Main Menu: The initial motif has really big and heroic intervals perfect for a main theme of a space game! I really like the sound selection you use and the “orchestra hit” sound takes me back to so many games from my childhood. You’ve successfully captured a strong sense of nostalgia and retro game quality while still making it sound new and fresh. Bravo for that!
Stage 1: This track has that classic arcade shooting game style sound that keeps the energy high and keeps you on your toes to face waves of enemies. I really appreciate the balance and mixing you’ve done that keeps the beat prominent but not overpowering to the melody and supporting harmony. This is a very nice track!
Stage 2: This stage builds on the previous track and has a very consistent quality while also giving a new theme that would certainly get stuck in my head as I played this game.
Boss: The pedal bass note pulses with the harmony moving up to the minor second gives a dissonance that injects a sense of danger very fitting for a boss battle. I think I was left wanting a little more of the high-register melody in the mix. I understand that you may have pushed it further back to avoid sounding harsh, but I think the levels of the melody at the ~1:40 mark find a good sweet spot that would also work well for the other melodies in the track.
Victory Jingle: I love when OSTs include jingles like this! They seem simple to make and include, but they are surprisingly challenging to execute in a way that conveys the intended emotion while feeling cohesive and consistent with the rest of the OST. You managed to do all of this and it adds so much to the soundtrack!
Victory!: I just imagined hearing this track playing in the background of an arcade after someone beat your game. Very nice heroic and conclusive sound while keeping the space vibe.
Overall, this is one of the most complete OSTs of the entire jam! I really enjoyed reading through your devlog and feeling validated that many challenges I face when approaching compositions are not unique to me. I appreciate the short and digestible loops throughout that show you composed these tracks with clear understanding of the gameplay in mind. Excellent work overall and thank you for sharing!