Google Spotlight Stories and Chromosphere worked in tandem to create the look, sound and tech of Sonaria across the widest possible range of room-scale VR headsets and lower-end mobile devices. With a design style created for no compromise regardless of playback device, two simple creatures transform as they progress through ten environments, ranging from ocean depths to open sky. To achieve this, nothing was an afterthought. The sounds of characters and their environments evolve and react to the audience's gaze and position in space. The minimalist visuals suggest, while evocative sound completes the picture, immersing the audience in the story.

In VR, composers traditionally choose between spatializing music at the expense of sound quality, and stereo which ignores head rotation. Sonaria takes a different approach. The score places us in the middle of a string ensemble recorded spherically. Cellists are seated evenly among violinists and violists in a circle to achieve radial symmetry, ensuring that we hear a balanced sound at any viewing angle. Layers of vintage synths interact with viewer gaze and story. The result is a luminous score that encircles and balances us in the geometry, action, and emotion of the scene.