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Sub-Terrain's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #1 | 4.157 | 4.157 |
| Creativity | #1 | 4.261 | 4.261 |
| Composition | #1 | 4.174 | 4.174 |
| Impression | #1 | 4.261 | 4.261 |
| Credibility | #4 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Sound quality | #5 | 4.087 | 4.087 |
Ranked from 23 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Streaming link
https://on.soundcloud.com/X6qwNK7nkUK6Ns2i9
Track description | Creative process
First time composing a chiptune track.
To capture the vibe of the 1985 Super Mario Bros., I used only one plugin for the entire track: Chipsound from Plogue. This plugin samples real chips from consoles back in the day, allowing me to recreate the original texture as closely as possible to what we were limited to back then.
I crafted a unique rhythmic bass line as the main vibe of the track, adding high-pitched arpeggios to mimic a mining effect. I also incorporated occasional odd harmonies to break away from a perfectly tonal sound.
I experimented with different song structures, starting with a more legato section, then jumping to a contrasting rhythmic section before returning to the original vibe of the song.
The song is a perfect loop.
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Comments
Very nicely done! REally like the composition. The thread maybe makes it more like a Bowser's Castle theme, but it sounds great!
Nice track. Great sound selection and composition. I like the e-piano alot.
This has a great personality and compositional variety. I really enjoyed your approach to this piece and thought the groove of the overall track was excellently executed.
So groovy and fitting, awesome job!!
Nice track, would fit perfectly in the underground level ! Love the acceleration at 1:25, as if this is where we meet the boss. Good work !
The high-pitched arps were a really cool idea, kinda sounds like someone playing the bones/spoons.
Style wise this is a bit more on the "modern" chiptune side, and compositionally gives me a bit of a Celeste vibe, especially the more legato "chorus" sections.
If you hadn't mentioned this was your first chiptune track, I wouldn't have known. Stellar work!
I love the rhytmic choices and how the track gets so full and empty all of a sudden, good job!
I love this! It really reminds me of the really good chiptune music that came out near the end of the NES’s life, very nice complex structures and use of the different layers available.
The vibe is great too, it feels like a more sinister and action-filled version of the original, maybe it could fit an underground level with a boss fight in the end. I feel like adding some extra percussion would help a lot with creating the feel of forward movement, but the rhythmic bass line does a lot to help too.
Well done!
Loved listening to the track. the counterpoint was very cool. I could definitely see myself playing a cave themed level with this.
That was a really cool track I love it. It feels a little bit more complex and scary than the original but I can perfectly see this piece in my playlists in Spotify haha
Man I love that intro. I love the chromatic descent section that follows. So good for your first shot at chiptune. Nailed the underground vibe. Great work!
It sounds like the old game but with a really good new vibe. Cool!
This is super good, I like how you build the intensity throughout the loop with both different ideas and also very different instrumentation and rhythm to create an even sharper contrast between your different sections! All i want is a few more drums and I think this would be perfect. Excellent work!
I like it! It sounds as if there was a boss battle at the end of 1-2, which is a pretty interesting idea!
made me wanna headbang hahaha Its awesome! just give me a little more drums and you got a certified (head) banger!
I liked reading about the process you described above, especially the idea to illustrate mining t´with high-pitch arpeggio, it sure conjured up some imagery. Also took the time to check out some of your other and older stuff - you really have a good range of styles, cool!
We're partially in the mood of the original track, progressing to a more menacing mood, then also more “action”.
Perhaps the track should be renamed “underground - epic final boss” ^^' By the end, the track has taken us pretty far from the start, and maybe a little too far from the theme, but the progression is coherent and very nice to follow, with a classic (but effective) “wave” structure: we build up to a small climax, then drop back down to almost the same level as the beginning. Climb to a new climax, higher than the previous one, and drop back to zero, etc... I like it ^^'