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Mars Maleficarum OST - OST Composing Jam #7 Submission's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #203 | 3.672 | 3.882 |
| Impression | #264 | 3.450 | 3.647 |
| Composition | #265 | 3.505 | 3.706 |
| Quality | #267 | 3.561 | 3.765 |
| Overall | #327 | 3.383 | 3.576 |
| Correlation to theme | #560 | 2.726 | 2.882 |
Ranked from 17 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
I used FL Studio to create the soundtrack, using synthesizers and various MIDI patterns to create the music. Below is the description from the soundtrack page that details each song.
Mars 13 is an isolated planet that shares room with no others in its solar system. A singular planet orbiting a single sun. Humans are making an attempt to colonize the planet, unearthing ancient civilizations and dangers unbeknownst to our race.
This is the premise for the soundtrack I have created. A metvania that takes place on a Mars-like planet in a far off solar system.
The first song is the menu theme. A compilation of the unknown as the sun rises over the horizon of the newfound planet.
The second track is a theme for the player character. Someone of mediocre background that works as part of the menial crew rises to the test once they are separated from the rest of their crew and faced with the dangers of this unknown planet.
The third track is the theme of the fist sector of the game; the Ruins. Whispers and hieroglyphics of a far off civilization that has done wonderous things before seemingly being erased from the cosmos.
The fourth track is the theme for the antagonistic alien ship. Further unknown species appear threatening in nature with torturous technology and various bio-mechanical machinations that contain living beings that make the machinery function.
The fifth track is the theme for Sector 2, The Desolate Caves. This area used to be full of life and abundance. Once our hero arrives in the caves, there is only one being left among the remnants of the decimation. A lone scholarly figure that has experienced a long term of isolation is the only sign of positive life that remains in the once prosperous caves.
The sixth track is for Sector 3, The Dying Fields. This is where the elders of the villages in the caves would spend the last of their days. A receptacle lay at the mouth of the caves to deposit any wisdom the elders may wish to leave before they depart. The fields themselves are littered with the bones of those long gone, leaving a strange aura that suggests not all things in the fields may be dead...
Message from the artist
Thank you for listening, and I hope everyone enjoys the music I have created. Please support me on Spotify, and keep supporting fellow creators!
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99juWz6I8NI
Number of tracks6
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
I just wanted to thank everyone for the feedback, and I appreciate all the kind words. It was a lot of fun to do this, and it was an honor to compete against you all
Really great work! I really like the soundscape you've created here. There a great feel and a groove that doesn't exhaust the listener. Fantastic entry!
Thank you so much! Yeah, I wanted to make sure its not too overbearing to wear the player out, but enough you could handle hearing it for a while while
Ruins Theme was awesome ^_^
Good Job!
Thank you so much! :)
Oh my, a lot of really interesting ideas in this. First of all - kudos for producing 20 minutes worth of audio, that alone is commendable. Furthermore, the production and mixing is really well done, and great job executing on the theme with the music and the write-up.
This made for a fun listen as a whole. I love how you've delved into the typical go-to's for sci-fi scoring but you put your own spin on the process. Big fan of the various pulsing bass and synth lines - I always think these are a fantastic way to add a heartbeat to a piece without using progression. There's also plenty of really neat sound-design present throughout; from the metallic, bell-like melodies to the airy pads and textural drones that come in and out.
The acid-esque bass that comes in around the 9 minute mark is awesome - big fan of this sound and the patch sounds great. Percussion is used to varying extents throughout - I like how sometimes we have actual drum rhythms to ground the arrangements and other times there's more liberal use of esoteric rhythmical patches or minimal percussion (or even none) to lessen the emphasis of being on the grid.
Major kudos on the textures and drones, particularly those toward the end. Does a great job of really setting up the great expanse of space. It can be hard to really nail the tone with these and keep the sounds congruent but I think all in all this is a good example of it being done well.
Great work, this was a delight to listen to, and it has a lot of neat little details the more you focus in on. Best of luck!
Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! I am super happy you enjoyed my composition, and I love where you connected the themes to the music. Its awesome to see analysis like this :)
Sci-fi my weakness! Love it and love the premises, amazing job with the quality of the whole OST, it's a banger and one of the top submissions I've heard!
Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed my submission, and appreciate your high praise :)
honestly a really cool soundtrack, has a nice range of intensities while maintaining a cohesive vibe. The last couple tracks feel especially like being hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar wasteland. and i know this isnt music related, but narratively speaking, i find the idea of the "dying fields" kinda neat. it makes me wonder why they would have to wander away from their dwelling to die, as if their death risks bringing forth some kind of evil or misfortune, so they must leave as they die in order to protect their loved ones, resulting in a field where this evil has amassed over time. no idea if thats actually the intention, but it made my imagination run a tad bit wild, and thats pretty cool.
Thank you! Its awesome to see the process already take off just from the description and music. That is pretty close to my intent, but I also wanted to leave room for things like this :) I love to see how people interpret someone's work when they have room to fill in the blanks themselves. My idea as the creator is very similar to what you have in mind; they have to leave before they transform into something that will bring harm to others. Again, thank you for letting your imagination run wild. I love the inspiration we can foster in each other within the community; its wonderful :)
Was immediately struck by the Mars 13 planet in a solar system with a single star and single planet. The music captures the enormity of a journey to a distant planet. Its driving at times and is slow and reflective at times. Awesome emotional depth behind it which is critical to the idea of a deep space adventure and conflict with a mysterious alien civilization. It absolutely HAD to be an orchestral arrangement. Wonderful composition and mix. Seriously killer job!
Thank you so much! I am glad you were drawn by the theme and you enjoyed my compositions! And thank you very much for the kind words and analysis :)
Nice submission! I like the variety and also the common identity!
Thank you very much!
First off, nice cover art.
The songs are all unique, but also fit pretty well together. Overall, pretty good!
Thank you so much!
Can I be honest? I loved this unique soundtrack from the first second)
Horizons of Mars 13 is a great start! Sets the atmosphere of space
A Hero, I Am Not - Scary, and the little singing makes it even better!
Ruins of a Greater Civilization - I really feel the atmosphere of something dead, which used to be great and tries to make itself known with little “screams”. But civilization is dead.
Unfamiliar Technology - Oh, the atmosphere of a futuristic Quake.... Cool! The bass is cool and catchy (How did you do it?).
A Choir of One Voice - Beautiful, majestic but no less creepy... Especially that space noise... Beautiful! Especially its ending...
A Field of Bones - This conveys an atmosphere of dead terror...
I can unequivocally say: of all the works that I have rated so far - I liked yours the most! The atmosphere of retro space is very much in my soul. The work with synthesizers and sound effects is beautiful.
I like your style very much! I dream to reach the same beautiful ambient as yours!
P.S. The cover art is awesome! Heh)
Thank you so much! I appreciate your insight and that you enjoyed my compositions so much. You are very kind and I am flattered that someone just as skilled as myself would say such wonderful things :) If you would like more, I'm also on spotify, youtube, wherever you get your music. Appreciate you again! :)
https://www.youtube.com/@ShadowGaidenOfficial/featured
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5wejxUut0hizh2kIvp4fQp
Nice spacey vibes (I've never played metroid sorry). In the lack of too much melody, I latched onto the 3 note descending motif.
That's okay, Im glad it still translated with a spacey theme. This is my first knowing attempt of using a motif in musical structure, so I am glad that too came across through the songs. Thank you very much for listening :)
Very metroid-esque and cool! Well Done!
Thank you very much! :)
Day 1 of Rating Submissions with few ratings to hopefully get ratings in return
This one might fly under the radar as it is slightly more experimental. I appreciate the interesting lo-fi synth textures and the slow development of tracks. I feel a clear electronic music background here, as the fading ebb and flow of patterns that weave in and out is a classic hallmark of it. This soundtrack I could easily imagine for the space based game you're going for.
Some of the OST's strengths also are it's weaknesses, I feel. As a lot of the soundtrack is based on repeating arps and patterns, there isn't as much to grab on during some tracks. I however greatly appreciate how much atmosphere is created by that and how you managed to transform simple melodic themes from track to track. Overall enjoyed it quite a bit.
Edit: cool cover, too!
Thank you very much! I appreciate your level of input. I also felt that some tracks fall short without the vision in my mind of what it would accompany. I appreciate that you enjoyed the atmosphere I was able to create, and truly thank you for your feedback :)
I love the Metroid/space feel and the stories behind the music. Great job!
Thank you so much!