Description
"Animula" is a game set in the beginning of the universe. Vitari, a divine being of creation, creates Animula, a small, sprite-like being who contains the essence of life. It is Animula's job to travel the cosmos and sow the seeds of life across the universe.

1. Animula's Birth: The game opens with a cutscene of Animula (similar to a Junimo from Stardew Valley) awakening on our home planet. As they begin to move around, the world blossoms: grass, moss and flowers fill and brighten the black void around them, forming a pathway to follow. Finally, Animula finds Vitari, who begins to explain their mission: the spread life to the many planets of the cosmos.

2. The Cosmos: this ambient track is meant to be the level select music. It plays as you traverse the cosmos, searching for the next planet to spread life to. Each planet is barren, and while Animula can spread life, it does not immediately fill the planet. However, as the game goes on, you can watch previous planets as they blossom with life.

3. Life in Bloom: in contrast to the first two ambient tracks, Life in Bloom is more joyous and upbeat. Animula must get to work solving puzzles and traversing vast landscapes to sow the seeds of life, but the music keeps it all light-hearted.

The first two tracks are somewhat ambient, which was a first for me: usually I write tracks with looping measures, so writing these two tracks felt more like traditional composing. Using large, sweeping string chords with stacked fourths, harp glissandi and wind chimes that pan from left to right, and a bright 3-note motif (sol-do-la) portrayed the vastness and glittering beauty of the cosmos.

Since the first track accompanies a cutscene where we aren't yet in the vastness of space, I doubled the violins patch with a solo violin to make the sound more intimate and less distant. The harp/woodchime panning also helps with this effect, as it sounds nearby to the listener. The second track, however, uses the low strings: the richer, deeper quality of the high cellos makes more a muffled, more distant sound.

The third track, ideally, would slowly add in more instruments as you make more progress in the level. In this case, I've included all of them. In contrast to the opening two tracks, I wanted this one to feel less ambient and spacey: Animula is on the planet now, and their small size means we have a zoomed-in view of the world around them. The music should portray this, so I used closer mic positions for the bassoon, clarinet, harp, and percussion to give the track more intimacy. I reincorporated some elements of the previous tracks, like the three-note motif and the sweeping strings, to tie it in the soundtrack and make it less of an outlier.

I made this track in Studio One using The East-West Composer Cloud libraries. The soundtrack is purely orchestral, which fits with the ethereal theme of the game.

Message from the artist:
There is nothing an artist appreciates more than having the chance to share their work-- and to have ears to listen to it all. I am beyond grateful to you for taking the time to enjoy these three tracks, and envision the game for yourself!

Theme

Panspermia (Πανσπερμία)

Picture theme

How does it fit the theme?
Panspermia is the theory that life persists throughout the universe, so I thought a game that told the story of the origins of life across the universe would fit the theme well. As for the picture, I thought that this beautiful, secluded glade would make for a great home base/planet for the game: the view of the cosmos from here is a way to track your progress, as finished planets light up and shine brightly. The deer-like creature in the photo seemed to me like a Rosalina-type mentor with a sense of knowing that is far beyond our own, so I used it as the character of Vitari, Animula's guide to the cosmos. I imagine that Vitari has seen many universes come and go: with each new one, it is his job to see the cosmos filled with life.

Link to streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/david-caldarella/sets/animula-original-soundtrack