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A jam submission

CICADA SYNDROMEView project page

Submitted by Kimasura — 5 hours, 56 minutes before the deadline
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Play soundtrack

CICADA SYNDROME's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Overall Uniqeuness#34.1884.188
Listenability#54.1254.125
Execution#73.9383.938
Composing Quality#84.0634.063
Overall#213.7883.788
Correlation to Theme#482.6252.625

Ranked from 16 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Link to Streaming Service, such as Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Youtube, etc
https://soundcloud.com/user-522588936/sets/cicada-syndrome?si=e68aeb867165447cabd8ed180d933bae&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Description
Cryptomnesia

A loud noise goes off nearby, almost like a thunder. You open your eyes. Disoriented, grabbing by random crumbling things in hope of getting up. You look around.

Ruins all around, vines hanging from ledges. Looks like You are in some sort of a chamber with a mysterious machine in the middle. Nagging at the back of the mind, something just happened, but You cannot remember what was it.


Aetherogenesis

You are surrounded by people that seem to be going through the very same feelings. Forgotten who they are, why are they here, what happened, but everyone, almost like pre-programmed robots, unanimously began gathering and working together for survival and rebuilding of what was lost. No one exactly knows what they lost though a feeling is nagging that it was something close to heart.


Technomancy

Survivors of the unknown disaster work together nicely, gathering materials and resources from the remains of what was here before the incident. You seem to have good aptitude with the technology left behind, quickly grasping working principles behind it, greatly helping out the recovery of this civilization. You set up a small workshop for analyzing and documenting inner works of the now seemingly mysterious tech.


Singularitas

Forty years into the future now, the civilization is growing rapidly thanks to the technology left behind.

Thinking about it, You feel grateful for the disaster, it led you to this great experience of working with all these people, getting to explore the tech around You – Almost like a child getting new toys in their hands. You wish You could live forever with this feeling, with these experiences.

Your very own research facility, which has grown from small workshop to a massive complex is constantly exploring the boundaries of current technology, simultaneously pushing beyond the limits.

Work of Your life is almost fleshed out. Device to prevent, or... rather to revert various disasters is almost complete with very few nuances to eliminate. By the use of contained singularity within the machine together with quantum lensing, we can choose to revert time in an area of choice.


Recursia

Recently people seem to be dissatisfied with your works. For various reasons You have clearly stated, that the machine to revert time cannot be used to bring back personal things or especially people, that were lost due to ethical and technical reasons.

Final straw was picked, death of an influential figure has started the engines of a protest. A protest against You. Society resented Your creations, which was essentially everything in this civilization, hence everything went up in chaos. Everything You have brought from the previous civilization went up in flames. Rage is flooding your mind. How can They be so ungrateful for what I've done for them?

You see masses outside move towards Your facility. Panic takes over, there is a way out of this whole situation:

FUSION CORE, ONLINE

DIVERTING QUANTUM LENSES TO... static noise takes over

Suddenly You get struck with a revelation. You remembered what happened before the disaster. No, actually relived it and are reliving it this very moment. You feel very calm, mumbling to yourself:

You want Your loved ones back?...

You don't feel sad or mad at the people, now You understand them, longing to go through the experience of meeting them, working together with them, spending time together, one more time...

INITIATING TIME REVERSAL

###############################################################

Thank You for reading and listening through. Soundtrack is made usin REAPER DAW. At first I had planned to do hard mode, I sidetracked, then after writing three tracks I burned out, hit a creative block. It was a very refreshing experience to participate in a jam, really gives one a kick to sit at Your DAW and make some music.

This soundtrack is inspired by Half-Life series and Borderlands 3 soundtracks.

Big thank You to Delectros for contributing to this project by drawing cover art.

https://delectros.newgrounds.com/

Pick your mode!

Medium Mode!

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

Is a nice take on the theme, you can hear the ammount of work done verygj. Last pt is my fav for sure. 

Developer

Thank You, appreciate it.

My personal favourite would be the second part – Aetherogenesis.

Submitted(+1)

BOY OH BOY

This is SPECTACULAR! I just LOVE the futuristic take on the theme, and the story you wrote is engaging and chilling! I think my favorite track is Recursia, it's like a blend of Tycho, Aphex Twin, and the Portal games! Of all the imagined games that go with this jam's submissions, I think I'd be most excited to play this one!

PLEASE let us know if you ever decide to revisit Technomancy and Singularitas! I would LOVE to hear more of this!

Developer(+1)

Heck, Thank You! Really appreciate the encouraging. I will really look into finishing the rest for a complete audio-sensory story.

Submitted

definitely one of my favorites out of these. before i even started, i was already excited to listen to this just by how much the cover art and title stood out, and it did not disappoint. it's industrial, it's experimental, it's dark, and i am a sucker for all of the above. the only thing i'd say is that i'm not sure how well the songs fit the paintings, but they're still great songs in their own right. 

Developer

Thank You!

Regarding the fitting, it depends on how You wanna see the pictures. For me they were just guidance material for the ideas and story, keeping the general meaning of the paintings intact. You could for example see the paintings as the "gameplay" footage, but I usually try to go out of the box with jam themes.

Every track was supposed to convey rising of an empire after the disaster with each track corresponding to respective painting.

One change I did in the paintings sequence is – I moved desolation to the beginning, instead of having it at the end to start with the post-destruction silence.

Very glad You enjoyed the music!

Submitted(+1)

Dude! I love the story you came up with and the music to tell it with. A masterpiece in its own right. Good work. Love that first and second song. It is indeed sad you burnt out. Because I see a bright future for you here. It was so much fun to read and listen to. Good work!

Developer(+1)

Thank You, I will very likely continue working on this. One of the tracks was somewhat in the making, the idea for it was halfway grounded.

Submitted(+1)

Your Welcome! Very cool! I would encourage you to do that.

Take Care!

Submitted(+1)

It just remind me to certain game, love the sound design it really convey with the story, cool composition!

Developer(+1)

Thank You UnknownRori!

If not a secret, may I know the name of the game You have on Your mind? I would love to listen to its OST.

Submitted(+1)

Mostly from RimWorld! I listen on your track while playing it, and I thought RimWorld just add new track, and I remember “oh yeah I play something on background”.

Developer(+1)

Haha, that's nice to hear.

Submitted(+1)

So I can't say yet that this is one of my favourites of the medium category as you are the first, but already a serious candidate.
I think my favorite song is Recursia, but that 50sec change in Crypto, pff, had to do a mini loop session to absorve it, very very good!

There are just a couple of things id like to point out, there is a guitar in back on the part of Crypto that I fell in love that just doesn't fit quite right, it does not ruin it, not sure if its execution or composition, but i believe it has to do with the guitar sound and not the riff.

Developer

Ha, thanks! Glad You liked it.

Now as for the guitar in the back, did You mean the first part (deeper, reverbed) or the second part guitar (more up front, melodic)?

Thank You in advance!

Submitted(+1)

That's really good ! Really feels you're telling a story through the music and sound design, it's very well executed and unique.

Tehcnomancy made think a bit of the Rimworld OST (wich I love), definitely my favorite ! 

Good job !

Developer(+1)

Thank You!

With that one I was really going for the feel of Borderlands 3 ambient tracks, but also gave it some western guitar, which I indeed agree makes it sound so much like Rimworld OST.