Holy cow, the ambition of this - no wonder you feel burned out! Making four different but interrelated tracks with a story concept for each piece sounds nerve-wracking to pull together, but you did it! I especially love the second track - it's very cinematic and brings a sense of danger. Your dynamics feel so lifelike. Can I ask what VSTs you use for the orchestra and the choir? I'm trying to learn what's worth investing in if I sink more time into composing one day.
BenevolentOctopus
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This feels upbeat and fun, and very determined! I can definitely imagine an arcade game where you're climbing up and down (or skiing?) mountains and fighting yetis to this! For me personally, some parts feel like they go too long without a resolution/like too many phrases end on a question mark or dissonant note, which may have been the effect you wanted - it leads to a sense of tension for sure. Cool little retro tune overall!
Some really neat ideas in this, although I'm not completely sold on the way the pianos played along with the strings at times. The strings are so plaintive and expressive, but the staccato quality of the piano distracted a little from that for me once things had started building and layering more, like it was trying to rush the melody. But overall it definitely feels like a cold and uncertain journey!
The contrast between the gentle/mysterious sounding piano and the driving drums and strings is very interesting - it suggests something delicate but important is on the move! I do love the bird sounds, but I think they distract a little from the rest of the mix in the middle of the song - maybe if they were only at the beginning and end to sort of wrap that idea around it? Just a personal preference!
Oooh, definitely getting a strong sense of nostalgia/reminiscence - maybe regrets? This feels like it could be leading into a flashback for some sort of defining event in a person's life, brought on by a similar snowy walk. It suggests a much larger story for sure, and leaves you wanting to turn the page on it somehow! There are these haunting little moments in it that remind me of the soundtrack of Dark. Very cool!
Thanks so much for the feedback! Almost everything I compose drifts into the pseudo-medieval or trad/folk realm, so that's definitely valid!
And I would 100% read a write-up like that if you ever get around to making one. One of my struggles is how to make instruments sound more organic and "real" and generally match what's in my head better, and my other struggle is how to do that efficiently! Any tips and tricks on creating the illusion of space would be appreciated by more than just me, I'm sure!
Oooooh I was sold from the very first singing bowl(?) sound - this feels like the start of an awesome sequence, it's really driving and urgent and fascinating to listen to with the unusual scale and time signature. Where did you get your hurdy gurdy? I've messed around with a few but none of them came close to the real thing.
This is so silly, and honestly what everyone wishes they could do at the DMV.
Not sure if it was a bug, but the screaming never stopped after I popped the balloon, which did get old since I wanted to mess around a little more in the room and take my time. I threw almost everyone into the pit and it kept going!
The art is lovely, the poetry is evocative, and this is a really interesting concept overall. I do think as a game, it might be too difficult though - the number of plausible, poetic word combinations for each stanza is so open-ended, that even with the hints, it can be hard to get the exact right phrase (I had to check the solutions multiple times). Maybe there could be a way to give more progressive hints - like if you had one line correct with the blackouts, something would start to change about the corresponding image, instead of needing all words correct at the same time to get visual feedback? Or maybe just having several options for each stanza that would be "correct" for progression purposes.
Great job for a first jam!
The vibes are immaculate, the artwork is gorgeous and evocative, the music is lovely and melancholy. The fireflies are a super clever way to help show where you haven't been yet (although I do think you shouldn't be able to collide with them, they start to get in the way after awhile, but obviously you want to grow your adorable little train).
I managed everything but the 4x4 puzzle and couldn't solve it after at least 15-20 mins, which is a bit frustrating because I wanted to see the end! I'm not a big puzzle game person though, so maybe it would be intuitive to someone else.
This feels like a neat demo, I think there's a lot of possible ways to expand on this idea. Some sort of danger or obstacle you need to avoid when it's dark might make it more of a challenge, or maps that are a little more maze-like. The mushroom art and character art is well done.
With my screen settings I could still sort of see the outlines of the land even when it was dark - I don't know if that's intentional or not. Nice job!
This was a unique and fun little story! I love the character artwork - I definitely smiled to myself when I scrolled over and saw the fish and the hot dog! The visuals were minimal but effective, the nebula wallpaper hallway was very cool. The riddle was just enough of a challenge for someone who's not the greatest at riddles like me, and the encounter at the end forcing you to second guess yourself was clever.
What a heartfelt and bittersweet story! I love the artwork and the music, and the light/sun effects are so pretty. The sunflower animations are satisfying, and the sound effects well-placed. The quotes between acts and the backgrounds are very effective at setting the mood too.
Personal preference, but I do think some of the descriptive text between dialogue could have been cut - the visuals, dialogue, and pauses convey so much feeling on their own, the player can usually imagine how the characters are emoting or thinking with just those elements - they don't need to be told. The visual of the little flower in the snow, for instance, is so strong and impactful by itself I think having more than maybe one line of description distracts from it a bit.
Awesome job!
Super cute art and premise! I love the variety of demon designs. Music is catchy, and the paper sounds are satisfying.
I wish you could see what you did wrong/get a second look at a contract once it's marked as incorrectly voided or not voided - some of them I felt genuinely clueless as to what I missed!
I think I encountered a crash after retrying Friday - just a black screen with no options to proceed.

