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The beeping of the bomb is one of Valorant’s best tricksBeep is death
Beep is death
That wasn’t the bomb. I got shot because I panicked too early, andValorantis very good at making you think you’re about to explode.
This is Riot’s newfangled shooter, a hybrid ofOverwatchandCS:GOthatI’ve praised in the past. I like how abilities (and, in fairness, my opponents' inexperience) let me do stufflike this.
The real masterstroke, though, is the beeping noise the bomb makes. Just like in Counter-Strike, every round sees one team try to plant a bomb. If they manage that, the enemy team has 45 seconds to defuse. It’s an exquisite way to generate tension, andValorantis very much in Counter-Strike’s debt. Riot have outdone them on the beeping sound, though, because it’s been very cleverly calculated to make people panic before they need to.
Here is a video in which I very cleverly do not panic, but hopefully illustrates why I might have. (I am sorry about the breathing. I’ve been trying to quit.)
Watch on YouTube
Watch on YouTube
I’m pretty sure that’s as close as you can possibly come to being blown up without actually being blown up. I played it cool, but oh, my poor heart.
The noise is just so well-gauged. To an experienced player, that beeping communicates vital information: you’ve got 3.5 seconds to start defusing once the beeping becomes frantic. In the context of a game where killing someone usually takes far less than a second, 3.5 seconds is plenty. I know that now, but it’s still unnerving. It still messes with my head - and better yet, I know it messes with other people’s.
Well done, Riot. Top beeps.
