Resurrecting "Game of the Week," I'll talk about 2009 IGF winner of excellence in audio "Brainpipe:"
Studio: Digital Eel
Format: PC, 1 Player, Download/Install
Core Mechanic: Fly through space (on rails), Avoid or Collect
Control: Mouse look. Click to slow.
Design Notes: This game continues the argument that sound design is more powerful than visuals. The video doesn't do the games drawing power justice. Just picking the game up sucks you into its world so quickly.
The game uses cleverly placed sound emitting assets. Each asset has a different sound and the stereo and depth effects on the volume make it clear each obstacle or token is generating the affiliated sound. As you quickly fly through the space, the sound sells you almost instantly on the reality of the virtual world.