I'm coming into this as someone who's used hUGETracker and Furnace before, and anyone who's used these trackers knows how difficult it is to create any kind of sound when you're more used to MIDI-based software like FL Studio, Ableton, or Logic Pro. With the release of modern trackers like FamiStudio or KiraStudio, working within the limitations of pre-32-bit era music has become a lot easier, thanks to interfaces that feel much closer to MIDI workflows.
That's why I'm genuinely impressed you went through the effort of doing this in Furnace! Which, I still don't fully understand how to use properly. and yes, I know it's not purely a Furnace Tracker product as the description notes, it was mastered in Logic Pro X. It's great to see you step outside your comfort zone, and putting together a really strong submission given those limitations.
Now, here are my impressions and inputs for each track:
1. The Forgotten World
A perfect fit for a title screen or ending theme, but beyond that, it's a great piece that sets expectations for the rest of the soundtrack. I really like the melodic motif you used here. A Song I can think of with a similar feel would be "Smiling" by 櫟井唯 (Lime), or Rainbow Road from the Mario Kart series.
2. Our Peaceful Home
I picture this as a home base or starting area song for the player.It nails that safe space/home feeling really well. A great example of a song doing something similar especially in the Game Boy or Game Boy SP era is Littleroot Town, composed by 一之瀬剛 (Ichinose Go). It's one of those perfect examples of a cozy, comforting theme.
3. Celestial Connection
On first listen, I had zero context for this track until I read the "Imagine Story" section. Where you describe Celia opening a lether book and a burst of golden light appearing with the score for "Celestial Connection" inscribing itself onto the first page. Most listeners would probably just hear this as a strange, messy 24-second track even though it clearly plays a crucial role in the story and the game.
4. Cozy Town
Still in the starting area song kind of vibe, but framed as the player heading outside their house to begin their adventure. The composition on this track is much more varied, and it does a good job evoking a fun, quirky sense of adventure. A song with a similar feeling is the Central Town Theme from Mega Man Battle Network 6, composed by 青木佳乃 (Aoki Yoshino), same quirky, fun, "heading out into the world" energy.
5. The Ancient Token
Closing things out, this one has a similar issue to Celestial Connection, it really needs a visual or narrative cue to give listeners context for where it fits into the OST.
Overall, great effort and a solid five-track compilation for Part 1. I know you mentioned plans on expanding the soundtrack. I love to hear the completed version in the near future and revisit this once it's completed. Nice job, and good luck developing it further!
Also questions (kind of curious):
- Have you tried FamiStudio, KiraStudio, or hUGETracker before or any plans on exploring those software?
- Also are you planning on making a Gameboy cart or just trying to get the feel of a Gameboy music? since i think this would be much easier to do with vital audio with Gameboy patches on Logic Pro.