Description
I decided to go with a Locked-Room style puzzle game to fit the theme of freedom. In The Grandiose Tale of Perigreen Manor, you'd play as a young lady who received a cryptic invite to the infamous Perigreen Manor. Once inside, you'd find yourself trapped, with nothing but your sharp wits, scathing sarcasm, and the Perigreen's pet bird and companion, Crow. Solving each room's puzzles would allow you to progress further into the manor, all the while a larger mystery unfolds. What secrets does the Perigreen family hide, and will you make it out the manor alive?

I wanted to go for something a little different than the immediate thought of "grand victory" or "defying all odds" when it comes to the theme. I wanted to take the theme a little more casually than that, and write an OST that reflects the quirkiness of the manor, the confidence of the protagonist, and the resolution of the overarching mystery in the game as you beat all the puzzles and finally gain freedom.

The Title Theme is a medley of the main melodies from the other tracks which I visualise as playing on the Start screen as you set up your game profile.

The Grand Lobby would play during the in-between moments between each puzzle room. Here you'd spend time conversing with Crow and mulling over clues.

The Puzzle Theme is for the puzzle/escape rooms. I wanted something pleasant and not too distracting, but still fun to listen to for when you get stuck on a difficult puzzle with the music looping.

Memories, Freedom, and Realisation would play at the end - you're about to escape, and you've finally put together the pieces of the Perigreen family's tragic secret. You say goodbye to Crow, and escape into the morning light.

Composed using Cubase Elements 8, and most of the VSTs are from free libraries provided by LABS. I first try to picture where the track would play, then work on carving out a feel for the song - choosing instruments, melodies, or a certain key that fit my "picture", the work on fleshing out from there. For example, I could visualise the lobby of the manor with a twin staircase going up to the second floor, with a lot of wood and red colours. Chronological order of completion was: Grand Lobby, Memories, Puzzle Theme, Title Theme.

Message from the artist
This is my first OST jam, thank you for hosting!

Theme

Freedom

Picture theme

How does it fit the theme?
Literally, through the use of the escape rooms and puzzle genre, and metaphorically through learning the secret of the the manor and helping your new friend Crow move on into the afterlife.

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/tophattedtime/sets/the-grandiose-tale-of-perigreen-manor

Genre

Soundtrack use permission

Yes (CC BY-NC)

Any non-commercial project