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Cardiac Overclock's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #6 | 4.364 | 4.364 |
| Correlation to theme | #7 | 4.409 | 4.409 |
| Overall | #14 | 4.191 | 4.191 |
| Impression | #17 | 4.136 | 4.136 |
| Quality | #26 | 4.227 | 4.227 |
| Composition | #48 | 3.818 | 3.818 |
Ranked from 22 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
A wacky fake game about a world of dudes with clocks for hearts
made in logic pro x aw yeaaaa
lore:
You, as well as the other inhabitants of this world, have a mechanical heart that ticks away as time passes. Your heart has a set number of ticks, and once those ticks are ticked away, you die.
1: Tachycardia
When you learned that you could give yourself more ticks by "repurposing" the hearts of others, you went on a killing spree in an attempt to extend your own lifespan and live comfortably. You didn't initially have what it takes to be a killer, and when the gravity of your first kill set in, the panic and guilt elevated your heart rate, wasting precious ticks. Now all you can do is kill; the moment you stop, so does your heart.
2: Don't Think About It
When you learn that you can extend your lifespan by "repurposing" the hearts of others, you decide to take only the hearts of those you must kill in self defense, as well as the hearts of those who die of natural causes. However, you aren't always able to adhere to this oath, and by the time you've accumulated enough ticks to lead a quiet and comfortable life, you are plagued by memories of the few people you regret killing. It's okay, what's done is done, there's no use dwelling on it now. Just try not to think about it...
3: Clock Out
When you learn that you can live significantly longer by "repurposing" the hearts of others, you decide that instead of suffering through the ordeal of extending your own lifespan, you want to make the most of the ticks that you already have. Everyone whose heart you might have taken in another life becomes a potential ally. You travel to every corner of the world, create art, watch fireworks with the best friends you could ever ask for. When the bell tolls for you, you realize that there will be nothing left for you after this life.
And maybe that's okay.
Message from the artist:
hi :)
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
"Tick Tock" represents the literal ticking of the protagonist's heart, as well as their struggle against time itself. Also every track has a ticking clock sound
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/noah-shin-333307189/sets/cardiac-overclock?si=deeec0e9f9cd4766915d2a133f6716ba&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Tachycardia: This is a very creative idea for a game and definitely utilizes the theme in a unique way. I really like the sound effects of the men counting backward on the offbeats. The accelerando and the music distortion is a great musical representation of the character’s heart beating faster and the adrenaline pumping as his new lifestyle kicks in. The jazzy melody is very well-crafted.
Don’t Think About It: You have some very interesting time signature changes going on here that have a cool effect on the melody that would otherwise just be landing on the downbeat. The bell sounds seem like they may be representing clock chimes. The transition in the middle that brings back some of the themes from the first track seems to me to represent a little adrenaline that comes up whenever the haunting memories return, but then it’s a conscious effort to try to forget and live comfortably.
Clock Out: This sounds like a more celebratory theme and is more climactic. I really like the baritone saxophone when it enters. The two chords you use to vamp between are really cool sounding chords and feel quite optimistic even though there is not really a sense of resolution between them.
Overall: These are three very different themes and at first I thought that it was meant to be a progression from one to the next, but I’m wondering if there could be an element of “choose your own adventure” in your game and the theme plays based on which path you decide. Maybe that’s not what you intended, but it could be interesting! These are really well-made tracks that each bring their own energy and emotions that are appropriate to the situations you describe. The melodies you write have a lot of forward motion which makes them fun to listen to and make them sound very impressively written. Great work and thank you for sharing!
Tick tock, my heart's a clock
My time is short, I'll grab a glock
Knocking on the door, of all of those that treat me poor
Out they come, out the door, making quite a fearful roar
They make a fuss, the air is tense
Time to kill, in self-defense
Their clock spills out, their time is mine
But time's still short, where next to dine?
Because I felt like it.
I for one really enjoy the vibe in your second track, and we have all kinds of things relating to time in here, tick tocks, big bells, people counting, and an impatient gamer. What more could one ask for in the time goes tick tock jam?
These tracks are bops, and they got your name on it, it's easy to recognize your style, knowing your tracks from other jams. I quite envy you people with your recognizable styles and all of that! Very handy to have, if you want to be hired for actual video games gigs.
Anyway, stellar job! Now make the game. :))
The first track was heat! A really well-made dnb and the tempo increase felt natural. Love the talkboxey instrument that came in at 1:32 of Clock Out too. Clock sounds were mixed in nicely and fitted in the context of each track. I found the ending to be a bit light hearted for someone who killed a bunch of people though lmaoo.
Tachycardia is really good! The fast electric piano and the acceleration at the end totally express the guilt and panic stroke caused by the revelation the character has. I could feel the madness and fear while realising the path "I" (the protagonist) took with that first kill, and therefore, the terrific road before me.
Very interesting idea and engaging concept for a game btw..
The other two tracks are interesting, Tachycardia is definitely my favorite between the three! Great job :)
What a creative world this is! I love how you depicted different ways of evolving and seeing this world and its limitations. And Oh man the music is good, like actually crazy good, that solo at the end of "Tachycardia" is chef's kiss. Overall stellar entry, amazing job!
This was a lot of fun! Really enjoyed the playful melodies, varying time signatures, jazzy solos, and the broad range of instruments.
Great work!
Straight-up winner for most disturbing game premise of the jam. I definitely got some of what you were going for in the premise in the tracks themselves, to a degree you have to see the upbeat sections of the soundtrack as an ironic counterbalance to the horror of the premise, but I think that could work for sure. I enjoyed the polyrhythms, tempo changes, and prominent clock chime/tubular bell action, there were a few different soundtracks that went that route this time and I think the vocal samples did a good job of elevating it past its peers in that category.
That sounds very well! Some boring stuff in the second track, but the other work is nice, well done!
If it has breakbeats, I'm a fan! Love the fusion style, and the retro sampled instrument sounds. Can easily picture this in a PSX game. Nice use of the clock sounds within the tracks as well.
Love the first track with the soul vibe and the "talking synth" - waaaay to long since I heard that last. The speed up at the end is also very nicely done and would really get the pulse going in a game. The rest of the music is also very good and would suit a high tempo game, and the ending of the last track really gives the feeling of it is all ending.
I imagined a different game than You described (listened to the music before I read what You wrote), but the basic premise would be the same.
Good work!
First of all, the premise of this game is genius. You got me interested in the lore of this world before I heard one note. My guess is that each track represents the choice the player makes and the outcome of that choice. My favorite was the first track near the end, where the tempo sped up indicating their heart rate increasing due to what they done. This was overall well put together!
good quality, interesting work, it was nice to listen
Great submission. Every track feels very different from each other, but are great in composition and sound choise. Like the nostalgic genres or sounds you incorporated. My favourite track gotta be "Tachycardia". Thank you for the experience and keep up the great work!
Love the background of the game, totally something I would want to play! First track is suitably hectic, and is my favourite of the three.
Oh sh*t, this is by far my favorite OST by now :o
First I want to say, the lore behind these tracks terrifies me, but in a good way! It’s so strange to imagine clocks for hearts, and having a set amount of heartbeats. I mean in a way, depending on how you look at it, we kinda do already, we just don’t know it…but anyway!
1 - The constant movement of the track does really well in stressing me the heck out! That part when it speeds up is so well executed. And the end being a flatline is really smart!
2 - This song sounds pretty cheerful given the circumstances :D I like how the bubbly synth sound is so active in both ears (panning?).
3 - This one might be my favorite, I love the repeating arpeggio with the synth in the background, and the piano is a nice touch :)
Synth solo at the end of Tachycardia has me spinning on the floor like a beyblade, incredible work!