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Desolate Deliverance's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quality | #12 | 4.420 | 4.420 |
| Storytelling | #28 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Creativity | #29 | 4.100 | 4.100 |
| Overall | #29 | 4.088 | 4.088 |
| Impression | #42 | 3.980 | 3.980 |
| Composition | #57 | 3.940 | 3.940 |
Ranked from 50 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Desolate Deliverance is a soundtrack about breaking free from that which holds us back. Its about escaping cycles and traps we are sent through and those we create for ourselves. Its about taking life by the reigns and living life of pure joy. No matter the difficulty, no matter the challenge faced before us, and no matter how long and how hard it may seem or be, there is happiness long forgotten that can be reimagined and regained. That's what this soundtrack is about.
Anesthetized Agony - A sleepless haze. In this soundtrack, synths and synth pads represent absence and the feeling one gets when they sense that nothing is real, when one is simply surviving and has become numb to themselves. The motif of the guitar and melody representing autonomy is absent.
Ceaseless Searing - Those who have experienced humid summers are familiar with the endless heat that persists through the night. Much like there is no escape from this heat, this theme is still largely oppressive in nature, with an underlying memory of a life of liberation with the first instance of the guitar melody.
Cyclical Severance - The first instance of the airy theme of clarity. Sounds of nature and orchestral/acoustic instruments make their first appearance here, as we get our first taste of clarity, refreshment and liberation. The controlled, quiet anger and determination of this song represent the last burst of hope and drive for freedom.
Revival and Rejuvenation - At last. Fresh air. It feels as though you have been given given the gift of life for the first time. Except this time, you are fully conscious to experience it. Memories of the endless heat remain, but can be fully processed and conquered with your newfound enlightenment.
Transcendence from Chains - Full guitar. Themes of freedom soar through the air, the guitar layered with a synth symbolizing the ownership of heat. I went through hell and came back. I am infinitely stronger than I ever thought possible. All that awaits me is the boundless joy I had once forgotten.
Message from the artist
Thank you to Lone Rabbit for hosting this jam, to everyone in the discord community who listened to my early submissions / drafts (im the baby crocodile pic lol), and thank you to the judges who took time our of their busy schedules to be here (extra special shout-out to Chris Christodoulou, I've had the risk of rain soundtracks on repeat for as long as I can remember). Best of luck to all in the jam and I'm psyched to hear everyone's submissions as well as what everyone thinks of Desolate Deliverance!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
The game takes place in a liminal-space themed endless loop of a blistering summer night.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/jon-wake-21420975/sets/desolate-deliverance?si=d4d6f66e4ec3406997148eb3add38659&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Number of tracks5
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
Awesome work, absolutely loved the variety of soundscapes on this one!
Thank you for listening, I appreciate it!
Stellar performances here, that last song is especially satisfying.
thank you!
So atmospheric ! :0 I loved how you developped a clear contrast with those endless pads on one side, and those airy bells on the other. It perfectly sets the listener in the feel. My favorite was Cyclical Severance. The feeling is strong here and the music filled with subtle details...
I also like your presentation and the way the music describe it ! Great storytelling. Congrats ! :)
Thank you so much! I’m glad you were able to pick up on that larger theme! Thank you again for listening!
Bro the ambience is just phenomenal in this. Listening to this in bed on a warm night felt great haha, thanks for making this.
I’m glad you were able to enjoy it, thank you for listening!
This soundtrack hits hard.
Anesthetized Agony felt like how we sometimes live life just... Going through the motions. Events happen around us, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, but to use they're all the same: Just a droning noise that is bound to be silenced when we get to bed. Nothing we do matters.
But then, Ceaseless Searing remind me of those nights were you can't sleep. The beautiful guitar contrasts amazingly with the drums and almost broken synths playing throughout. I really like the chord progression used through this song, it's almost ethereal. The "humid" feeling of the soundtrack reminded me of the Distant Springs from Pikmin 1.
Cyclical Severance has some very dynamic and beautiful instrumentation showing through. It feels a lot more "natural" than the previous songs if that makes sense. Of course, the guitar steals the show as always, but I also very much enjoy the "alarm" like sound that plays throughout, like it's urging us to wake up.
Revival and Rejuvenation is "Peace" at its most primal form. gentle bells accompagny the strange singing synths, before being presented by the jovial pads and guitar. I think it reuses motifs from previous songs, but I'm not too certain haha. That Distant Springs "influence" can also still be felt.
For the first time, the guitar takes the lead role in the instrumentation right from the start in Transcendence from Chains, as we've been freed of all the oppressive energy of the previous songs. It's just a nice song to listen to after all of this. It felt
I very much enjoyed this soundtrack, Ceaseless Searing ended up being my favourite due to the melancholic composition, but all of them are really good. Masterful job.
Wow, what a response! First of all, thank you for listening and for taking the time to write this!
You hit the nail on the head with the theme, and I’m glad I was able to musically translate that! You also picked up on small details and symbols that I hadn’t even thought of which is awesome, like the alarm sound in cyclical severance! And yup, revival and rejuvination uses subtle themes repurposed from previous tracks, but the most themes lie in the overall instrumentation as it relates to the story.
Once more, thank you for listening, I truly appreciate your kind words!
Very soothing and chilling soundtrack, really unique it was really well done !
I quite liked the assortment of instruments you've used on the various tracks, it all sounded really good and felt quite cohesive throughout (a lot of them sounded like LABS instruments, maybe they were, and it always feels great to the ear).
The vibes of the tracklist felt very ethereal and it was quite a journey to listen to,
In the selection, although all tracks were pretty solid, my favourites must have been Ceaseless Searing (has a very nice progression and chilling atmosphere), Cyclical Severance (felt very emotional with the melodies gated in reverb, and the percussions bring a lot to its emotive power), and Transcendence From Chains (is a great conclusion to the album with its triumphant-like arrangements).
Overall awesome job and awesome soundtrack, congrats !
Thank you for listening I really appreciate it! And ya got me-I am a big fan of LABS lol. Thank you again for the kind words about the soundtrack, I’m really glad it resonated with you!
Very ethereal listening experience that just cept on giving. It somwhat remings me of some older N64/PS1 era games and those who try to capture those atmospheres, like for example Lunacid. I can definitely see this OST in something like this with its very intriguing and chill atmosphere. Specially Cyclical Severance gave me some very cool chills.
Very cool job!
Thank you very much for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm always humbled when I give my listeners chills🙏
The unexpected bass drum signaling in the panned synths in "Ceaseless Searing" was an interesting surprise. "Cyclical Severance" progresses things along nicely by bringing in the orchestral instruments and spices things up a bit. The resolution in "Transcendence From Chains" is really powerful, having started the album with ambience far removed from structure and ending on a note with full melodious harmony. This OST definitely takes you on a journey and it was intriguing every step of the way. Great work!
I'm glad you were able to get so much out of this OST! thank you listening!
Dreamy and great vibe! I really like the combination of synth texture and acoustic instruments you have chosen, the synth is expertly chosen and crafted with movements, and the acoustic drum brings out the human element in your music. Really well done!
thank you for listening I really appreciate it!
This is a hell of a journey! Nice work cultivating all these different vibes and having them follow naturally from one another.
Thank you so much!
I really like the ambient tracks on this soundtrack because they don't overstay their welcome. Right when I felt like a section was too repetitive, a new section came in to break up any monotony. It really helped to keep me interested as I listened to the whole track.
That's great to hear, I'm glad you enjoyed those! Thanks for listening!
Great work with those sounds! Enjoyed it a lot
Thank you!
Big fan of this! Very strong album, feels nicely varied but also focused. Scratches my ears real good.
thanks for listening, I appreciate it!
Congratulations! Excellent tracks.
Thank you!
I really liked tracks 3 and 4. They had a really cool energy and vibe and generated a lot of mental imagery for me.
Great work.
Thanks for the listen, I'm glad you liked it
Whew, what an experience! It's brilliant how you took the summer haze and turned it into a central part of your OST, and it works so well! I was ironing stuff while listening to your OST on loop, and those earlier tracks made me actually sweat from how well the hazy atmosphere was done. The heavy, oppressive atmosphere that casts a gloom over everything, slowly but surely clearing up, until you're greeted by open sky and a warm melody...I think your submission has some of the best build up and flow between tracks that I've heard! Really excellent work. Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow I’m so glad the hazy atmosphere was able to manifest physically (obv not comfortable but I’m glad you had a memorable response to it lol). And thank you for your kind words about the thematic progression and I’m really glad you enjoyed the journey! Thank you for your detailed comment and thank you so much for listening!
Wow Jon that was kinda surreal to listen to. What an amazing OST that was. Maybe it's partly you hit the style I love but also I think you've really crafted, not just composed, a series of thematically coherent tracks. Listening to Ceaseless Searing is like I'm literally sitting on Deckard's balcony watching the flying cars drive through dystopian 2019 LA before I venture into a drive-by of Tokyo late-night. The only potential thing I'd say is that I was hoping that in Ceaseless Searing the snare and kick hit more with both punch and verb, and then same in the final track where I felt the drums were a bit dry. I'm nitpicking tbh this is just a sick OST.
Also I found myself wanting to beatbox along with these tracks, which for me, is a sign of something really good when I get into trying to figure out ideas I'd have for the tracks. Another way to just say this is so great!
Thank you again for your kind words! I’m glad this OST inspired you!
Thank you I really appreciate that and I’m glad you picked up on the themes I tried to convey! I agree the snare could use more punch and the drums in the last track could use some more attention. I’m really glad you enjoyed it!
Great soundtrack, I like Transcendence From Chains the most :)
thanks for listening!
I've never been high and I have no plan on changing that, but if I ever find myself on a trip I'm putting this on immediately. Closing my eyes and letting all of the beautiful and ethereal textures wash over felt like it was cleansing my soul.
Thank you! I’m glad you were able to experience this so deeply!
Damb this does remind me of the Risk of Rain 2 sountrack . Souch a summer vibe, nice atmosphere and istrumentation. Overall a greath sound track
Thank you that really means a lot to me! I guess over 300 hours on a game does that to you haha