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Description
PS2, Synth, Botanica
The Biologist lives in a sad world : in 2500, the cities grew so large that no forest nor countryside remains. Nature survive as it can, like in this big abandonned power plant where moss and mushrooms made there home.
When he goes to study some weird flower, The Biologist is far to imagine that the most important journey of his life is beginning : for the Trees here are alive and ancient, survivors of what was once Sylva, the realm of thoses with roots.
Sylva Memoria (Memory of the Forest ~) is a PS2 game, that I imagine a little clanky and bugged, but with a lot of heart. A sort of ecologic tale for 2000 childrens, like Capitain planet, a little naive, but leaving sweet memories. My idea was that the "Songs of a forgotten World" where both the chant coming from the living plants of Sylva and a metaphor for childhood memories.
Music-wise, I tried to evoke an ancient world, aliens and prestigious, with some elements of botanica (the music style ofc) while using only synths and effects that existed in the 2000.
Forest Cantical - Opening Theme, The Biologist discover the Power Plant covered in greenery. He hears a sort of "chant" in the air but doesn't understand it yet.
The Three Sages - He encounters the guardians of this place, three giant trees (An Oak, a Spruce and a Willow), they teach him their langage. He learns about a fourth sage, who's now crazy and bloodthirsty.
Bacchus the Augur - Boss Theme, the final encounter with Bacchus, a big Ivy using his vines to control the technology in the Power Plant. For this fight, he got his "hands" on a giant combat exoskeleton...
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
I tried to evoke an ancient world, aliens and prestigious, with some elements of botanica (the music style ofc) while using only synths and effects that existed in the 2000.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGYmYbhNs9Co
Number of tracks1
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
For game jams only
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Comments
I really loved your submission. The textures/sound designs are sick and create a very cool ambience. The drums in the 2nd part of The Three Sages are so cool, the groove is really amazing. My only concern would be that maybe "Bacchus the Augur" lacked something to make it a real boss fight music. It kinda felt like before you meet a boss, rather than the boss music itself. Maybe the main theme phrase was a bit too long ? So it lacked some feel of urgency. Moreover, I'd have used a screech to add some high frequencies that would insist on the feeling of danger. It sounded a bit too ambient and restrained.
Either way, amazing job. I really enjoyed your soundtrack and the world you created.
Forest Cantical: Cool little fx here. Love how that pan flute is processed.
The Three Sages: I really love this creepy melody and chord choice. Perfect amount of reverb on everything too. Great instrumentation. And then the synthwave feel further in! Good stuff.
Bacchus the Augur: starts off with a "warning" style feel. Instrumentation really sells the plant feel (both power plant and ivy plant LOL)
Great work. Very immersive!
Amazing soundtrack, I appreciate how you made the music so atmospheric, while leaving headspace for players to be able to enjoy the game, just like a real video game soundtrack. The tracks also had a lot of interesting variety in sound while remaining very cohesive. Great job, and thanks for sharing!
The amount of love and effort that must go into giving a entry visuals, lore, 3D elements, and cover art—it’s incredible; a truly wonderful job on your part.
I love that use of natural and wooden percussion; it really stands out against the synthetic sounds and works beautifully to represent the Sylvians.
//The shrimp with lacrimosa, yeah, mood.
I liked the last two tracks the most (and the shrimp(shrimp rap reference, huh???)). I really enjoy the part where the synthwave kicks in.
pretty cool short visuals you have for the three sages!! especially really dig the percussion work in bacchus the augur combined w/ the synths, i thought that was pretty unique to listen to considering the difference in textures!
Very nice soundtrack, very much liked the vibe it was going for !
I can see it easily coming from an early PS2 game where devs weren't exactly sure if they wanted to use costly CD-like music and higher quality samples played and arranged by the console, so they settled for a mixture a both (along with the skybox in your nicely made video that has some visible artifacts for the looping, not sure if this one is intentional though but it has its charm).
Concerning the tracks themselves they were very well arranged and had some nice variety, I very much enjoyed the calming vibe and progression of The Three Sages, and Bacchus The Augur had a great energy with the percussions, nails the intense vibe pretty well.
Overall great soundtrack I enjoyed my time with it, great job !
Forest cantical - Like the fluttering synth sound, makes the whole piece very floaty.
The three sages - feels very 80s synthwave, very dark sound with those diminished chords. Cool phasing effect in the bass, creepy. Feel like there could have been more gravity to the build-up, some more sounds fading in with the hats at the last second maybe? Great drum kit sound.
Bacchus the Augur - Love the gaps in the drums, really builds the tension. Would have liked more moments when the tension releases though.
Awesome soundtrack, really evoked the sound of 80s sci-fi movies for me.
it absolutely sounded like it came from a PS2 game. you got the vibe down, and despite being minimalist it has movement and progression. the textures are really nice, and i can see these being background music (complimentary) inside the game. track 2 was my fav. Very well done
Some really nice build-ups here, and the drop in the Three Sages was just something. Really nice job!
Favorite track: the Three Sages (obviously)
good slow-building ambience. love the lead synth in track 2 and the subtle turns it takes, love the percussion and the groove just kicked in oh my god. track 3 is hard hitting and mean and it's just a good time.
good job. sick cover art too
Cool atmospheric submission! My only complaint is that the mixing feels flat in some places, especially in the first two tracks.
Favourite track: Bacchus the Augur
This was a super fun and unique entry, enjoyed it :)
The Three Stages was my favourite, loved the atmospheric eeriness. Also, sick video! Liked the intensity of Bacchus the Augur, definitely has some cool 2000s energy! I would say Forest Cantical wasn't as strong as the other pieces, but overall this was a fun entry to listen, with a very cool and unique take on the theme.
Nice work!
Track 2 might be my favorite track out of the 3. The feelings it invoked were truly beautiful. I loved every instrument that was used.
Listening to the second song on the road felt so perfect, definitely didn't expect the buildup to it since I wanted to listen to this blind and it was worth it :) Super cool submission
I love the animation for track 2! The environmental storytelling hooked me into learning about the sages and the gloomy world you set up. I also love the genre hybrid you have going with the electronic and synthwave vibe, especially in track 2 with the synthwave drop and chords. Great job!!
Forest Cantical: I (like samdgoff) love the synths you used here! The music itself would lend itself well to an early instrument, folksy vibe (strings, lyre, harp, stuff like that), which is why putting it into synthesizers is so effective.
The three sages: first of all, I love the visuals you created here. It’s very haunting, and feels like a cutscene right out of an N64 game or something. I feel totally immersed, like I’m about to play the coolest retro horror game of my life. the music itself is subdued but haunting. I like how it progresses from creepy to more hopeful and driven later in the song. The beat drop is absolutely delicious! You’ve done a beautiful, polished job progressing the story from one moment to the next. And again, I love the inclusion of the visuals. It adds so much to the track!
Bacchus the Augur: another haunting, track. Loving the drums here, and the Phyrgian inflections in the synth melody.
Overall, this soundtrack is phenomenal, and I wish there was more!! The cutscene you conveyed through The Three Sages was awesome, but I still would have loved more explanation for where each song appears in the game, and a little more context for where we are and what we’re doing. Still, exceptional work, and keep writing!
A unique take on the theme, I like it! I think the synth with the delay effect in Forest Cantical sounds fantastic. My favourite track is probably The Three Sages because the start reminds me of the King's Field games' soundtracks with its synthy fantasy atmosphere. And the visuals are great too!
That's PRECISELY what I was going for, so I'm really glad it worked ! King's field OST is just so good.
Honestly, if someone told me this is a soundtrack for some PS2 game i would genuinely believe it. Great job!