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True Light's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #58 | 4.029 | 4.029 |
| Composition | #62 | 4.048 | 4.048 |
| Overall | #82 | 3.913 | 3.913 |
| Impression | #102 | 3.837 | 3.837 |
| Quality | #136 | 3.827 | 3.827 |
| Correlation to theme | #148 | 3.827 | 3.827 |
Ranked from 104 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous.
- From the get-go, I was delighted to hear multiple independent lines in your writing-- it is a perfect example of how great production really begins with great, multi-layered writing. The samples used here are obviously limited, but *it doesn't matter* when the material in those lines is strong-- this is the secret to that older RPG sound, which 100% had to rely on great musical material to elevate the music beyond its technical limitations. If you are whistling the melody to yourself later, the music was successful irrespective of the technical sophistication of the samples or MIDI banks used. Listening to this, I think you definitely understand that. I wanted to start with that because I think the approach of constructing a tapestry of beautiful independent lines here is uniquely impressive, so I don't want the following critique to overshadow that or "scare you away" from continuing it in the future: I did sometimes feel that polyphonic sections were a bit too dense to follow on the first listen-- I think thinning these out a little bit might help with the "aural legibility" overall, especially on the first track. Given that we are working in a limited genre (games), legibility is really important, especially considering our music is often having to accompany a dense soundscape of FX and gameplay. I loved how you used pizz strings and harp to keep the textures varied and interesting throughout. The track "Real" had a tremendously haunting quality that I thought showcased your skills quite nicely. Beautiful work, keep writing!
Description
Submission of the OST Composition Jam #7
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi0-gPNpRb63mNVNhrtP-wuB5kFKCJx93
Runtime: 6:56 / Software: Reaper
[True light] is inspired by indie horror JRPGs (rpgmaker styled games) like Ib, Mad father, The witch's house.
I focused on working from the melody. You can find in all the tracks a 5-note melodic entity that starts hidden among other melodic lines and eventually, It has more presence along the whole OST. This is the way I see the "inside my world" theme in music. Although each track is a stage of different moments of the character, you will find consistency in terms of instrumentation, maintaining the same dark color palette.
A doll, a servant in a mansion, only follows the orders of a voice in her head without resisting. A call prompts her to go to the forbidden zone and it's here where we must accompany her to remember her past and recover her will...
This is her story, that of a world that existed, her world, that still lives confined within herself. With each step she will gain strength and this inner world will be the light that will guide her path and escape from an imposed destiny.
Has she always been a doll?
I decided not to be specific about the story since I don't want to influence the listener's experience.
Take this as a quickly wrapped gift (I didn't have enough time to develop the arrangement and mixing a little more)
Thanks to Lone Rabbit for this space that gives us the opportunity to share and grow with others.
Thanks to Agulachin for the inspirational cover art https://www.instagram.com/agulachinart/
Theme
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi0-gPNpRb63mNVNhrtP-wuB5kFKCJx93
Number of tracks5
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
hey! this has to be one of the most unique and cool interpretations of the theme: interpreting the theme in both your melodies and your game’s story. very dark and ominous tracks. i can strongly imagine this in a game. add some creepy, creaky old door sfx and night ambience. that would be pretty unnerving. great stuff!!
Thank you for giving value to the idea of applying the theme in music and story. It was a challenge that I thought about for myself.
I really like the suggestion you give me, add sfxs to my music i something I'd like to explore.
Very nice tracks with great mood. Well done! :)
I really appreciate it, thank you for your words!!
The musical style is serene with a touch of mystery, resembling that of a click-and-adventure or puzzle game. Great job
Certainly, I didn't decide on a specific gameplay for True Light, but I think click-and-adventure could work very well. Thanks a lot!
ps: I love your username
I agree with others here - that real recordings would do this soundtrack wonders! The composition is totally there; I can imagine the game that this would have gone along with, but unfortunately orchestral instrumentation is so difficult to synthesize. Great job!
Hi encode42! Thank you very much for your comment.
Yes, I agree with you. It's an arduous job, and even more if you want to achieve the best results.
I will try to solve that to be able to present things better. I don't want to stop improving!!
Nicely done, you put some different styles and ways to work with orchestrations, good use of the harp in general. Sounds great, just a couple of annoying frequency in Layla that I would tone down but i'm just being perfectionnist at this point. Well done !
Hello FoxHyode!
Thanks for listening and taking the time to write something!!
You are right about the frequencies, it is something I have to improve. In general, I need to work more on everything that has to do with mixing. I need more experience in that part and maybe a teacher haha
Delightfully whimsical and creepy too - the choice of instrumentation really set the mood for an exploration. I love how you let the melody and accompaniment have their own space to shine, and didn't rush them. Absolutely lovely!
Normally horror stuff scares me too much, but I really loved this for the sense that it gives of "yes, this is creepy and dangerous, but there is still hope to hold onto". Really well done!
I really appreciate you sharing something about yourself and how you felt listening to the ost. I really like horror but in music, I prefer to generate exactly that type of vibe.
Thank you so much!
ps: still remember your songs, It was very special and unique work♥
I loved this one. It was really interesting and fresh.
Really good work. My feedback is that some of the orchestration could have felt more natural, but you did a lot considering the time you had. For some reason I also feel like you'd benefit in particular from having a real instrument or two in your mix with a microphone. I like the Shure SM57, that's what my stuff is recorded with (I have a matching pair for a stereo image). It's known to be very accurate, which means that you can do a lot of great postprocessing. Accuracy (as opposed to microphone color, which is what more money tends to bring) works well for your genre of music as well.
Thank you for your feedback on things to improve. I think you are right, I am going to take note of your recommendations and I will try to use them to improve my future works.
Lately, I have been thinking about how to improve the results of my productions, this helps me on that way!
This really has that indie horror-jrpg sound! A perfect balance of playful and spooky.
Great use of the strings throughout especially, the woodwinds are also very nice.
Really fits the story you described as well.
I don't think anyone had mentioned the use of wind instruments until now, I really appreciate that you see value in it.
Thank you very much for your words!!
sounds mischievous. i enjoy.
I'm very glad you like it♥
Thanks for your comment!!!
Nice use of the orchestration with various soundscapes! "Light off" works really well and contrast with the more gentle tracks, which is great! Nice submission!
Thank you for your words and that was the idea! I wanted to present different moments that the character goes through. In this scenario "Lights off" it had to be very contrasting.
This one REEKS of mystery! I know the inspiration is JRPG's but the instrumentation and energy really gives me some Professor Layton vibes! Thinking music :) But then some powerful strings wash in and out to make it more dramatic.
And we have to talk about Lights Off. That one is SO GOOD. possibly may favourite, a shame that it's so short. Overall this soundtrack flows very nicely and paints a vivid picture.
edit - I'm curious about which program you used, I don't recognize it and it has no name on the window
Professor Layton has incredible orchestrations, it's awesome. I'm very flattered that my music reminded you of that. I work every day to compose at that level.
I wanted to make "light off" something more elaborate and longer, but I didn't have enough time. I'm going to explore that kind of vibe next time.
About the software: It's Reaper! Didn't realize that at fullscreen chops top and bottom of the DAW where you can see the name. Thanks for letting me know, maybe I'm gonna add it on the submission text later.
Lots and lots of lovely orchestral colours going on here, and "Lights Off" is a great contrast with the low rumbles. Immersive as well, it absolutely feels like a old mansion. Very nice indeed, thankyou!
It's good that you feel reflected in the music the old mansion where the story takes place. I really appreciate each of your words
Good job on capturing the JRPG horror aesthetic, the artwork fits so well with it too. It's has it scary moments but it also has a lighter yet mysterious side to it. I can picture the player sneaking around, exploring the mansion to the track of "Crossroads". It's quite interesting to have "Close your eyes" as the penultimate track being rather hopeful and then shifting into something darker near the end with "Real". I imagined that the doll was able to recover her will, but soon discovers the burden of it to end on a bittersweet note.
The mix was clear during the musical parts and purposefully murky during the horror sections, a very deliberate production. Overall, a very well made soundtrack, give yourself a pat on the back.
(Gave you a follow too!)
It makes me very happy that you were able to imagine the different moments of the game according to each of the tracks.
I give a lot of value to the observation you make about the final 2 tracks, what you describe is definitely what I thought, it surprises me in the best way that you have commented on it. Thank you for your positive words!!
Your tracks are so lively! Really has the rpgmaker horror game-esque ominous yet elegant vibes.
Thanks for appreciating the music, I'm glad you can link it to the rpgmaker horror games.
Your music sounds so creative and full of life :) I especially loved "Close your eyes". Great work!
Thank you poodle. I really appreciate it!!
ps Your harpsichord's attack still got me haha
haha you know, that's kind of a musical quirk I have. Some songs i've made before also have instruments appearing all of a sudden
Love how much mystery oozes out of your compositions. You’ve really nailed the eerie horror vibe with this one and can definitely imagine the game as I’m listening! Well done!
Thank you for the recognition, I am very happy and it's interesting that listening allows you to think about what the game would be like.
When I read that this was inspired by old horror JRPGs I was so curious to see what direction you'd take this soundtrack. And honestly, I think you've nailed the atmosphere! Very mysterious and ominous sounding. My favorite track is probably "Real". The cover art is also really nice.
I am very glad to have satisfied your curiosity about the ost.
"Real" is one of the tracks that I enjoyed the most even though it has given me a lot of work.
Thank you very much for your comment!
These are packed to the brim with whimsy! At points it gave me some Don't Starve vibes, which has a fantastic soundtrack.
Arrangement-wise, very well done. Almost has movie underscore feelings at points. There are some really nice vocal layers beneath the orchestration (which is great, by the way!) that add an extra bit of oomph in Crossroads. The choice of articulations throughout this is really nice, too. Gives it a bouncy waltz kind of vibe, with an air of mystery and some ominous flavours with the various string swells.
Lights Off sets the stage instantly and is genuinely a great piece of underscore. Despite being such a short and simple piece, it really sets out to achieve the one thing it needs to.
Close Your Eyes feels a little more typical in its approach; a nice and straight-forward composition. Feels pensive at points, but not 'lost'. Goes through the paces and uses a kind of less-is-more style - plenty of breathing room between the various elements. I think this kind of technique is not used enough honestly and you've pulled it off flawlessly here.
And, finally, my favorite of the bunch - Real. This reeks of atmosphere and has a slightly ambiguous tonality to it. I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to feel with it, and I like that. Striking that balance is difficult. Simple melodies and an almost haunting but somehow comforting humming to accompany it and guide the player. Can I also say that this genuinely sounds like some minor bespoke theme that one would find in Hades I/II? Really, really nice.
Great set of tracks, honestly. Nailed the theme and kept everything nice and cohesive while exploring various different moods. Really solid work here. I could see this going the whole way, honestly.
Thank you deeply. Your review is very detailed and it surprised me. It takes a long time to comment in great detail, I really appreciate that you took the time.
I take note of Don't Starve and Hades, I know them but I didn't listen to their ost in depth, I'll definitely do it!
Very happy with what you said about "Real" because in this part of the game the protagonist (and the player) discover that she was human before so now, she has to process that and move on.
Great soundtrack! "Lights Off" was probably my favourite, but everything had a really unique vibe. It has a great mix of spookiness, whimsicality, and mysteriousness. Well done!
"Lights off" was very well received, it's very nice to read that in a comment.
I'm very grateful. Thank you!