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Life on Angeles-2's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Vibe/Atmosphere | #4 | 3.909 | 3.909 |
| Execution | #8 | 3.636 | 3.636 |
| Incorporation of Theme | #10 | 3.636 | 3.636 |
| Overall | #11 | 3.530 | 3.530 |
| Cohesion | #11 | 3.545 | 3.545 |
| Storytelling/History | #12 | 3.182 | 3.182 |
| Uniqueness/Originality | #13 | 3.273 | 3.273 |
Ranked from 11 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
I decided to use this jam as a chance to further explore some of the ideas I had with my submission from this year's Album Jam, which is where you can find my original ideas for this hypothetical game.
Basic summary - Co-op Mecha game featuring a more traditional campaign structure with distinct mission objectives and landscapes to traverse. Heavily inspired by the worlds, sounds, and characters of Armored Core, Marathon, & Cyberpunk.
The game itself takes place years after decades-long international warfare that fell governments, allowing mega-corporations to seize control of, and assume command of entire countries. We meet our protagonists in a fortified hideout along the West Coastal region in what used to be California, just outside of the mega-corporations' influence.
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How does the Environment influence this world, society, and culture?
Because of these non-stop wars, the planet's temperature rose significantly, causing a drastic increase in ocean levels. In an act of collective desperation, displaced communities came together to construct improvised shelters and settlements on top of the closest, highest elevated locations. This worked well in their favor, as it made the defense of these settlements much more possible against their better-armed enemies.
As for our player characters, we find them in a makeshift hideout built among the Redwood forests. This hideout is affectionately known as Angeles-2 by its inhabitants as a kind of inside joke. Despite its ill appearance and hastily put together housing structures, there are many that call this place home. Others simply refer to it as a rest stop before traveling further east to the more fortified Mountaintop Outposts.
Details of the two tracks, as well as a little bit of "in-game" dialogue and a link to the original ideas, can be found in the itch page.
Demonstrate that this is your own work
Screenshots from DAW can be found on the project page.
Discord Tag
grunt._55644
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Comments
The worldbuilding is very simple, but it is actually quite effective for its simplicity.
The concept is fun too, kinda like Waterworld, but different.
Also, I think the Indie Rock vibe in a mech sci-fi environment is actually a really cool blending of ideas. Mostly just joking - my brother makes Indie music and he's good at it., so your stuff also makes me nostalgic.
Really loved Angeles-2. Really enjoyable song.
Great work, excellent, relaxing, very listenable music. :)
Thank you much!!
Funny enough, I went with this style: 1. because it's what I like to make, and; 2. this kind of music is found everywhere in many of the Armored Core games (specifically between AC4 all the way through AC5: Verdict Day), which is what I took quite a bit of my inspiration from. Figured I could try and put my own twist on it to make it a touch more atmospheric and, as you already noticed, a bit nostalgic.
I'm especially happy to hear you liked the concept, as I had a little too much fun putting it together lol. Thanks for checking it out :)
Vibes are immaculate as always!
On HELPLESS AGA1NST THE T1DES the piano arpeggios at 1:40 felt like they were stealing the attention from the guitar melody a bit too much for me, maybe lowering the velocity or some EQ would help them blend a bit better and not overpower the melodic part? After 2:46 when the main guitar lead comes the blend is great though.
ANGELES-2 works nicely for home base music, it has a really good slightly introspective vibe that fits the world well IMO.
Good work!
Yeah mixing midi pianos with my guitar tracks is something I still stuggle with from time to time lol. I definitely could've lowered the velocity even more than I had (least I think I did??) since I really wanted the instruments to have a more subtle entrance. I do plan to come back to this one so this'll be the first thing I work on.
Thank you a ton for listening Eetu, really appreciate the feedback :)
All right here we go
Angeles : Classic Grunt build up, I like the chords the vibe, I like the pan but maybe that was a bit too much for the main guitar you could maybe double pan it or make it a bit more center since you have other instruments playing in the background. 1:38 is the best thing great chord and here I got inspired I would've love to add something I have bunch of ideas, synth bass, you could put like 60% reverb on your chord, add an ambiant synth pad very stereo but smooth to get a great sense of "we are in a new section" . Later the piano stars, i'm bias as a pianist I love the piano, a bit more reverb on piano would be nice too to go well with the guitar on the right. More longer drum fils before important section switch would be better to help the build up. Drum mix was better than last time also good job.
Tides : Going straight to its, piano and guitar melody is okay, not great but okay, the arps is pretty basic, I think you can add variety and also get a better timing rythmically with the guitar, I think the guitar can get more clarity the more we build up in the tracks the more you add stuff the more it gets muddy, i've seen worse but there is still a lot happening and i'm losing clarity in the mix. The drum is also fine, it could probably be a little bit more in your face especially towards the end. But i'd say I recognize your style perfectly in this track, its melodically and harmonically pleasant and good to listen to.
I get a post-apocalyptic atmosphere for sure, but more on the happier, more hopeful side. If I hadn't read the background lore, I would've gotten "school is out" vibes or even a zombie outbreak in the countryside. The guitars sound great; good spatialization and instrumentation overall!
Thank you!! I think you're pretty spot on with what I wanted to accomplish with this submission.
And thanks for taking the time to listen :)
Sounds like you recorded real guitars, awesome! Nice chords and they didn't overstay their welcome. I enjoyed it.
Indeed they are real! I'm a guitar player before a composer, so pretty much all of my music revolves around that instrument.
Thanks for taking the time to listen :)
Here I go with my impressions of your world and tracks:
1. Helpless Against The Tides: Loving me those epic post-rock reverby guitars, man. Reminded me of Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Rós. Great sounding drums and slow intense build-up as well. It sets the tone and one can imagine the accompanying images of your dystopian landscapes of what once where mountains now converted into island shelters, beacons of hope among the desolation of a broken world. Feeling the music transmit this resistance and force of the survivors, and their will to stay optimistic despite what surrounds them.
2. Angeles-2: this felt to me like a folk ballad, a lullaby even, driven by the compound signature. I could imagine it as an encouraging tune for the babies born in this setting. I really liked the harmonic changes from the 2:39 mark onwards, naturally following the melody. Guitars could be easily turned into voices in this one and I think could work great too.
Overall, very statisfying and heart-warming experience, mixing a dark setting with a gentle but intense soundtrack. Got a feeling of people, humans, living things. The recorded guitars accentuated these "organic" nuances and felt supercohesive and becoming another voice in your world. I did not visit your original Album soundtrack to avoid being influenced in my rating, but I will for sure when I finish listening to all the submissions, to get a fuller picture of your setting.
Thanks a ton, dude! I'm glad you hear the influences, but I'm especially glad you see the vision.
Thanks for taking the time to listen :)
This is so beautiful, if I tried to praise it in this comment I would fall short, but I'll try anyways. The sound design is so amazing and the instrument choices is just fabulous. That rhythm near the end in tides paired with those beautiful guitars and the drums just create this amazing feeling that I don't think I've ever experienced. It's like if you died and you looked back at everything you've done in your life. Just an absolutely amazing piece of art, and these two pieces might just be the two favourite pieces of music that I've ever listened to. Just absolutely amazing pieces of work!
Thoughtful comments like this is why I love to make music 🥹
Thank you x1000 for such kind words, and for taking the time to listen :)
Just listened to your Angles and Aerials album and I can hear that motif better now!