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Futuristic Runaway's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #78 | 3.667 | 3.667 |
| Creativity | #88 | 3.667 | 3.667 |
| Overall | #120 | 3.405 | 3.405 |
| Quality | #133 | 3.333 | 3.333 |
| Composition | #140 | 3.154 | 3.154 |
| Impression | #141 | 3.205 | 3.205 |
Ranked from 39 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
My inspiration was taken directly from the competition's image and 'Runaway' tag, with the goal of giving it a cybernetic-edge fully awash with synths and digital sound-debris.
When my computer synth setup entirely stopped working (I've been using BUZE for ages without issue until now), I thought that my chances to compose something for the competition had died with it, but then I randomly stumbled across Waveform 11 and it turned out to be a complete godsend - everything you hear on these three tracks made use of settings from that program and my MIDI keyboard - played direct (my approach is immediate and I play/record live as a literal jam - I feel more comfortable composing in-the-moment because it's much harder to overthink, which zaps my creativity quickly).
The game that this soundtrack is from - "Futuristic Runaway" - tells the story of the character Glitch. The game itself is a modest pixel-based 2D side-scroller with a striking visual style capturing vivid shadings of pink, purple and aqua.
I've separated my recording into three 'chapters' which reflect the three distinct sections of the game.
Chapter One "Run Away" covers the Glitch's decision to pack up and leave home (after they discover a cyberwolf has decided to take residence), with a focus on stealthily finding and collecting some needed items - backpack, electrosword (their primary weapon) and food - and then heading for the front door.
Chapter Two "Lost in the Neon Forest" focuses on Glitch heading further into unknown (and increasingly unsafe) territory as they encounter sinister forest beings (neon spiders that drop from above and attack, pulsing cable-vines that electrocute when touched). Glitch is able to obtain components to upgrade their electrosword whenever they overcome an enemy. The chapter culminates in a boss-battle with a fully grown cyberwolf (similar to the one that they encountered earlier however larger and more fierce), hopefully with enough upgrades on board to emerge victorious.
Chapter Three "Safe Back Home" involves Glitch having cleared the danger of the forest and their decision to return to the safety of their home, where they discover the cyberwolf has left. But is it happily ever after ??
Credit for the cool cover image to the AI-run NightCafe Creator.
Download/play of these tracks can also be found at:
https://driveelizabeth.bandcamp.com/album/futuristic-runaway-itch-io-ost-composi...
and
https://soundcloud.com/driveelizabeth/sets/futuristic-runaway
Credit for the cool cover image to the AI-run NightCafe Creator.
Message from the artist:
Thanks for looking at my entry for itch.io's OST Composing Jam #4. It's great to be included amongst so much talent and inspiration!
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
I've separated the recording into three 'chapters' - the first capturing the protagonist's desire to pack up and leave home, the second reflecting sinister things (neon spiders!) when they become lost and scared, and the third suggesting the relief of escape and returning to the comfort of home.
Due to the exclusive use of synthesised sounds, I wanted to shift the idea of being a runaway to a futuristic space.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/driveelizabeth/sets/futuristic-runaway
https://driveelizabeth.bandcamp.com/album/futuristic-runaway-itch-io-ost-composing-jam-4-entry
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Comments
Really love the undertone/base/raw sounds of Lost in the Neon Forest, could even listen to a song of that, without the melodies. Especially at end it sounds like something's being eaten by the cyber undertones. Nice
Super the fact that you did it all live!
Thanks! There is a button on the keyboard that says 'Modulate' but it can be a mixed bag in terms of what it achieves. In this case, it glitched the keyboard sounds out fully and I'm so glad that it did! Happy accidents and all that.
Really love the sound and feel to your track 'lost in the neon forest' really cool and stylish! Great bass sound!
Thank you!
Love the sound and feeling of your tracks and how well you stayed within the jam theme!
It is impressive how fast you adapted to a new situation, as you stated that you had to improvise. Even though you've played it directly, the soundtracks still sound awesome. My favorite track here is "Lost in the Neon Forest". Good work!!
I pretty much approach any of my music is through spontaneity and improvisation - if I sit with a piece for more than a few hours it loses its shine and energy. So I guess I work within that framework! Glad you liked the Neon Forest too :)
Great job! I am amazed at people who compose live like this! I loved the textures you were able to make in "Lost in the Neon Forest" !
Thanks - the 'blip' sounds were a fun surprise when they arose and in my mind are kind-of emulated footsteps.
Given this track was written live, I'm super impressed! Very cool what you were able to do with a brand new piece of software, too. The synths sound great!
My only advice is, if you are able to back through what you wrote and quantize it, it would make the tracks sound a little cleaner rhythmically-- though I know that might not be possible with this program, so no sweat if not! Still, a really good job :)
I appreciate your advice and it makes complete sense - the audio was recorded as wave files so they resisted the 'correcting' that would have been possible with MIDI programming. This might be a track that I return to in order to learn how to program with composition software. Cheers!
I'll say this-- if all of these were recorded as wave files, and you actually managed to make it that clean with literally no quantizing, then this is super impressive!!! Yes, there were occasional flaws, but all is forgiven if you didn't have the option to quantize. I can ignore those things and hear what you are trying to communicate loud and clear-- and I loved it.