As a theoretical sound design, DID WE JUST BOMB YOSEMITE?  is a soundscape inspired by the video game Horizon Forbidden West. The sound design intends to portray feelings of deep, bone-shaking fear and bloody violence under the point of view of the narrator: just one apocalyptic soldier who managed to survive slightly longer than the rest, knowing their time is swiftly coming to an end and they can do nothing to stop it. Implementation of this concept includes crackling and the occasional distortion of sound due to data corruption, reinforcing the idea that these were past events possibly coming through a radio transmission that may have occurred so long ago that some of the data has been lost to time. It includes the sounds of metal machines clicking and whirring, coming from the war machine, Horus, and the robot swarm. The sound design includes sounds of battle, running, and a plane rushing by, reinforcing the idea of panicked, urgent movement. It also includes labored breathing, ears ringing sharply, shouting, explosions, and the like, reinforcing the idea that humans were experiencing mass death and destruction, promoting the idea of humanity and sympathizing with the soldiers of Earth.
Timing and volume play an incredibly important role. It fades in with chaos and destruction, sounds of vehicles and tanks and guns, followed by a plane and a rather large explosion, followed by more destruction, and ending with loud ears ringing, heavy breathing, and the aftermath. The Yosemite state park music at the end serves as something ominous and unsettling, as well as reinforcing location as well as the idea of black humor tied to the soundscape.