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Title Theme: The spacey shimmer and pads create a dreamlike environment. I love the piano solo main theme and think it is unique enough to create a memorable theme to return to throughout the OST.

Departure: So far, your sound design is a highlight of this OST for me! The blast off sounds work really nicely with the pads preceding them.

Theme Variation: The hollow bell and bowl-like instruments add a new feel and maybe new aspects of the environment for the spacey area.

Space Battle: This is a well-made track that has high production quality. The tempo doesn’t necessarily scream “battle music”, but I can definitely imagine space conflict in a low gravity environment feeling slower than normal. The choir element adds in the grandeur of combat which helps with the desired feeling. And then definitely in the last minute the electric guitars and sharp synths definitely make this feel like a battle theme!

Hymn to a Forgotten World: The organ provides an interesting tone shift. It almost makes me feel like maybe we lost the battle from the previous track. It feels quite melancholic and somewhat sad. Very beautifully written though!

This is a nice set of tracks that clearly tell a narrative as you progress. The game you have in mind feels chill and dreamlike and seems like it would be a very pleasant play. Great work on this and thank you for sharing your music!

The Dawn of New: Those sweeping pads are so spacey and otherworldly. Immediately I hear technological past. The reverb is really tasteful, particularly in the plucked melodic instrument. The big swell at 1:08 is a highlight for me, what a powerful boost of energy into the track!

Remained Future: Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk is something that I didn’t know I needed, but this is really cool! With the high energy drum beat, I am imagining that this track accompanies the characters finding a circuit board that turns on electronics amidst the overgrowth that helps light the way forward. I like the detuned aspect and how it fades out. The use of bells also gives it a futuristic past feel which is really cool.

Unexpected Visitor: Wow this track is crazy fun! It reminds me of some Sonic music, but you put your own spin on it with FANTASTIC results. I love the harmonic shifts and the power-down/detune effects that add to the narrative element of the track as well. This was my favorite track of the group. Bravo with this one!

What an awesome soundtrack! Having the forgotten world be from a futuristic past is a creative idea that was not something I was thinking about when approaching this jam! The quality and arrangements are really well-done and I agree with you that you should be exceptionally proud of the third track in particular! Great work and thank you for sharing your music!

The opening drones and atmosphere feel quite pastoral and authentic to an ancient world. I think I hear Gladiator inspiration in the fanfare section at 1:46. The choir, drums, and big horns feel grand, epic, and old which reminds me of a large structure like a Colosseum. Moving into the pizzicato movement, I am thinking about quiet local shops that stand in peaceful overgrowth now, where there are only memories of past lives bustling here. I really like the addition of the high shimmery pad which adds an ethereal layer to the antique sound. Nicely done on this track and thank you for sharing your music!

Myral, The Dreaming Forest: The harmonies you use, the alternating note swells, and the instruments you chose give this a SNES type of sound. It is really beautiful and the dark wonder is conveyed clearly here. I loved the melody which was simple yet memorable. The harp glissando and tubular bell additions were a highlight for me!

A Night Under the Canopy: The harmony keeps the dark tone, but I like the shift to more bell-tones and high-register instruments adds some magic and lightens the tone a bit. I like the similarities between the two tracks and it makes me interested to see what other tonal shifts could occur in this game. Very nice job with these two tracks and thank you for sharing your music!

The Songstresses: Your collection of instruments used feel authentic to the theme image and to the world you are creating. Even with a slower tempo, it keeps the energy moving when you hand the melody from one instrument to the next. I am a fan of the whimsical yet contemplative sound particularly conveyed by your main melody. 

Songbird: The flute ostinato is catchy and its repetition makes me think of the songbird kind of like Navi from Ocarina of Time. This track reminds me of some dynamic LittleBigPlanet music in how it is constantly evolving throughout while keeping a solid core identity.

The Mountain: Those big swells at the beginning using those big major chords give a sense of grandeur and immenseness which makes me think of ascending a big mountain. The shift in feel to a much more intimate sound with pizzicato strings is an interesting choice, but I imagine has story-driven importance - possibly for a searching theme when they reach a meadow or clearing high up on the mountain. That’s what I imagined at least!

Man: Hey, we both used singing bowls for our final tracks! They create an almost spiritual sense that helps create a gravity shift in the story. The foreboding and ominous chord progression makes this fitting for a villain or danger theme.

The progression from mystical to light-hearted to expansive to searching to ominous while maintaining a cohesive sound helps clearly direct us in where the story is going and helps me follow along. This overall was an enjoyable listen. Great work on this and thank you for sharing your music!

Songs of a Forgotten World: This has such a cozy sound. I really like your use of lute/plucked strings, strings, and woodwinds together. Your main theme has a strong core identity and would make this game instantly recognizable. I also found it very catchy and memorable which I think is an under-emphasized characteristic of good main themes.

Meet the Spirits: The waltz sound gives this track a dance-like quality which emphasizes the pleasant and jovial nature of the spirits in your story. I like how this track has parallels to the main theme, but still has its own core identity. This is excellent soundtrack writing.

Overgrown Settlements: Ooh, I love the shift in mood. It is clear that we are now in an area with a little more mystery and mysticality. The part at 4:14 (based on the Youtube video) with the voice-like pads and the soft, round, and intimate plucking gives a nice spiritual sound.

I absolutely would not have been able to tell this was your first time writing multiple themes for the same game. You included a good amount of variety and the cohesion is particularly strong with your consistency in sweet and intimate instrumentation. Great work on this and thank you for sharing your music!

Thank you so much for your attentive listening and sharing your thoughts! You have discovered that Raindove was a track that I did not have as much time to work on as the other two tracks and I agree that it certainly could have been developed further. I really appreciate your thoughts about Emberhen and Skylark - I am quite proud of both of those tracks! Thank you so much again!

Thank you so much! I don't always start my compositions with all of the details of the story fleshed out because I love the "discovery" of the process when I'm composing. However this time I did have the idea fully formed in my head prior to composing which I think gave me a little more clarity in knowing where I was going for each track. I can only hope that I was able to share the rich world I imagined through my music. As you mentioned, I can also imagine what a full OST for this game would sound like and maybe one day I'll have the time to flesh all of it out! Thank you again for listening and for sharing your thoughts!

Thank you so much for your attentive listening and for sharing your thoughts! As it is probably obvious, Emberhen and Skylark got the most time and the most love from me when writing them, so I feel most proud of those two especially. Any comparison to Octopath is an enormous compliment - I think that game’s design, story, and especially the soundtrack are the peak of what I can hope to achieve one day! Thank you so much again!

Thank you so much! These jams are so fun for me because I am able to unleash complete creative freedom to create an entire story and world. And I love seeing the ideas and stories that come from others in this community too - I wish I had the time to listen to everyone! I really appreciate your compliments and I look forward to future jams with you as well!

Main Menu: This is really beautiful. The violin is really well-produced - I love the slides up and down when there are big leaps. This track reminds me of one of the most beautiful video game village themes I think I’ve heard - Bringing Color to the Wind and Grassland from Monster Hunter X.

Welcome to the Band: This is such a creative idea! The call and response works really well and the interactive component makes this feel like a game in itself. The key changes were smooth and overall this was a really fun track!

Three Abreast: I was intrigued by this track because it strays from the predictable and gets into some unfamiliar territory for me. I think the playability was appropriate, though the expectation of where we were going was a little murkier on this one.

The Tavern: The tavern ambience is a really nice touch that sets the bard scene exceptionally well. The 5/4 time signature is a fun change. I especially like the flute and fiddle melody while the play-along is in the bass. Thank goodness I was not expected to play the upper part!

Wedding of the Forest Elves: Wow 7/4 is something different. And the phrygian sound is another really fun twist as well. I think it was creative to make this harmonic choice for the game setting, since this harmonic sound is often a cliche for desert music, it would be welcomed in a different setting!

The Dwarven Mining Town: Okay this is where my play-along skills drop off. I love the big industrial sound of this mining town. I just sat back and enjoyed this one and I think it is my favorite play-along theme (I think the main menu is my favorite overall).

Court of the Kanum: Wow I would absolutely love to see someone actually play this! I think the accompanying instruments were some of my favorites in this track. The strings and big hits were especially well-made in my opinion.

This is one of the most unique submissions I’ve heard in the jam because of the interactivity and exploration into different harmonic spaces and different time signatures. You took the graduated difficulty very seriously and I would be impressed with anyone who could keep up the whole way! I’m impressed that you were able to put all of this together in just a week. Great work on this overall and thank you for sharing your music!

The ambience you create in this track is mesmerizing. The percussive elements of this track are the highlight for me. The low mallet-like sounds are so distinct and intriguing and the soft string plucking adds shimmer and sparkle. Then when the drums came in everything just clicked and I just vibed until the end. Great work on this and thank you for sharing your music!

Beginning of an Adventure: Wow this feels like the opening to a movie. I really love the lush orchestral elements alongside the acoustic instruments. The fiddle, flute, and guitar feel so natural in this setting. I really love the change that happens at 1:06 when the flute starts to come in. Your French horns and big drums sound really epic and cinematic and make this truly sound like a really fun beginning to a grand adventure. Great work on this!

Fight Together: My first thought for both of these tracks is “Wow”. This one also hits in the epic cinematic feel, and I also really love the prominence of the fiddle and flute which give this track a unique character and identity. The drums are also well-made and sound authentic to your world. The vocals are also a really nice touch! Gosh I wish you had more time during this jam because I am left wanting to listen to the entire rest of this soundtrack! You’ve given us such a beautiful taste of what your game and world sound like and it is well-made, intriguing, and gorgeous. Excellent work and thank you for sharing your music!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I figured that a volcano and a city both have lots of movement and dynamism as defining features so rhythmic elements made sense for me to emphasize. Thank you so much for listening!

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! The changes in mood are something that I'm most proud of so I'm glad that was something to highlight! I think you are probably right about the drums. I did have them louder and with more impact, but it unfortunately drowned out the rest of the track. I think my mixing skills could still use improvement so that I get both. I opted to turn the volume down so that the melodic and harmonic parts were more emphasized. I'll keep working to try and figure out how to do this in the future! Thank you so much!

Thank you for sharing these additional thoughts! Sometimes I am guilty of adding more when maybe more is not necessary, but I think sometimes so long as different layers don't distract from the melody, they can be really tasteful. As far as flourishes go, I can't know exactly what you are referring to, but for the main melody parts in Emberhen, as an example, I have a very soft background harp layer playing big swelling arpeggios. It's an example of something that is very subtle and maybe isn't necessary, but I didn't want to take it out because it does add to the majestic and flowy vibe at those parts. Thanks so much again!

A Village Far Away: The sparseness feels like an actual bard ensemble. I am impressed by the percussion mixing which has a crisp quality and fits nicely into the sonic space. The acoustic melodic instruments also are clear and crisp, though the melodic line in the flute in particular has a release that cuts off in a way that makes it feel less like a human performance. I think there are other aspects of the production that make it feel more human though, such as slight variations in rhythm.

A Song of Adventure: The lush richness of these chords supporting the tin whistle is really gorgeous! There is one part (1:38) where I catch a glimpse of some very light background lute strumming which is gorgeous. I can kind of hear it elsewhere in the song, and I think that subtlety is really special and adds a small layer of sparkle over the track.

A Moment to Gaze the Stars: What a gorgeous piece! The melody is my favorite part and I love when it is carried in unison by the flute, piano, and fiddle. The ornamentation is tasteful, not overdone, and even adds to the story-telling. Very nicely done.

In Ancient Ruins: Your collection of instruments in this track are unique and I think that this change in sound is really interesting in a very welcome way. The marimba and choir help sell the “ruin” sound and the unique reedy melody instrument gives it an old and gritty sound, perfect for the type of area.

A Legendary Song: I am impressed with how you make a small bard ensemble sound feel much larger than it is. The 5/4 time signature gives it an uncanny dance-like quality that makes me imagine the bard light-stepping through the battle scene.

A Rowdy Evening: Wow, Shellotz, you have a gift for melody! This melody feels quite natural and fitting for the bard’s song. This is my favorite track from this OST!

This is a really well-composed soundtrack with some very special moments throughout. I am a fan of cohesion in using the small ensemble from the theme image while bringing in additional instruments to help tell the story. I think the story progression is my favorite part as it builds throughout and ends with a really awesome battle theme and a beautiful end credit scene. Great work and thank you for sharing your music!

Thank you so much for listening and sharing your thoughts! I think you are probably correct about the large shifts throughout Emberhen. I had a lot of fun experimenting with trying to make “volcanic” sounds out of maybe less common “volcanic” instruments. The part where I did use big drums and brass, I imagined that being part of a big factory part of the city and therefore the isolation was intentional, but I agree that maybe some foreshadowing earlier on could have benefitted the piece as a whole. Great ideas! Thank you again!

Forest Cantical: I think it is spectacular how you conveyed nature through synths alone. This does an amazing job of musically supporting your story themes. I really love the reverb that you use and the slight detuning that seems to represent a little decay. Very nice opening theme!

The Three Sages: Your use of big bass pedal tone supports the story-telling aspect of meeting large trees living within an organically mechanical world. This theme is contemplative and pairs so nicely with the cutscene you created. Very pensive and beautiful. The emotional shift and energy charge is well-timed and so reminiscent of the era of music you are emulating.

Bacchus The Augur: Those big braams are an excellent way to start this track. The clarinet sound was a little unexpected, but I think paired with the big drums and low braams does a nice job showcasing the organic + mechanical power of this boss. It feels natural and plant-like. I think for a final boss fight, I wonder if more rhythmic high register elements could have been added later in the track to add a sense of high energy danger, or if that would even work based on your idea.

I like this collection of tracks and your dark game idea a lot! It certainly conveys the theme of an old forgotten world and makes the story interesting and intriguing. The animations you made also added to the overall experience in a very immersive way. Great work and thank you for sharing your music!

Wandering Roots: This theme does such a good job conveying an intimate, interconnected life-form and does a good job capturing the beauty within the darkness of the underground. The live recordings are exceptionally well-done and add sparkle and polish to this excellent opening track.

The Gardener: This track initially sounds simple on first listen, but there is a deceptive nuance and complexity that really helps me imagine several different emotions and story elements in a cut-scene.

Symphonia: The bells over the watery pad work so well together. I love the feeling this creates. I would love to try this technique sometime. It kind of reminds me of being inside the Great Tree from Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door.

The Maintenance System: The dark and looming sound reminds me of music from Unravel 2. You do an exceptional job of exercising restraint in the degree of energy in your track, making it feel anticipatory and ominous without being scary or like there is imminent danger. I think the electronic snare hit may have been a little loud and kind of distracted me from hearing the parts underneath it, but otherwise I really like the progression of the feel of this track.

Pat’s Song: I really love Pat’s theme at 0:55. This is the most clear time this is showcased and I wish that this was peppered in throughout the OST a little more. It left me wanting more of it right after it was introduced. The shimmery reverb and ambience of this track was also a highlight for me.

What an incredibly creative story. This is so unique and immersive and I love the twist - is the good guy actually good or bad? The overall sound you have managed to create is intimate, magnified, beautiful, organically sentient, and well-balanced. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this all the way through twice. I was left wanting more! Great work and thank you to both you and Grunt. for sharing your music!

Thank you so much for sharing all your thoughts! Your description of folky with a modern feel I think is the result of my intention to create something that is forgotten = new, yet familiar. I’m glad that it landed well for you! I think your suggestion about the end of Raindove is probably a really good point. It was an intentional choice to let the end linger on, specifically with drums playing underneath to symbolize the ultimate demise of Raindove getting lost in the forest. I think I probably could have faded the choir sooner and allowed the drums to play louder for the duration and maybe that would have conveyed the storyline a little better. In any case, I really appreciate your thoughts! Thank you again!

Thank you, Jofes!

Thank you so much for listening and commenting! Cohesion was something I was trying to be quite intentional about but was also nervous given the varied track settings, so I’m glad that is how it was received!

A Druid’s Journal: I really enjoyed the harmonic imagery that you set up in this piece. It feels mystical, mysterious, old, and somewhat inviting, as if the song is being played around a campfire or at a tavern late at night.

Hill Call: Your melody in this piece is a highlight for me. It is strongly Dorian which is such a pleasant mode to use in my opinion. I especially love the emotional turn at 2:18 as well. The meter change felt smooth, and I think it would have been cool to use that as a sort of transition into the following piece.

Ode to the Wood: This track feels quite Celtic inspired and maybe to my ears feels like you especially succeeded in authenticity to your story world. I think the interplay between the fiddle and pipes is particularly well done.

Unanswered: I think the emotional execution of conveying a sense of waiting and disappointment is spot on in this track. It feels dark with small glimmers of hope, only to turn around to another dark chord again.

Feydance: The dancing melody is really fun and also fits very naturally into the world you have created. I wonder what it might sound like with the tempo bumped up a little bit. I wonder if that would add to the celebratory nature and the finality of the last track of the OST. Overall, I think the writing is really good and love the harmonic drive and shifts.

The simplicity of the instrumentation played to your advantage to create a sense of antiquity and mysticism throughout the soundtrack. I appreciated your non-reliance on percussion instruments which added only where necessary and helped keep the simplicity. Great job overall on this and thank you for sharing your music!

Dreamers Lay Atop The Field of Clouds: The Kirby influence was the first thing that I thought of when listening to this song. The lush slow chords paired with upbeat rhythms and a fun and bouncy melody seem to be a staple of Kirby sky music I think. But with your own spin on it, it feels fresh and oh so relaxing!

Two Wings Above the Photon Field: I like the new use of the theme in this up-tempo flight track. So far, I am really loving your melody work. The instrument has a distinct and recognizable sound that fits the style of your soundtrack really well. I also think the electric guitar addition adds a bit of a “stormy” flair to this track which further emphasizes the energy.

Omen of a Forgotten Temple: The ominous choir, organ, static sounds, and dark harmony set the scene for a lonely expanse where there is a forgotten past. The flute melody is hauntingly beautiful and I think I was hoping it could be more forward in the mix so I could hear it better. The context for your mix makes sense though when all of the instrument layers enter throughout the track.

Presage of Forgotten Mechanism: For whatever reason, “preparing for battle” tracks are challenging to write for because I think it can be difficult to convey tension and imminent danger while keeping energy restrained. I think this is a really good example of finding that balance. I really liked the electric piano sound that is introduced in the last 15 seconds or so - I wish there was more of that!

Re-Realization of Shattered Dreams: The combination of several themes into one is pretty impressive! I love the upbeat Omen of a Forgotten Temple theme and think this is fitting for a climactic duel. Very nicely done!

The story you paint is fun and follows a clear progression. Creating a climactic medley track is not an easy feat and I think you did a great job with this! I am partial to Kirby music and think that the first track is my favorite with the clearest inspiration for that reason. Great work on this and thank you for sharing your music!

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 so much for listening and sharing your thoughts. This means a lot - especially since I just listened to yours and I thought your quality was impeccable. Thank you!

Prologue: The shimmering pad is really beautiful and is complemented by the colorful string harmony beneath it with the subtle plucking swells. The echoey wind instrument feels distant yet also intimate since it is some of the only movement over the large swells. I feel immediately transported to a forest with magical or mystical qualities. This is very pleasant and relaxing to listen to and sets the scene very nicely.

Main Menu: Ooh the style variance is very cool. This makes me think of some Monster Hunter music I’ve heard, more so in matching the type of locations that exist in those games and the types of instruments they tend to employ. The flute tonguing techniques are extremely well-made, and in fact I think the performance techniques used for most of your instruments feel life-like and high quality. This is my favorite of all 5 tracks!

Exploration: This track solidifies that you captured the feeling of the theme image really well. It feels intimate yet spacious, acoustic, mystical, relaxing but somewhat mysterious, with elements of play and fun. I love the plucking ear candy of the guitar and stringed instruments that support the mix from behind. Very nicely done!

Intensity: The commitment to using your flutes to convey intensity is a really cool move, since it would be far more common for mainstream music to use a bigger or more robust instrument. But I think the low percussive and rhythmic buzzing is so synergistic with the drums that it makes me wish I could play flute just to play along to this song and feel the intensity growing through the playing. I can tell you really got into this one and that extra energy can be heard in your playing and yielded a very spicy and energizing result!

Closing: The harmonies and fullness in the waves of sound feel especially special in this track. As I listen to the end, I feel a sense of disappearing of the world or leaving it behind. This is a serene and somewhat melancholic cap to an exceptionally well-crafted and recorded OST.

Wow the recording quality with mixture of non-recorded instruments blends so well and adds so much life to the world of the theme image. Very gorgeous and professional from start to finish! Excellent work and thank you for sharing your music!

Bodo!! Thank you so much for listening and for sharing your thoughts on each of my tracks - it truly means so much. In Emberhen, I couldn’t find an instrument with the exact sound I wanted, so I did some experimentation until I found an interesting sound that I liked. I ended up using Spitfire LABS free Dulcimer: picked ensemble panned left center doubled with a Logic stock “Celtic Dulcimer” panned slightly right, and then used a Logic stock “Chinese Guzheng Zither” panned far right that was quieter and played the same figure offbeat. All together it gave a strange and disorienting effect that I was intending to have feel like heat or bubbling lava. I could have easily used other instruments for this effect, but I really wanted it to sound like it could reasonably be coming from the instrument in the theme image.

I am so happy we shared that Forest jam together - I thought we both came up with some amazing submissions for that one - I love Rotslayer! I tried to capture some of the flight-like similarities to Gladewing so in a way I did take inspiration from what I had done before there! Thank you so much again for sharing your thoughts!

Thank you so much for listening and for such a thoughtful review! I wondered if such a big difference in settings would lead to deficits in cohesion, but I tried to find very subtle commonalities between them to try and make it still feel like they belong from the same world. I am grateful for your appreciation for the Skylark track - I definitely spent the most time on this one and all that you noticed was intentional in how I wanted it to turn out. Thank you so much again!

The Forgotten World: What a fun theme! The GameBoy sound is so high quality and the 4 channel composition is really impressive. I hold composers who can compose in chiptune style in extremely high regard, and have even MORE respect for those who can make it sound like there are more than 4 channels. You have achieved all of this even from just this first track!

Our Peaceful Home: You probably have so many influences of your style, but Pokemon hometown themes stick out in my mind as something that I would compare this to. And that is quite a high bar. Beautiful and game-ready, most certainly!

Celestial Connection: This is an intriguing piece and I like to imagine how it would function in-game. It kind of has a similar soft yet unsettling sound like Mt. Moon or Lavender town (again from Pokemon, sorry for the double reference), but these are iconic because of those exact qualities! 

Cozy Town: Once again, another track that feels like it is already existing in a game! My highlight from this track is that beautiful final chord at the end of the loop. Buttery and warm…

The Ancient Token: This short jingle is reminiscent of short cues from Ocarina of Time. This seems like a motif that would later potentially be used in a climactic scene. I love the ending mysterious flourishing echoes.

I am so impressed with the quality of all that you were able to complete. I can’t even fathom that you were considering doing more! But if this is Chapter 1, then I certainly hope to one day hear Chapter 2! I don’t often share what specific ratings I give to people because I feel that everyone deserves 5/5 for their skill level as long as they worked hard on their project, but of course with this being a competition, I have to rate everyone relative to the project(s) with the highest regard in each of the categories. That being said, I did give you a full five stars in all five categories because: 1. I was wildly impressed and listened 2 additional times when it concluded, 2. The WAY you tell the story is particularly creative, especially with the addition of the Celestial Connection and Ancient Token pieces - something that sets you apart from other projects that I’ve heard that are also extremely high quality but maybe play it more safely, 3. The composition level is phenomenal AND you did it with only 3 voices (plus a single percussion voice), 4. The quality is professional and it sounds like it came straight from a published game, and 5. I didn’t need to read your description to know exactly how the story was unfolding or where I was (I did read it and that only added to the quality of story-telling). Wonderful work on this and thank you for sharing your music!

Echoes of Aeos: Wow! (was, and remains, my first thought) This feels exceptionally professional. This is better than many title tracks with vocals in actual games that I’ve heard. In fact, this sounds like something you would hear on the radio! Nicely done! I think you definitely deserve to work with a vocalist in the future!

Whispers Beneath the Canopy: I love the world hand drum and flute influences. This sounds quite polished and like it is pulled straight from an actual game! Your bass work is something that doesn’t really have the lime light, but I think it adds so much to this track. Great work on this one! I think this one is my favorite of all of the tracks.

Abyssal Signal: This is quite epic. The gritty and powerful guitars and drums pair so nicely with the epic nature of the choir. Again, this feels game-ready and could have fooled me into believing this is already a high profile game!

Echoes of Aeos: This is a beautiful reprise and cap to your soundtrack! The performance quality is spectacular - I don’t really have much more to say. I just sat back and enjoyed. :)

What a versatile composer you are! These 4 tracks feel like they would take me months to just learn the style of one of them and you did this in less than a week. That is mighty impressive. Excellent work and thank you for sharing your music!

The initial door opening and mechanical ticking effects are really cool! The idea of an enormous wind-powered instrument is really fun to think about. The execution is really well-done here! The detuned parts, the perfectly placed mechanical sounds, and the balance of all the sounds make this feel like an authentic location and instrument. On top of that, the music composed is well-made and feels authentic to an ancient/lost civilization. My favorite part is the bells that come in just before the 2-minute mark that proceed until the end. This is a really creative track and I wish that there could have been more - but I’m sure glad we got this one! Thank you for sharing your music!

Thank you so much for listening and for leaving such a thoughtful comment! I love hearing ideas of how others hear my music and ideas for how to improve. I think that you are totally right that the energy does get a little too high for the more casual gameplay I was envisioning. I think my intention was to capture the populated city-like bustling that you might expect from a capital city and the melody with a more soaring quality would balance out the calm and collected nature of Emberhen. It's good to hear where that did and did not work. The 4:34 section was actually written first to try and capture the intensity of the volcano and how its energy is harnessed for the city. I almost took it out but thought maybe it could offer more variation into the different components I imagined for the city, like a big factory-works center. I do agree that the intensity is more in-line with combat than exploration probably. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts!

This means a lot to me! Thank you so much for giving it a listen!

Thank you so much for listening and commenting! I pushed myself for depth in each of these compositions so I'm glad that the effort is evident.

Thank you so much for listening and for your comment! This means a lot - I greatly respect your work and your submission to this jam is phenomenal!

What a cinematic quality you have. Your inspirations shine through in your style and you honor those composers very well! The arrival at 2:35 is so majestic and rich. I would absolutely love to hear this sitting in a theater! Bravo! I wish you had more tracks because this is an amazing beginning to what I’m sure would be a phenomenal score! Great work and thank you for sharing your music.

Title Theme Pastoral: I think you nailed your goal of a lonesome pastoral feeling. I particularly liked the ending with piano, horn, and strings all together. I think the piano entrance felt a bit sudden, but then after that when the other instruments enter the context makes more sense. 

Foggy Black Market: The seedy smokiness of the back alley-esque market is conveyed well with the jazzy piano and drum kit. I like the addition of the trumpet and saxophones in the repeat after the interlude. The dreamy interlude flows very nicely from the main part of the track. Including dynamic soundtrack characteristics is a really clever inclusion in your OST since so many OSTs use them!

Moon Forest Base: This is a nice contrast to the other pieces. The bossa nova rhythm sets the scene for a relaxing home base very nicely. Based on the way you wrote your left hand piano accompaniment in the middle section, I wonder if you have training in writing or performing classical music?

Welcome to the OST comp jams! This is an impressive first submission! I like the variety of styles you used and I think each has a clear identity that would work really well in-game. Good work and thank you for sharing your music!

The Approach: This has a GameBoy Advance type of sound to it which was my first handheld system. I really like the unison melody and bass. I think it sets up the rest of the OST well.

Hike in Rolling Red: This is some fun exploration music! A highlight for me is the melody that is first introduced at about the 1-minute mark. I loved the richness of the chords at this part and when you repeated the melody, it felt perfectly placed! This is my favorite track from your OST!

Respite in Red: I like how the sense of movement and direction is halted here. It feels more static which aligns with an area of respite, but there is still an ominous feeling present like there is something waiting beyond sight.

The Reactor: This is a really cool track. The beat and intricate time signature are particularly well executed. Ooo, I also love that modulation at 1:26! That was definitely the highlight of this track for me!

Respite in Reactor: Very nice adaptation of the previous “Respite” theme to fit the new environment.

I think both Hike in Rolling Red and The Reactor are the jewels of your OST which would fit very well in a small futuristic retro (is that an oxymoron?) space exploration game. Good work on this and thank you for sharing your music!