, which helps break up their chases' loops
Based on all of this, here's my list
For anyone who's going to disagree, and I know Wesker's placement is going to be a cause of several raised eyebrows, allow me to explain my thought process, each placement is based on how well each of the layers flow from one to the other, how good the chase theme is, how well they fit the character, and how well they fit the game, as much as we've all collectively forgotten this is the case, DBD's a horror game, and with that in mind, Wesker is at the bottom for one very simple reason, He's a action movie villain, not a horror villain
It wouldn't be fair if I didn't give Wesker his due though, so let's analyse his theme
The Warning layer is pretty good, being a slowly building series of droning sounds that serves its purpose of warning you that Wesker is approaching, The Approaching layer adds a sort of "boowomp" sound to it alongside some mild percussion to warn the survivor that Wesker is getting closer, the Panic layer adds violins, stronger percussion, and a small brass section, which is all paid off very well when the Chase actually begins and the Orchestra comes in full blast and doesn't stop until Wesker downs you or you get away, I really do like this theme overall, it sounds good, it flows well, the Payoff's good and it fits Wesker's character, BUT, it doesn't really fit a horror game, it fits a action game like RE5 and RE6, which is why I put Wesker at the very bottom, it's good, but not really scary or panic-inducing, it's headbang-inducing, which is really good, but not quite the feeling I'm looking for in a horror game, not helped by the fact that his sounds meant to break up the loop are mostly just...the sound of Wesker grunting and action movie quips, contextless action movie clips ripped from RE5 as well, which just kind of hurts it in my opinion
It should also be noted that the Chase theme does have one issue in terms flow, the Chase theme stops if Wesker hits you with his power, which is kind of annoying when it plays the first 3 seconds of the chase, and then immediately cuts back to the Panic layer, and then goes right back to the Chase, which is kinda annoying
In comparison, Dredge is the killer I consider to have the best Chase theme
The Warning layer beings with a long, droning noise layered over a small string instrument (I assume something like a violin), the Approaching layer adds a extra droning noise that gets broken up by the sound of percussion that goes "boom boom boom be boom" followed by a droning groaning noise, almost as if some wild animal is stomping towards the survivor and actively hunting you, or, as someone in the video's comment section put it, like the Dredge is oozing through pipes or similarly small spaces as it moves, the Panic layer is fantastic as well, adding onto the build up of the Warning and Approaching layers with I assume someone rapidly beating against a wooden block that adds a spine-tingling feeling to the theme as Dredge oozes and writhes towards the survivor, which finally gets paid off by the sound of that wooden instrument getting swapped out for a drum and having the person playing it going absolutely apeshit as people scream and wail in the background, this is added onto by the sounds Dredge makes, including its ominous groaning when it moves, its moans whenever it swings, and, if applicable, the moaning and wailing during Nightfall, Dredge's theme is something I listen to in my off time whenever I'm out walking at night (Yes, I am insane, thank you for asking), so much so that the fear-factor for it has kind of worn off for me, nevertheless though, I love Dredge's theme and wish more killers had chase themes like it
Now that I've said all of this, what do I think of Unknown's theme?
The Warning layer is one I would consider the best in the game, it feels so...wrong, the long, droning violin and, I think, sounds of a broken record add to a ominous, looming threat, this added to by the Approaching layer, which adds what sounds like a distorted human voice saying "help me", which is just so frigging good for a killer like Unknown, the Warning layer is pretty good too, being a droning, distorted scream overlayed by a rapidly beating, I think, percussion instrument of some sort, which is then followed up by the Payoff of the chase, bringing back the distorted voice and toning down the harsh percussion a bit, added onto by Unknown's distorted voicelines, the fleshy, writhing sounds of UVX, and the sharp violin stinger of getting rid of Weakened, I really like Unknown's theme...but I do feel like the chase could have been louder, more uncomfortable, harsher, it suits Unknown, but the chase could have been a bit louder
So anyway, that was me nerding about DBD's chase themes, feel free to add your own opinions to the discussion, I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks of DBD's themes
G'night
Comments
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I'm gonna be honest I did not read all of that, however, as much as I think Twins are bad from a gameplay perspective I definitely think their music is good
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I agree for the most part with a lot of this, but to give Wesker a bottom placement for being who he is rubs me the wrong way. Sure, DBD tends to theme itself around a horror game, but it hasn't been afraid to mix it up at numerous points in it's history. Chucky is meant to be a comedic killer, do his voiclines sideline his music as they happen in and out of chase?
DBD is as much a horror action game to a lot of people now as RE5 was, DBD leaning into that angle of its identity shouldn't be punished imo. I love the monsters of our cast that give the game it's core atmosphere, but I'm more than okay with switching things up from time to time for some sillies.
Post edited by ArkInk on2 -
I can agree on Wesker being bottom tier since his music sounds like boss music rather than chase music and Dredge being top tier, along with a few other placements.
The rest however i find outright questionable and can't help but disagree with, especially for the placements of Legion, Deathslinger, Nemesis, Twins, Artist & Cenobite.
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I like The Unknown's music. I don't know what the instruments are but it sounds like someone erratically and violently sawing a violin or cello, which I think fits the character perfectly, looking like a disgustingly distorted human. I don't think it's "washing machine" at all, it's not fast enough or loud enough for that, it feels more subtle. Everything about The Unknown feels warped and twisted, from its appearance to its music.
I do also agree that Knight's chase music doesn't feel complete without the constant clank clank clank of his armor as he approaches behind you. His angry guttural growls and grunts also add to the music. And Dredge is definitely one of the best-designed killers in the game, both in visuals and audio. Just a shame his gameplay is mediocre which turns me off from playing him, otherwise he'd be one of my mains.
Ghost Face's terror radius music is good but his chase music is the bland washing machine everyone complains it is. I also really don't like Trickster's and Artist's music, it's more grating than intimidating. Doctor's is a borderline case.
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Dredge music would be good if he was a skeleton...but he's a shadowy mass of flesh. Once the TR reaches Close I just imagine being chased by a goofy ahh skeleton clippity-cloppity moving towards me at a comically fast rate.
Meanwhile as much as I hate The Twins, I find their music (especially the sfx when The Twins 'switch places') to be particularly amazing. I believe the music encapsulates exactly how it feels to be chased by someone while also having a demon attached to you.
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I agree that Wesker's chase theme is very good, but a bit too epic for running away from a normal-looking guy. His close terror radius though is one of the best in the game, it's perfect for a psychotic superpowered scientist who will stop at nothing to find and kill you.
Doctor's chase theme is the opposite problem for me. It's a short maddening loop which drills itself into your head, which suits his character and horror aesthetic perfectly, but it's just.. not fun to listen to. After getting into chase with him a few times it starts to annoy me.
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Unknown's chase theme definitely doesn't need to be louder or harder as it is already annoying to listen to for extended periods of time.
The devs toned down the intensity of the fast and monotonous percussion and while it didn't make the theme good it at least made it somewhat bearable.
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