Play soundtrack
Beyond The Crescent's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall Submission Enjoyment | #4 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Correlation to the Theme | #7 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Music Composition Quality | #7 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Overall | #7 | 3.820 | 3.820 |
| Audio Production Quality | #14 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
| Consistency of Album Quality | #20 | 3.600 | 3.600 |
Ranked from 10 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Use of Bonus Challenges
I attempted the third challenge
I attempted the fifth challenge
URL to Streaming Service
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW-AQO6uN6CE
Submission Description
Hey all! I had a interesting time with this jam, as I have never really played a lot of games with these themes (the closest may be a half playthrough of Cyberpunk...) It was fun learning more about using synths, while also using an orchestral setting, and finding a balance between the two. I looked mostly at mech themed games, such as Titanfall and Armored Core for inspiration, as well as mech media in general.
The loose concept for this game is something akin to a, "Open World RPG x Titanfall," set somewhere beyond a crescent moon. In the game, you are a mercenary where you primarily accept missions/jobs, either from the black market, country militaries or private militaries.
This project features 6 tracks:
1. Main Theme (Title) - The first track I started with, and decided to attempt a hybrid orchestral and synth composition. I am much more comfortable with instruments than synths, so during this project, I would add onto this track, and it ended up being the last one to be finished.
2. Mission (Sneaking) - Part 1/2 for the mission tracks. Here I envisioned a sneaking/stealth level, where the player would be out of their mech, maybe trying to get to their mech that may have been captured by the villain.
3. Mission (Combat) - The second part of the mission, where the player finds themselves in combat. I could envision this being part of the sneaking mission, or the normal missions as well. I feel this is where I started getting comfortable adjusting the synth's themselves, and not using just presets.
4. Villain Theme - Self explanatory. Another hybrid piece, but focusing on some quieter elements.
5. Boss Theme - The first fully synth theme I had (minus choir). Focusing on some odd time signatures, mainly 5/4 and 7/8.
6. Mission: Complete - The last track of the project, and yet another hybrid piece.
(Edited to add link to playlist!)
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Comments
Overall I thought this was a generally good submission. My biggest issue was that it felt like I was listening to two different soundtracks. Some songs were very orchestral/cinematic (which I'm a sucker for) and others were much more synth-coded, which I think works well for the theme, but them blending together more rather than feeling separate would have made the album as a whole feel more cohesive. The staccato stacks in the main theme were well done and were probably my favorite part of the soundtrack
I am blown away by what you have created here! Wow. I am impressed. That main theme song really hit hard! But at the 1:06 mark, those sustained strings stayed a bit long. They need some CC dynamics. Other then that, wow. Great work! I love it! Your orchestra was well done. The instruments sounded crisp for the most part and they were clear. Perhaps I could learn some things from you! Only thing these need is some tightening of notes and ends and things. Reverb and eqs will help, but also CC dynamics. Honestly, this was such a good listen. Thanks for sharing!
You've done a great job. The songs clearly seem to belong to the same world. The instrumental selection is excellent, and I think the melodies are highly effective, conveying the emotions of the different sections very well. Bravo!
My thoughts on each track:
1. Title (Main Theme)
Really strong opener! I really loved the opening ambience and the arrangement of the rest of the track was great. It sounded very full without being crowded and the occasional synth usage really added to the futuristic vibes.
2. Mission (Sneaking)
This track has good "stealth vibes" and I think it would work well in the context of a game. But on its own, I couldn't help but think it felt a bit empty. Perhaps a clearer melody line or more synths/effects could be helpful to fill out the space on this track.
3. Mission (Combat)
This is a great track! I love the pulsing synth present throughout it. It gives it so much energy and drive and the other synths sound great too. This track reminded me a lot of Contact With You from the Armored Core 6 soundtrack which is another great track.
4. Villain Theme
I really like this track. The contrast between the more traditional instrumented sections and the synth sections is fun and the initial transition is really great! I do think that some more could have been done to make the melody more interesting. Maybe some rests and increased dynamic variation would have been helpful to make it feel more alive?
5. Boss Theme
This is a super fun track! I really like how you used the synths (especially the repeated arps/ostinados) and the distorted choir was a cool addition. I can't help but wonder if a short section that was less intense would've added to the track (rather than it being 100% all the time) but that's just personal preference.
6. Mission Complete
This is a good triumphant track. I do wish it featured a few more synth/digital parts (especially at the start). There are some, but, it doesn't feel like it fits with the rest of the tracks which are mostly synths. It's still a good track but for the first 30 seconds I was wondering if my computer had somehow played an audio file from something else.
Overall, this is a great submission. At some points, you can tell that you're still new to working with synth sounds but I think that the strong composition and ideas still shine through!
Vibes are great on all of these and fit the sci-fi theme nicely, the rhythm and chordal movement on the Boss track gave me some big Pokemon battle feels 😄
On the production side I felt that the "non orchestral" sounds could've used some fiddling around reverb and EQ to blend them better with the acoustic sounds, since the orchestral samples are a lot more wet/less upfront sounding while the synths etc. were a lot more dry/closer to the listener making them both feel they are in separate spaces to me when playing together.
Good work!