Downfall is a rhythm that sounds like I'm throwing a rock against the water..... This track really breathes!
Caged - Also water... but this time a little sad :>
Good tracks ^_^
P.S. Rawr
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quality | #34 | 3.760 | 3.760 |
| Composition | #56 | 3.600 | 3.600 |
| Correlation to theme | #62 | 3.400 | 3.400 |
| Overall | #63 | 3.544 | 3.544 |
| Impression | #73 | 3.520 | 3.520 |
| Creativity | #74 | 3.440 | 3.440 |
Ranked from 25 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
[Dreams] is primarily based on electronic compositions with touches of VSTs. In both tracks, I used Ableton Live 12.
The game is about an inner fight with insecurities to achieve our dreams, and this freedom of self is achieved through these two songs. Both tracks are composed with minor keys to create a feeling of dark harmony and melodies.
[ Downfall - Bm 99 BPM ]
[ 2:42 ]
The first step is realizing we need to fight with our inner insecurities, the adventure, the journey that involves this process, and the encounter with the last big fight.
[ Caged - F#m 104 BPM ]
[ 3:05 ]
The piece for the last fight or encounter. This song joins with the adventure while it begins to ascend in complexity, finishing with a modulation to give that hopeful feeling that the fight will end and finally break free from our cage.
Message from the artist
Thank you so much for listening! I had a wonderful time getting these two pieces to life.
Also, it's my first jam, so hopefully, do you like it!
Regards,
Null Reference.
Theme

How does it fit the theme?
With the feeling of fighting for something and finally breaking free.
The hope and distress combined.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://on.soundcloud.com/1wJfP58f5TMrQZVo8
Genre
Soundtrack use permission

Any project

Any non-commercial project
For game jams only
All the synth and chord choices are really solid, especially the chord progressions giving the tension in the story that you're going for. I really like the drums here with how percussive and snappy they are, they give the tracks a lot of uniqueness to me. I think experimenting some more with dynamics and really blowing the lid off the low passes here could help drive the songs forward and break up the chill atmosphere, but otherwise super solid work!
I really liked the sounds you used, amd the feel they created. I would have liked it if there was a bit more melody throughout them, something to really keep them fresh throughout their runtimes.
Great work!
:]
I like the vibes a lot, but felt that the piano got a bit overpowered by the pad and the strings. Maybe raising the volume a little bit could help.
Good work!
the dark, gritty ambience in these two tracks is really nice; i like the brief presence of bells in "Downfall" that keeps the track's arrangement evolving throughout! ^^
i can imagine for "Caged" the final rooms leading up to the final encounter — perhaps the final resting spot you and your accompanying party members have before you proceed into uncertainty...
Fantastic work here, I love the warbly synth sounds, the soft pianos and the lo-fi percussion and textures!
Weird I was confident I left a comment here... Anyways it's a banger for me! I love the choice of having noise kinda glue together all the sounds in Downfall, and it's mixed to perfection. Not only that, but the overall melody is GORGEOUS. It's lovely! As for Caged, I was expecting something quite more dramatic/energetic in a way, but I like that you went the opposite way, kind of like in Dark Souls final boss where it's the opposite of what you would expect. It's great too! One concept I would have loved would have been to keep the noise in Caged and little by little free the song for the static, I think it would have been a great storytelling tool in a way with just a noise (yes you gave me ideas).
Anyways it's neat thanks for the OST!
Really nice atmospheres. Downfall made me imagine a "night detective urban" game ahah, not really the same theme but it would fit this pretty well. I really get the desire for battle and agency in "Caged", nicely illustrated. Pretty good !
Oh there are some gorgeous sounds in these. Downfall feels evocative; choice of patches here all complement each other well. The use of noise at the back of the mix to create a kind of defined "space" is clever, and the subtle delay on the percussion does wonders for adding some additional groove to the beat without over-complicating it.
Caged follows in a similar suit, but perhaps errs more on the pensive side of things. There's more tension building in this one as it progressing, serving it well for a battle theme. I like how uncertain it sounds at times; partly due to some of those ascending little arpeggios that are a mix of curious and apprehensive. Nice sidechaining to add some motion to the pad in the background and prevent it from washing out the mix.
Solid work, these were both fun to listen to and are pretty unique pieces. Best of luck!
Nice work! Really enjoyed these! Particularly caged! Felt like it could be in a mystery puzzle game. Nice work!
Feels pretty ambient, but without being so minimal. I like it!
Definitely feels like both are soundtrack songs for sure.
This kind of reminded me of point and click horror games like Fran Bow a little bit with the heavy synths and warbling.
Some very interesting tempos too with 99 and 104. If I had made them I would be annoyed with them not being on a multiple of 5
Interesting! this felt very brewing and tense with its harmony and low synths underneath, which i think fits very well with the idea of insecurities and within, with pockets of hope supported by a great use of background elements and variation. I feel this helps it to blend both emotions fluidly and I like how this space lets softer elements like the piano stay accented. It reminds me of a similar effect that Stranger Things and Toby Fox achieve! :)
I agree with the other comment, there is a lot to dissect in these two songs, but the bottom line is they are really cool! Love what you have done in only 6 minutes of audio!! Downfall sounds very mesmerizing and trance-like, while Caged sounds really cinematic and tension building! Both are equally enjoyable in their own ways, but so far you have been the most on point out of all the submissions I have seen when it comes to the prompt.
I could say a lot about this but the quality of your mix really stands out, well done!
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