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Vaelen Star's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Composition | #8 | 4.469 | 4.469 |
| Overall | #16 | 4.031 | 4.031 |
| Impression | #21 | 3.844 | 3.844 |
| Creativity | #25 | 3.875 | 3.875 |
| Correlation to theme | #25 | 4.125 | 4.125 |
| Quality | #36 | 3.844 | 3.844 |
Ranked from 32 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
This story is set in a fantasy kingdom, under the sacred Vaelen Star, which imbues the realm with magic, and offers protection from evil. It is rumored that the Vaelen Star grants wishes to the worthy and virtuous.
Vaelen Village - Main theme, the opening scene takes place in the home village of our hero, a sleepy town under the perpetual shine of the Vaelen Star
Adventure Begins - Our hero embarks on a journey to find fallen fragments of the Vaelen Star, magical artifacts that hold not only useful powers, but the story to the hero's family history.
Vaelen Castle - Our hero is invited to an audience at the castle, with the interim steward of the realm. (Vaelen has not had a king in generations, as no candidate has passed he test and been deemed worthy by the Vaelen Star). The castle theme plays when roaming through the resplendent castle halls.
Vaelen Woods - This is a large expanse of forests, bustling with jolly and playful magical creatures of all sorts. The magical lifeforms draw their vitality from the Vaelen Star.
Dark Tidings - The Sages have identified a corrupting force that seems to diminish the brightness and power of the Vaelen Star. As the people and magical creatures of Vaelen are struck by a strange illness and a host of other misfortunes, the Sages urge our hero to redouble his efforts to find the lost star fragments. Time is of the essence!
Vaelen Crown - Long story short, our hero succeeds in recovering the star fragments and restoring power to the Vaelen Strar. He gains the Star's blessing, and people of Vaelen name him king. This is the ending scene / staff roll showing the the coronation and a realm restored to glory.
Message from the artist:
For the Wish upon a Star theme, I felt inspired to compose a soundtrack to a classic RPG story, using all the clichés. To challenge myself, I attempted to write orchestral arrangements, which I haven't really done ever. Time allowed for six tracks. I made an effort to reuse the main theme throughout.
Instruments here are mainly taken from the (free) BBC Symphony Orchestra by Spitfire. Made in FL Studio.
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
The Vaelen Star theme (Main Theme) is used in one form or another in all tracks. This is a musical adaptation of the Star's magic that touches all parts of the realm.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
Soundcloud Link:
https://soundcloud.com/michael-meier-597140037/sets/vaelen-star/s-BluiQxv3gNO?si=8636e749dc95409cb0c9807ffccb9763&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
hey! Can you check your discord direct messages?
Just commenting on a couple that stuck out to me.
Vaelen Village — The instruments used kinda sounds like the player is underwater with the harp going up and down the scale, and having a very muffled sound. I don’t know how best to explain it, but it just sounds like how music could dynamically change depending on where you are in the level/world.
Adventure Begins — Captures the player leaving off perfectly, I love it.
Vaelen Woods — Probably my favorite, sounds like I’d see a bunch of forest critters running around haha
Your work is amazing, these sound like they came right out of a game. I hope these get used one day!
I think the pieces work exactly as you intend them. It reminds me of a classic Final Fantasy title for SNES. Nice take on the theme!
Vaelen Village - very pretty. Like the harp(?) (plucked string) that it starts with this very clearer sounding instrument before the more digital instruments kick in.
Adventure Begins - Ramps up energy. Has an Ocarina of Time in the woods kind of feel to it.
Vaelen Castle - I really dig the staccato strings in there -- it gives a sense courtly people moving through the castle.
Vaelen Woods - I enjoyed the diversity of instruments you used to form this joyous piece.
Dark Tidings - I almost like this as an ending - though it would be a pyric victory - it has a very bold, regal feel to it.
Vaelen Crown - Great, solid end game song.
These do exactly as you say - go very well with an RPG. Could certainly envision a game like that.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Much appreciated.
Vaelen Village: This is a really beautiful main theme and definitely captures the aesthetic of an RPG main town/main theme. I really like your extended chord progression of the modified Pachelbel’s canon going into a similar progression with the borrowed major chords. You have a very well-written melody over the top of it that is simple enough to be memorable and interesting enough to want to listen to over and over again.
Adventure Begins: The melody works very well hopping around from the flute to the violin to the oboe and finally to the bassoon. I hear harmonic tropes pulled from classic RPGs as you describe and also some from Mario games which fit very well (like the chromatic passing chord at 1:19 and melody/harmony at 1:29).
Vaelen Castle: Small chamber string ensemble with harp is an excellent fit for a castle theme. I like how playful and peaceful you kept this track.
Vaelen Woods: The flute instrument used reminds me of the one used in the Lost Woods theme from Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Your use of 3/4 time makes this area also feel more laid back and not dangerous which would make me excited to explore it!
Dark Tidings: This is a nice shift to a somber and sinister tone. This would accompany a cinematic about being warned about the danger quite well. Use of low instruments in this track highlights the danger being conveyed.
Vaelen Crown: The first phrase sounds so victorious right out of the gate! Use of march-like rhythms and heavy use of the first and fifth scale degrees in the melody help achieve this vibe. The lullaby version of the main theme is a great addition as part of the ending credits - I also love the chord substitution from the main theme. And in classic fashion, ending with the fanfare is a must! This is a very well-written soundtrack. I would love to hear the rest of the story if this is something you ever decide to flesh out more! Great work and thank you so much for sharing! Also thank you so much for rating so many entries and leaving meaningful and engaging comments- it is noticed and greatly appreciated by many! Thank you for being a part of this community!
Thank you for the detailed comment! Means a lot to me, especially coming from someone as experienced as you. Haven't noticed the similarity to Pachebel's Canon until you pointed it out. This is wild! Bach is definitely a source of inspiration for me (mostly subconsciously, I'm not well versed in formal analysis), and, of course, directly followed by Kondo.
Good to have you in this community, too!
I'm very impressed! some tracks remind me the music of the good SNES rpgs. Great job!
Yep, I am a SNES era kid. Thanks for listening!
This is a really good composition, I love the flute in the main theme, then when the strings join it's just awesome. Kinda gives me some legend of zelda vibes, it's really warm and nostalgic. Vaelen Woods really made me feel like I was in a magical little forest. Really amazing work thank you for sharing this gem of an OST!
Thanks for the feedback!
Nice work! The composition for each track is fantastic. And from personal experience from using BBC Discover, you did an awesome job with its limitations.
Thanks! I don't know much about orchestral libraries, so I wouldn't know what the limitations of BBCSO are. I am getting into this, can you recommend some other tools for orchestral work?
Great melodies, harmonies and composition overall! Every track felt unique but still connected to the same space and complemented each other really well to build upon the fantasy word you were trying to create! Great entry!
Glad it worked so well. Thanks!
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
You really nailed the vibe you were going for, this was awesome to listen to!
Thanks!
Your compositions always blow me away in how the chord progressions and melodies are incredibly familiar sounding and stir up all kinds of memories. "Adventure Begins" sent me back to Hyrule Field and Vaelen Crown made me feel like the end of a Final Fantasy game. Also Vaelen Village opens with such a perfect fairy-tale quality to it.
Great job diving into orchestration. I'm surprised its new to you because I think you nailed it - really lets your compositional skills shine!
Thanks for the kind feedback. Means a lot to me! Classic RPGs are definitely my favorite genre music wise.
Nicely done, with great use of the orchestration! My favourite was the swells in Dark Tidings - perfectly chosen.
Glad you liked it. Thanks!
I love the story and the soundtrack is beautiful. If this is your first orchestral arrangement, I can only imagine what you'd be able to do with more experience (not that the music is lacking in any way). Amazing work!
I took much inspiration from other orchestral composers in this community for this one. There are some true wizards here. I do love what orchestras have to offer. Will have to figure out percussion and such next. I'm definitely having a blast! Thanks for listening.
This was some good stuff! Your compositions are great, and the rounded orchestral sound creates a pretty great and easily recognizable vibe. Obviously the nature of VST's sampling real instruments means that a lot of sounds are gonna feel a bit unnatural, but if this were to be played by a real orchestra I feel like it would be magical.
I agree. It is my ultimate dream to hear some of this performed one day. Thanks for listening!
Cool jrpg-like soundtrack! Specially reminded me of the dragon quest games music. This really screams to me "classic rpg set in a kingdom", you did pretty well in achieving that sound seeing as this was your objective from the start. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the feedback!
Classic RPG vibes right off the bat! Love the use of BBCSO. Great composition, especially in Vaelen Castle. Loving the harmonies throughout. Great work!
I honestly wouldn't know what to do without BBCSO. Truly awesome for a free product! Thanks for listening!
The old classic Rpg game is definitely here, awesome job on catching that mood!
Besides, there is some really strong composition work, some tracks have hidden gems for ears, so far I couldn't find a favorite because evey piece has something special to offer.
It's late and I'm a bit tired, I'd like to make a more detailed comment but there still a lot of submissions to listen to. But you can be sure I'll give yours another go before the end!
Thanks a lot for sharing this lively work! And congratulations!
Thanks for listening!
I can really see old school rpg game with this soundtrack! You say clichés but i hear it as a portrait of the era really well illustrated. Very solid melody and harmonies, congrats!!!
Old school RPGs are my favorite. I'm glad I hit the right feel. Thanks!
The pieces made me imagine a game without reading anything that you wrote. They are all spot on! Nice job mate.
Thanks!