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Sandman Games - ` Hiraeth `'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Quality | #16 | 4.045 | 4.045 |
| Overall | #38 | 3.705 | 3.705 |
| Impression | #39 | 3.727 | 3.727 |
| Composition | #48 | 3.591 | 3.591 |
| Creativity | #69 | 3.455 | 3.455 |
Ranked from 22 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Message from the artist
The chosen genre was Cosmic Horror Synth-wave, as this Jam coincided with an existing game we are working on in that genre.
The composition is titled 'Hiraeth,' which, by definition, refers to a deep longing for something absent or lost. That perfectly encapsulates the tone of the composition, as the first half is a slow build-up, seemingly toward something, and just as it feels like you've reached what you were longing for, the composition changes to a familiar, but slightly different, melancholic and ambient disarray of melodies, indicating that the very thing you longed for, although you may be hopeful for its presence, is totally out of reach. The second half slowly de-escalates in its arrangement, conveying that you are drifting further and further away from what you seek, and you may never truly return.
To keep in theme, that second half is the exact reverse of the first half, creating an accurate palindrome. The structure, chords and notes used allowed for a very interesting result when the palindrome restraint was implemented and this is something i would never have thought to do on my own.
The soundtrack was composed in FL Studio using legally owned VSTs and Royalty Free samples from Splice, and the artwork was made using Zbrush, Maya, and Canva.
(Fun fact — the artwork is an asset we made for our upcoming project)
I hope you enjoy our soundtrack as much as I enjoyed making it.
Sincerely,
Damian Lee Pillay
Music Producer, Sound Designer at Sandman Games
Difficulty
Make something that has elements that can be listened to both backwards and forwards.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://youtu.be/lZRo-TPKxWg
Number of tracks1
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Comments
Really intense. I really liked this.
love it
Very nice synth textures, great mix, one of my fav so far. Well done.
This is really good, giving strong Roland vibes. Really great work.
Thank you so much!
this is amazing! I loved it!
Thank you ^^
Really dig how that main synth sounds reversed - really gives that kind of unsettling vibe you expect from cosmic horror.
Thanks! i really liked the outcome aswell. It gave the second half its own flavour
Really feeling the vibe! I thought the blend of melodies worked really well and the overall mix felt really tight. Can definitely hear this on plenty of things I can think of from the sci-fi genre. The backwards half still fit the genre and managed to have it’s own personality and progression as well! Nice 👍🏼
You pretty much summed up everything i was going for with this piece. Thank you!
The artwork is fantastic and the music fits it super well!
Great job all around!
The bass instrument was my favorite part it made it very atmospheric and dark!
Thank you Jofes. Really Appreciate it!
Really nice isolated spaceship survival horror vibes!
that's the exact vibe i was going for! Thanks
super cool ambient piece, the reversal works really well in this context!
Thank You! The transient synth was what really gave the reversal its own character
wow nice piece! I heard some clicks at the very start but otherwise very clean. It was bold to use that very transient sound, and it became such a cool effect when reversed.
Thank You! That transient sound reversed was a very happy accident 😂