Description
Soundtrack made for Lone Rabbit's OST Composing Jam 9.

Background:

For every OST Jam, I try to do something slightly different from what I did previously. This year, I felt inspired by silverpeel's picture theme to use instruments and styles of music from around the world.

Game Concept:

This soundtrack was imagined for an action adventure fantasy JRPG about romance, longing, and revenge. After fallen angels take the protagonist's lover away, our hero(ine) sets off on a quest across heaven and earth to bring their beloved back.

Music Concept:

The music utilizes instruments from all around the world but primarily features zither and lute instruments. I also wanted themes to be able to evolve for different situations, which I've implemented directly within tracks 1, 3, and 5, and separately across tracks 2 and 4. Each theme is reinterpreted into other styles, time signatures, keys, or a combination of those. For this kind of story and given theme, I felt it was appropriate to explore a wide variety of modes and scales. I also did a little bit of research to ensure most passages are playable live in some capacity. A koto, for example, might need extra strings and specific tuning to play some passages here, and while I wanted to use shakuhachi, I decided on shepherd's flute since it is apparently more versatile, given the context it appears in here.

1. A Fall From Grace, Fury - Exploration/story theme evolving into combat theme. It accompanies the story of the fallen angels being banished from heaven and the inciting battle where the protagonist's lover is taken away. Features guzheng, santoor, jinghu, sitar, and 5+6/8 timing.

2. Cold as the Sun - Main theme, for exploration/combat while traveling on the road between major hubs. Nylon string guitar (real), congas, uillean pipes (w/ extra key switches), shepherd's flute.

3. Salvation, Frenetic Choro - Night and day exploration themes for the big city, branching into higher intensity action at times. Guzheng, nylon string guitar, mandolin, accordion, cajon, timbales, cuica.

4. Steady as a Gun (Reprise) - Story/exploration theme. The hero(ine) walks into a bar and hears the band playing this song. Koto (w/ more strings), shepherd's flute.

5. Apotheosis - Exploration theme evolving into higher intensity action for the last gameplay location and story’s finale. The hero(ine) either ascends in order to save their partner or accepts the hard reality they aren’t coming back. Nylon string guitar (real), mandolin, tabla, axtse, Bulgarian choir.

Theme

Songs of a Forgotten World

Picture theme

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/willdionio/sets/cold-as-the-sun

Number of tracks
5

Genre

Soundtrack use permission