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Of Humans, Harpies, And Hybrids's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Storytelling | #8 | 4.381 | 4.381 |
| Overall | #28 | 4.025 | 4.025 |
| Composition | #31 | 4.079 | 4.079 |
| Creativity | #38 | 3.905 | 3.905 |
| Impression | #42 | 3.905 | 3.905 |
| Quality | #50 | 3.857 | 3.857 |
Ranked from 63 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
LINKS TO SUBMISSION
Full OST Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zycyS4-uVk
Separate OST videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zycyS4-uVk&list=PLGMfhHxcd_oM
Title: Of Humans, Harpies, and Hybrids
Genre: Orchestral
Runtime: 17:32
Software: Fl Studio
SWAM:
Violin, Bass, Piccolo, English Horn, Oboe
Session:
Strings, Horns
Pianoteq:
Harpsichord, Celtic Harp, Church Bell, Xylophone
Organteq, Ample Ethno Ukulele, Nucleus Choir, LABS Choir, Chromatic Pan Flute, Accordion, Ibiskus, Bongos
Samples:
Tambourine, Wind Chimes, Sony CS World Percussion
Inspirations: My music history class and what I learned from Medieval music, Gregorian chants, and renaissance music. In particular, one of the oldest written pieces of music ever found called “Seikilos Epitaph”
Process: I put all of my instruments down at the start and decided which ones would represent what parts of my story. I used a lot of instruments so I could mix and match them and have variety throughout the OST by using some and not others in any given song.
I started with the plan for 6 songs but expanded it to 8 when I had time and to improve the overall pacing of the OST.
I have an extensive story and details on how it fits the theme so please read it. The videos will also visually represent what is happening in the story as it goes.
Basically, what you need to know is what instruments represent which characters and why they play when they do.
STORY:
Long ago, the world was as one
Separation between beasts and man was unheard of
All was peaceful
Until the citadel rang.
Man began to fight against beast, beast began to rage against man.
And those in the middle, the hybrids, were cast aside by both as “unclean”
200 years have passed since the Citadels call, man and beast still war with each other, and no generations are left that remember the old days.
Hybrids have reached near extinction, save for the few born of those who wish to see the world as it once was.
United, and at peace.
Of these hybrids, our tale follows Alyxia. Born of a human Father, and harpy Mother, as she journeys to find her sisters Melian and Ferra, in hopes of being able to be seen not as a monster, but as family.
It will be a long journey. Melian was taken to be raised with the other harpies by her mother, and Ferra was taken to (human village) to be raised by her father.
Though separated at birth, all 3 sisters feel that something is missing in their lives, and they are determined to change their world to see the world that once was.
Alyxia, Melian, and Ferra manage to meet early on in the story and begin their quest to change the world so that they can live together in peace.
In doing so, they not only anger the denizens of the world, as all they’ve known is war, but also the citadel itself.
The citadel and those inside did not like the world where monsters and humans lived together, and so by using the Bells of the citadel, they caused war to break out as the bells had powers that stimulated aggressive and territorial behaviors in all who heard it.
Though some could resist the temptation of the bell, many were under its influence.
Its constant ringing is the cause of the calamity, and it is up to Alyxia, Melian, and Ferra to bring a stop to it.
HOW IT FITS THE THEME:
GENERAL THEMING:
Very renaissance inspired sound and instruments.
Violin represents humans, Lute represents Hybrids, Voice and choir represent Monsters, Bells and Organ represent the Citadel.
I intentionally avoided instruments such as synths, pianos, and certain percussive sounds to make the music fit a more renaissance vibe by using more woodwinds and world percussion.
INDIVIDUAL SONGS THEMING:
A World Of Old
This song represents the world as it was once connected, and how it came to be divided by the toll of the Citadel
Humans, represented by Violin, Monsters represented by Choir, and hybrids represented by Lute, and the citadel represented by the bells toll.
The violin, lute, and choir play at the same time to represent that they lived in harmony, and when the bells rang, war began and split them apart, never to be played together again.
This story is of 3 specific characters. Sisters named Alyxia the Hybrid, Ferra the Human, and Melian the Harpy, and their quest to return the world to how it once was after 200 years of war and separation.
This song would play as an opening cutscene
Human Township
This song represents Ferra the Human, one of our 3 protagonists. As the human of the group, she is the only one allowed in human villages, so Violin is the only representative instrument to be played. Ferra is also the most social of the group in terms of personability, which makes her ideal for gathering info and supplies from towns and villages.
Moment Of Respite
This song represents Alyxia the Hybrid. She is not allowed in any towns on either side of the conflict. Despite this, she remains cheerful and jubilant. Having found her sisters and traveling with them makes her incredibly happy. The lute is the only representative instrument used here as the group exists because of Alixia’s efforts.
The Bells of Battle
This song represents Melian the Harpy. Raised in the harpy village, she learned mostly about combat, so she is represented by the general battle theme of the game. As harpies have no fingers, her representative instrument is voice or choir. The bells of the citadel also play in this song as they signify the start of battle.
Take Stock
This song holds no representative instruments and acts as the menu theme for shopping or item management. It is simple and short.
As A Bell Tolls…
This song represents the Citadel or the big bad of the game. It uses the bells as well as organ and harpsichord to make it feel regal, sacred, and intimidating. It is meant to sound more hymnal in nature as this is the song that plays as the lead up to the final confrontation with those in the citadel.
…The Citadel Beckons
The final boss theme of the game and it has every representational instrument, though importantly, they do not overlap almost at all besides the citadels. Humans, Monsters, and Hybrids are still separated by the citadel, but they are working together to bring a stop to it. This song includes every single instrument used throughout the entire OST as a representation of all our protagonists have gone through on their journey.
A World Renewed
The world has forever changed after the citadel was taken down and the instruments representing humans, monsters, and hybrids can finally play together just as they did in the world of old. This song would play as the ending cutscene of the game.
Message from the artist
I really hope you like my work! I wanted to go hard into the theming this time around since that has historically been my weakest category. I put a lot of effort into making the songs flow in a natural way that feels like it’s telling a story.
I wanted the music itself to work as a storytelling medium through its sound and instruments, but it is still important to know what they represent to get the full story.
I have laid out the story here as well as what individual songs represent though they are not strictly required in order to get an understanding of how the story plays out thanks to the music. They exist as supplement to deepen your understanding and provide insight into the characters.
They will also be shown during the videos of each song.
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
How it fits the theme is explained in the description section but TLDR, it uses old instruments to matche ht renaissance vibes, specific instruments represent specific characters and are only together during the first and last songs as those are the only points in the story when those characters are allowed to be together in society's eyes. The characters of course being the 3 pictured in the theme. It is also songs of a forgotten world because the combination of those instruments represents how they were allowed to be together long ago before the world changed and those times were forgotten.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
FULL OST VIDEO - https://youtu.be/4zycyS4-uVk?si=K24PGNii12faqx9-
SEPARATE OST VIDEOS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zycyS4-uVk&list=PLGMfhHxcd_oM
Number of tracks8
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
A World of Old: The intro sets the scene nicely with the descending minor melody. But the entrance of the bass at 0:36 is where I got hooked! The solo lute/mandolin at 1:44 is really fun and the accompanying orchestra gives this a big and bold title theme sound. Overall I had a lot of fun with this track and loved hearing your fun and upbeat style mixed with different instrumentation to create a new sound.
Human Township: The slow and lumbering bass feel and some of the chord changes remind me of Banjo Kazooie/Banjo Tooie music somehow - I know that Grant Kirkhope is a strong influence for you so whether it was intentional or not, I think it’s reasonable to assume it’s there! The ornamentation on the violin gives a dance-like quality that sells me on the old-time town atmosphere. Nice work!
Moment of Respite: I love how this song is so clearly your style but also sounds like an ancient bard song. The strong degree of swing that almost feels like skipping notes has a really interesting sound not commonly used - and at the slow tempo it helps create a fun and jovial type of sound without feeling too active.
The Bells of Battle: A highlight for me is the multiple flutes (panflutes?) that stack on top of each other in triads. This theme has a very natural and wild (untamed) quality which works really well for the theme of the harpy.
Take Stock: This is a nice little breather from the story. Many games use shop functions and including a shopping theme is very realistic to full game OSTs and I think it was really creative to include one here!
As a Bell Tolls…: Your organ and harpsichord work is well-done here in particular. This track seems to be very different from your usual style and I like that you used this project to explore new territory!
…The Citadel Beckons: This track is a really interesting blend of the hymnal citadel and the dance-like feel of the other tracks. This sound feels fresh and also supported by the entire OST ahead of it.
A World Renewed: The return of the opening theme in a major key is a very nice optimistic way to end the OST and round out the story. I particularly love the violin melody in this track when all of the themed instruments enter.
The idea to tell your story musically with instrumental representation is quite creative and effective! The Youtube video also was well-made and helped add context to the story and your music. This OST was a treat to listen to because it was purely Jofes, but also a new angle of Jofes that we haven’t seen yet. Really great work on this! Thank you for sharing your music! Also thank you so much for dedicating your time to listening to and providing commentary on every single submission. We all appreciate the thoughtfulness and equity you bring to this competition.
Thank you Blue Lava!
I love reading thoughts on every track. It makes me happy that my music has a style that is recognizable to you as my own style. It makes me feel like I'm really coming into my own as a composer!
Thank you so much for listening!
This is a very solid submission from you man. I read your artist message about trying to focus on theming and storytelling for this project since that hasn't been your strong suit, and it really shows! This project feels very intentional and took me on a great ride from start to finish. I'm a simple man so the battle themes were obviously my favorites, but all of the tracks hold up and have good instrumentation throughout. I also like how you had 3 instruments represent each of the characters; it made me appreciate the songs even more when they would mix and match different instruments to represent certain things happening in the story between characters.
Thank you!
The battle themes are my favorites too. I love fast and fun music so writing them is also so much fun
Wow, amazing job Jofes! You’ve gotten even better since the last jam! Your music has always had this infectious energy that made it super fun to listen to, but now you’ve added so many flourishes and elegant interplay between the instruments that elevates it even further! Some of the stuff you did in your music actually reminds me a bit of Selkione, which is really great. I also really appreciate the story you came with, and the way you incorporated the instruments and characters so thoroughly into your soundtrack was inspired. There is a one small thing I did notice though, where because you utilized the same core instruments throughout the soundtrack, many of the tracks tended to have a similar timbre. Maybe you could try using tracks like Take Stock to introduce completely different instruments to provide a bit of fresh air to your listener’s ears? Again though, fantastic job, I loved listening to this soundtrack! Can’t wait to hear what you come up with next!
Thank you so much Bodo!
I still have the first song of yours I ever heard on my playlist from Redlines composing challenge.
I think you're probably right about the timbre. Before I started composing anything, I got all of my instruments set up to use for the entire OST. The only instrument I ended up adding was the xylophone after about half of the songs because I really wanted another instrument that wasn't breath based (winds or horns). I did that so I could make sure the OST stayed consistent whilst also giving me room to mix and match things. Like the piccolo, harpsichord, oboe, pan flute, and others only play for some and not all of the songs. That was my attempt to keep things fresh. Though I still used many instruments in every song such as the Celtic harp which I'm fairly certain was in every track.
I would have loved to put more instruments in, but to be honest I couldn't think of that many more that I not only had easy access to, but didn't overlap too much with what I already had.
Perhaps I should have changed the mixing on some to keep it more fresh. I debated making Take stock much drier in the mix to simulate being in a small building, but it seemed to different from the rest and I thought it might sound like a mistake.
Fantastic work, could easily be a classic JRPG soundtrack! I loved the percussion throughout, especially in A World of Old. Your composition is really good, each track has lots of different sections that all flow into each other and tell a story, the highlight of this being The Citadel Beckons. This is something I need to work on so I will be taking inspiration! The lore and video are great, I like how much thought you've put into the instrument usage. My favourite track is The Bells of Battle, definitely sounds straight out of a Squaresoft JRPG, again I love the percussion and the chord progression is really nice.
Thank you so much!
I was also particularly fond of the percussion in A World of Old. I tried to make sure the percussion felt nice sonically, so in most of the tracks, I had it duplicated and lowered in volume so that I could have one pan to each side which I thought gave the percussion a lot more charm.
Very nice soundtrack, experienced with the dynamic visuals of the video (very well done by the way) and your explanations of the story it deepens the engagement and appreciation of your work !
The instrumentation was pretty well thought out and chosen for what you had in mind (the tracks sonically reminded me a bit of tracks from Monkey Island so it isn't that far off). Concerning the instruments association to the characters in the dedicated tracks, maybe I would have liked The Bells Of Battle and As A Bell Tolls to have their main instrument be more central (the vocals and bells do appear but maybe not as much as expected for being themes of characters, that's just nitpicking though).
I do feel that the tracks that shine the most (and also my favourites) were A World Of Hold & The Citadel Beckons, where the instruments representing the characters can each take the spotlight when needed to serve the storyline, I think those were the most well done !
Overall congrats for your very impressive work, thanks for sharing !
Thank you!
A world of Old and The Citadel Beckons are also my favorites alongside bells of battle.
As for the vocals and bells, I knew the bell would be an instrument used sparingly as it's too strong to be used more frequently IMO and the organ acted as a second representational instrument of the citadel itself. The vocals were trickier. I would have liked to have them be more present, but the VST's I was using only had so much range and I didn't want to dip into lower registers for it since it is meant to be a woman's voice. The range on the high end though was limiting so I had to make do with what little space I had on the keyboard which is why it ended up being more supportive than bombastic.
hello? peak department? i want to report a case of peakness never seen before!!!
Oh, that me? Pure Aura
(Thank you so much!)
Well, Jofes, this surely is a very creative way of presenting your submission! I just saw the 17’ video, it’s really fun to accompany the thematic sequence while reading the game lore and it helps a lot having a correspondence between the character instruments and the little icons. Also it’s so amusing seeing the fights represented in The Bells of Battle with the rotating harpy! You have really thought your game through and scored each little incidence appropriately, like the Take Stock for the shopping menu, it really captures the feeling. As for the arrangements per se, I particularly enjoyed the solemnity of As A Bell Tolls, the organ’s support of the melody goes really great here. All in all, a fantastic contribution to the jam, congratulations ;)
Thank you so much for listening!
I'm glad that it all worked so well for you!
I think the story is really well told by your music, it is rich and has a great atmosphere and style ! It reminds me of games I could play on a Gamecube. I'm fond of the bells, they're strong, menacing, for example at "As A Bell Tolls..." at 0:18, the bells alone after Harpsichord soft solo really set the mood of the Citadel and at "... The Citadel Beckons", we're already in the music with those bells.
Great work !
thank you!
I’m glad the you enjoyed the bells and how I tried to make them feel menacing
Your OST grooves and feels connected throughout the whole album, the percussion helps tie that groove and grounds each piece. The reprise at the end puts a nice bow on the story. I am impressed with the layering of so many instruments and not having moments fight against each other too much. Well done Jofes!
Thank you Shea!
Great job! The songs have a strong structure and the music matches the theme very well. I really enjoyed this submission. Great job!
Thank you so much!
So impressive what you made in the short span of the jam! "A World of Old" and "The Bells of Battle" are such bangers, great percussion work and epic and just really nice harmonies.
Thank you!
I could have uploaded it on Wednesday 5 days before submissions closed, but I had to wait for some artwork and my brother to do the video editing after I got the art. I work too fast for my own good.
Damn, that's really fast lol. I also enjoyed the video as well, so great work from your brother as well!
A world of old - Great choice to show off everything to expect from the soundtrack all in the opening track, and it's all very well balanced and paced. Listening back and I like that it opens with a similar idea to the last track and that the bells are part of the arrangement.
Human Township - Fun melody and good development of the motif through the texture and instrumentation. I found the minor major duality of harpsichord/bass (Ebm) and violin (Eb mixolydian) to be quite harsh and distracting. Especially in the 7th bar of the phrase when the Violin plays G and A natural against B/Cb major.
Moment of respite - Gave me PMD EOS, made me feel like I was in treasure town. Love the bouncy percussion. I personally would have liked the lute to be more present in the arranging, felt more like an oboe feature.
The bells of battle - Cool track, really like the bass line. Again, I would have liked the voice/choir to have more thematic material rather than blend into the background.
Take stock - Does what it needs to. I liked when the bass and harpsichord were in sync. The melodies are great but it sounds a bit like you're afraid to give them room to breath.
As a bell tolls - OK the bells are not subtle in this one haha. It's very grand and regal. Great sense of build up and impending doom, and not just because the church picture is jumping out of the screen at me!
The citadel beckons - I like the passing of the lead to the different instruments. The accompaniment could be a bit more cinematic with bigger percussion (bass drum, timpani) and strings, I think it would fit the aesthetic of the ancient grand institution vs the peasants and their folk music.
A world renewed - Reminded me of the outer wilds theme when it started. It's very jolly and celebratory but I think I wanted the build up to last a bit longer before the whole ensemble was in.
Quite the journey all in one submission, I really enjoyed listening out for all the instruments and motifs. For the direction you took I would have liked the character instruments to have stood out more and been more distinct from the other instruments you use for big motifs. I started feeling like the flute or oboe should have it's own game lore to be connected to because they were used in similar ways/were more prominent.
It's clear you put a lot of work in, great submission!
Thank you for listening!
I think the reason the woodwinds were more present is simple because I had to restrict myself from using the other themed instruments in many of the songs. I also didn't want every song to just solely focus on the theme instrument as I felt that would get boring if every song was just one of them. Having woodwinds be the constant instrument I felt made the OST connect together whilst allowing the themed instruments to be where they were needed.
Specifically for the choir I used, it had a very limited range. I wanted to use it more, but it couldn't hit notes I needed it to hit so it was kind of forced to play a supporting role. That made the battle track a little tricky since it was the themed instrument which is why the woodwinds took a much greater focus on that one and choir was support.
Ahh music history class in uni! I failed all of them so many times...fond memories. All these songs are wonderful and the idea of assigning instruments to different actors in your detailed story was quite creative. The execution is very impressive and easy to follow along with! I might be hearing incorrectly but when going for real instruments it sounded like to me you put many of the MIDI notes onto the grid. A bit more of a swing feel at certain rhythmic patterns that match a real player could be worth checking into. Everything sounded very high quality to me though and I really enjoyed every track. Sorry if I repeated anything said in other comments already! Thanks so much for all the effort and attention to detail. Really well done!
thank you so much!
There are a couple of songs that have humanized parts, in particular, moment of respite has humanization throughout during some parts, and the lute in the final song also has a part that I recorded with the keyboard rather than placing it in the piano roll.
I’ve tried adding more humanization to other parts, but whenever I do, I can hear it being off center, especially compared to the percussion at times and I have a hard time trusting that it sounds good. I imagine if I finished the song leaving it I would get used to it and like it, but when I’m actually trying to put it into the piano roll, it always feels off.
Ah right on! I know the struggle of things always feeling off. I really enjoyed your submissions though! Look forward to catching what you create in the next jam.
I love the storytelling here, it is fantastic, and your instrumentation ideas were gorgeous. My favorite track was A World of Old, but I do wish there was a little more variation in dynamics to sell the impact of the orchestration, but I also think that's completely to personal taste. Wonderful job!
thank you!
I’m glad you like the storytelling, and thank you for the feedback!
A World of Old starts with a simple lute, but quickly springs to life with with a full orchestral arrangement using the bells as a springboard. Works very well as an opening cutscene, it wastes no time setting up the stakes and gives the story a sort of urgency to starts the ball rolling.
Human Township really stood out, what started as a fairly simple town track evolved to become much more complex and engaging. Loved the chromaticism and how seamlessly you weaved in and out of different modes without missing a beat.
The Citadel Beckons is a beautiful and eclectic combination of ideas drawn from the rest of the soundtrack, it's an unusual but very satisfying to hear such a diversity of instruments combined together cohesively. My favourite track of the soundtrack, very satisfying climax.
How do you find programming SWAM instruments into a full soundtrack like this? I've been curious about them as they can be quite expressive but I wonder how much effort it takes for them to sound similar to that of a normal library.
Overall, a very well put together soundtrack, the simple and playful animations accompany the music well. I think you achieved your goal of a well themed submission, the wide breadth of instruments and ideas covered made this entire experience feel like quite a long but fulfilling journey. Creating such a detailed 17 minute soundtrack in a week is quite the feat, kudos.
Thank you so much!
It took me a while to get the seam instruments to really be something excellent to use. They sound fantastic, but in order to reach their full potential, you gotta play with automation a lot. The issue is that since they aren’t FL native, adding automation to them requires going into the project files on the left and finding the instrument and the exact parameter you want to automate.
I’ve had them for years and only during this jam did I finally figure out how to do that downwards slide that you can hear the piccolo doing a few songs.
Another great use of the seam instruments is to act as solo instrument. Say you have a big brass orchestra VST, having a SWAM trumpet is nice because you can use it as a solo and keep the rest of the brass. SWAM instruments are different enough from all the other instruments I’ve used that they stand out in a crowd and are very flexible.
I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, but the depth of this music, story, and ideas are really really top notch, really really great stuff
Thank you so much!
While the entire soundtrack is well written and effective at conveying the emotion and energy of their intended scenes, the stand out tracks for me were A World of Old and Human Township. I would say that Moment of Respite and Take Stock are in the similar “subgenre” as Human Township, but what I really like about Human Township is how interesting and winding the melody and chord progression are, allowing you to slip in and out of Mixolydian mode tastefully. A World of Old has really strong composition and orchestration, and the lute part plays a huge role in what makes the track stand out. I also like the distinct sections, where the B section breaks and builds back to the A again, but crescendoing to finish this time. It’s worth noting that A World Renewed can sound “beachy” or “islandy”, and I think it’s the specific combination of certain instruments, short articulations, and syncopation at that tempo that create that vibe—not necessarily a negative, but useful to consider. Overall, I enjoyed reading the story, especially with the initial emotional conflict that centers upon these three separated sisters.
This soundtrack fits the jam’s theme perfectly, stays cohesive through instrumentation and instrument association, and has exceptional storytelling. Great work! Also, you’re a saint (an angel, really) for what you’re doing, going through all the submissions, so I appreciate you for that
Thank you for listening!
Starting the paragraph with "While the entire soundtrack is well written" Had me scared you were prepping me for some scathing remark about some terrible aspect. Then you said "Stand out tracks" and I relaxed a lot.
Human township was the first song I composed for the jam and A world of old was the second. They were the starting points. I wanted half of the tracks to be higher energy and half to be lower energy and those were the 2 starting points so I tried to make them work really well. Especially Human Township since I wanted to capture the medieval or renaissance feeling as best as possible.
Really great submission! The deliberate choice of instruments in each track really gives the story form. The soundscape is immersive and pleasant. If I had to be critical about anything, it's that I'm not too crazy about the melodies for most of the soundtrack until you let loose with the final boss theme. The low end seems a bit quiet for many tracks too, though that might just be my ears.
Favourite track: The Citadel Beckons
Thank you!
A lot of people seem to be saying that the low end was quieter which confused me since I was always too worried that it was too loud. I'm glad that you at least liked the melody in the citadel beckons! I personally like A world of old's melody best when I had the lute go crazy in the second half.
I’m not as good at writing long reviews as you are, so I’ll keep it brief. The soundtrack is delightful and enjoyable, and the choice of instruments and plugins is just perfect. It tells a whole story on its own, but combined with the the simple visual effects in the video, it’s the best narrative I’ve seen throughout the entire jam.
Thank you!
Storytelling was one of the things I really wanted to nail this jam so I'm glad you like it!
as usual, Jofes, YOU COOKED.
A World of Old - IMMACULATE VISUALS. The way the music itself tells the story through the same distinct instruments fits very well for an opening cutscene in the start of the story.
Human Township - heavy medieval vibes nicely represent a fantasy-style village. And GOD THE FACT THAT YOU USE INSTRUMENTS TO REPRESENT DISTINCT CHARACTERS IS SO COOL, I GENUINELY THOUGHT I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO DOES THAT CONSISTENTLY
Moment of Respite - swing rhythm and general lute melody really shows Alyxia's cheerfulness despite the situation. I think it represents the character really well.
The Bells of Battle - bells specifically representing combat fits so nicely with the story since they also represent the citadel, the reason for this war to begin with. Pretty rhythmic, while keeping the same medieval style. Woodwinds really do give it an authentic ethnic vibe.
Take Stock - satisfying percussion and I like how you hold back on representative instruments to keep it neutral for each character. Though I think it'd be an even cooler idea if this track would change dynamically depending on a character, but it's just an idea.
As A Bell Tolls... - HOLY INTRO. The way everything silenced with only bells tolling gives such a majestic feeling to it. And the slow rhythm indeed makes it sound like an anthem of sorts, something enormous.
...The Citadel Beckons - organ and bells fully joining in now brings a bit more grandiose feeling to the sound indeed. Although I think it could've been a bit more tense for the final boss theme, it represents their determination to stop the Citadel with the melody very nicely, the melody itself mostly circling around the root note (if I got it right), adding more stability to their goal.
A World Renewed - I love the uplifting feeling it brings as the conflict is finally resolved, and again all representative instruments combining gives it more width in sound and a more crowded feel if you know what I mean. Yet, even as it's the end of the story, it brings continuation in the sound, like it's only the beginning of a new story, like the world will live on after the end of this story.
Overall... Dude. I use the gimmick of instruments representing characters too, but I did not hear anyone else really use it that much up until that day and I'm so happy to hear it here!!!!!! Although the story is relatively short, it's one of the most well-written ones on the jam from those I've seen, and the concept itself is amazing too. If I had to give any criticism at all it would be that the songs usually sound pretty hollow because of limited instruments, especially on low frequencies and driving percussion in battles, but that's understandable since it's supposed to almost exclusively feature ethnic instrumentation, and besides, the melodies themselves are really complex and thoughtful. In two words - you cooked :3
Thank you so much!!!
Having take stock change dynamically based on party member is such a cool idea! I wish I had thought of that before because that would have been so fun to do!
I knew right away that I wanted instruments to represent specific people. In my first OST jam, Crunch time 3, I did that with a dragon and piccolo, but it didn't really work. It needs multiple characters so that they can mix and match rather than just be present or not.
With the hollow feeling, I wanted to avoid crowding the low end for fear of making the songs too muddy. I had a bass pizzicato and a second quieter and different sounding bass pizzicato to give it more depth, but besides that, a lot of my instruments worked better in mid to high ranges.
I used what I learned from Pix in the overtime jam about percussion samples and loops and had a ton of world percussion loops I wanted to use. They were complex though, and when I sped them up too much they became annoying. Most of the tracks play in double time at like 80 bpm, so it feels like 160. But the percussion I used for the citadel beckons worked best at a tempo somewhere in the low 100s so it was still fast, but it had a different feel.
Either way, thank you so much for your feedback!