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Eclipse [OST Jam #6]'s itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Impression | #1 | 4.571 | 4.571 |
| Quality | #1 | 4.821 | 4.821 |
| Composition | #1 | 4.821 | 4.821 |
| Overall | #1 | 4.614 | 4.614 |
| Correlation to theme | #2 | 4.571 | 4.571 |
| Creativity | #10 | 4.286 | 4.286 |
Ranked from 28 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
This soundtrack is mainly orchestral with some elements of reversed/pitch shifted audio. I imagined something along the lines of "Journey" by Thatgamecompany for the type of game in terms of vibe, but gameplay-wise it's more of a puzzle-solving thing similar to Ghost Trick.
"Eclipse" - Title theme of the game. Also the theme for the Time Keeper. A simple piano loop is layered with different clock-y sounds and strings. A heartbeat that represents the soul is sneaked in there too.
"Soul" - When the Time Keeper encounters the lost soul for the first time. Think of it more like cutscene music. The theme of the soul is played by the cello. Some reversed piano is layered on top.
"Lover's Reunion" - First level - the Time Keeper repairs an error where two people intended to be a married couple in the future never met at a lake, where they first met. I used the sound of a cuckoo's call to mimic a cuckoo clock. This is probably the most traditionally orchestral track of the album.
"Medieval Battlefield" - Second level - the Time Keeper has to keep those who were intended to survive alive, and those who were supposed to die... to stay dead. The soul protests this, but the Time Keeper explains that history cannot be changed, or else the universe will become unstable and break apart into multiple timelines, which will make it difficult for the Time Keeper to maintain. The snare drum represents the living, while the church bell represents the dead. I also sang a little in this one. Lyrics are "tempus edax, tempus necat" (don't know if it's grammatically correct at all, but it means "time devours, time kills") followed by "ooooooooooooooo..."
"The Child" - The Time Keeper discovers that the soul was from a child that was never meant to be born - they were born as a result of a paradox. While the soul accepts its fate, the Time Keeper is now reluctant to fix the timeline. A heartbeat can be heard throughout, dying off at the end.
"To Save Thy Soul" - The Time Keeper dives through the entire timeline to cause micro-paradoxes that are small enough to not make the timeline unstable, while also leading to the birth of the child, thereby saving the lost soul. This is the final part of the game, so all stops are pulled for this one. Some elements of clocks and reversed audio can be heard, as well as the themes for both the Time Keeper and the lost Soul.
"A Second Chance" - The Time Keeper watches from above as the soul grows in its body that it was intended to be born in (according to the altered timeline). A little reprise of the title theme, with some layers of reversed audio to show that the universe is a little more unstable now... but the Time Keeper doesn't care, as long as the being it cares for the most is alive.
Message from the artist:
This is my first OST Jam! Looking forward to listening and learning from everyone's submissions!
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
Lots of ticking and tocking throughout the soundtrack. I also made time the central part of the game.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jinseig/sets/eclipse-ost-jam-6?si=262dd39b6f5b447f9acf1704b21b358b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSOL8TahQ28vkHPB8X2JRUN2zZ1sR0JSD
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Beautiful story, and beautiful music. Your orchestration is really well made. I particularly loved Lover's reunion and the Soul theme! By contradiction the Timekeeper theme is a simple ascension of 4 piano notes and it expresses his infinite role quite well.
Try to save thy soul was also really beautiful and touching while reading the story :D.
The return of the Timekeeper theme played by piano and cello let me visualise the fusion of those two beings in a very poetic way. Superb experience :) keep up the work, and congrats!
Such beautiful music and such a beautiful story! The music fits the story you wrote perfectly. I love it.
Fantastic music and fantastic orchestrations and compositions. It is, for me, music that really takes You on a journey and I imagine the game to it would be like that (I see You have "Joureny" as an inspiration - I didn't read that before listening). The ticking clock is very well integrated in the music and while not really subtle, still feels like a part of the music and not a cliché-
An amazing soundtrack, well don!
Eclipse: The ticking is well-placed, subtle, and not annoying. These are some great soft and comfortable layers that you’ve added to the piano line. I like the string pulses helping keep the energy moving forward.
Soul: Reversed piano and cello apparently are the key that unlocks all of my emotions. Wow, this is a special sound.
Lover’s Reunion: The waltz feel of this track is perfect for a young lover’s theme and the cuckoo sound (that is in the key - nice!) adds some youthful fun into the mix.
Medieval Battlefield: This dirge-like track is very dark and somber. The choral elements are very nicely done! I love that it felt like it moved somewhere in the song and was not completely stuck in the despair.
The Child: What an emotional track! I like the balance of sweet piano with the foreboding heart beat sound and the floaty strings. These chords you use are very heart-wrenching as if to show the conflict now in the Time Keeper’s mind.
To Save Thy Soul: Wow this is great as a climactic track. I really like how you incorporated both of the main themes as well as reversed piano sound effects. The beauty continues to soar even after the pulsing beat slips away. This to me shows how the feelings the Time Keeper has for the soul.
A Second Chance: This is such a great reprise of the main theme. The intricacies you included that show instability are very nicely done!
Overall: Wow, this is an excellent OST, in concept, musicality, and quality. Bravo! I am really looking forward to what you are able to make in the future! Excellent work and thank you for sharing!
Totally grandios work! Great melodies, hamony and sounding! Impressive that you made so much work only in the Jam's time, that's really awesome work!
Eclipse: An effective and pretty intro with piano and clock ticks representing time. Very beautiful!
Soul: Damn... This gave me goosebumps. So beautiful. The strings are perfection.
Lover's Reunion: Very romantic, kind of waltz feel. The overall feel of the instrumentation reminds me of Octopath Traveler. Love the cuckoo sample.
The Medieval Battlefield: Starting to get intense! Chord choices give me movie vibes.
The Child: Love how this opens with an i-v progression like the previous track, connecting them together. Great piano work and love the heartbeat feel later on.
To Save Thy Soul: This has such a cool intro.
A Second Chance: Love the twist on the title theme. Some more beautiful strings. 1:50 onwards gave me chills.
Amazing work, and can't wait to hear your stuff in the next jam!
I love the overall soft vibe and colors! Well crafted melodies and harmony... I enjoyed listening to your music :) I feel the flow of musicality/organicity in this one and that's the most important thing to me in soundtrack quality in both film and games...
Oh my oh my the emotions. This is crazy good, the arrangement, the orchestration, the melodies everything blends together absolutely perfectly. I've honestly rarely heard such fleshed out melodies apart from the artists I usually listen to. You should really be proud of what you achieved here, this is absolutely amazing. Hats off to you!
Thank you so much, that really means a lot!
cannot agree more this this comment. amazing work !
Yeah, this is great. From the first note, I can tell that I'm in for something special. It just sounds so disarmingly honest to me. Easily one of my favorite entries this year.
It's the first time someone's described my music as "honest"... and that's kinda cool. Thanks!!
Your melodies are beautiful, and it's amazing how you can take a simple idea and make it into a leitmotif that becomes so emotional. The production is fantastic, with orchestral instruments that almost sound too real, and the story is very cute - very Disney/Pixar like, which really helps give the music even more emotional significance.
Absolutely fantastic!
Thanks!! Maybe I'll pitch the story to Disney.... haha
I am honestly stunned. Every one of your music tracks is BREATHTAKING. Layered, complex, rich, memorable, and beautiful to listen to. I played your soundtrack multiple times because I just can't get enough of it. Your compositions have so much heart in them - I actually got emotional listening to "The Child", "To Save Thy Soul", and "A Second Chance". You used leitmotif masterfully, and paired powerful melodies with the "tick tock" theme wonderfully. The cuckoo sound was especially clever!
Not to mention! Your game concept and song descriptions are fascinating - I would 100% play it if it were a real game. Your tracks do a fantastic job of conveying the poignancy of each story beat.
The effort you've put into this submission is incredible. I mean, you even sang your own Latin lyrics. That's dedication, man. Seriously, well done.
Wow, thank you for such kind comments! I'm truly grateful.
And I'm glad you liked the story, I was trying really hard to figure out the plot and "rules" of time, before I realized that it didn't really matter that much lol
This soundtrack is the total package. The plaintive ostinati throughout, the dense string coercion in track 6, great melodies, beautifully rendered. And the cuckoo was such a great touch. Should really be proud of yourself for this one, it's a gem.
Thank you so much! Cuckoooooooo!!
oh my god. Take all the stars. Take my heart. You've created an actual masterpiece. "Soul" was breathtaking.
Oh wow you're even giving me your heart, thanks!!!!
Have an A M E N B R E A K in return :)
AMEN!?
Neuron activated brrrr
dude. i am absolutely blown away by this. each track is so masterfully crafted! "A Lover's Reunion" is so playful and calm, and the instrumentation just lets this track soar. you can FEEL the uncertainty and sorrow in "The Child"; it's so REAL. and the intense, gentle determination in "To Save Thy Soul" is so dramatic and climactic and powerful...
you are a master of your craft!! absolutely stellar job :))))
Thank you so much!! Thanks for the shoutout on discord too!!
I'm really blown away by every track presented here! Soul has a very lovely moment in the middle that gave me goose bumps. Lover's Reunion was delightful and gave me Ghibli vibes throughout. Really great work on the whimsy and feelings of love. Medieval Battlefield really captures the feeling of necessary death. The finality of the track lends itself well to the story, and your singing fits really well! The Child is perfectly heart wrenching and captures the feeling of being torn very well. To Save Thy Soul captures the story at that moment perfectly. I can hear the dive the Time Keeper makes and the Lost Soul's theme intertwined making for a beautiful conclusion to the story. A Second Chance is a lovely reprise of the title theme, tying a nice bow on the whole story. Thank you for your submission, it was truly a great experience and the best submission I have heard yet. Great work! I look forward to seeing more of your compositions in the future.
Thank you for such kind words!! I'm glad the emotions of the story got through the music.
Welcome to your first OST jam! I've been around the block a few times but I'm looking forward to hearing what you put together.
Eclipse: I see you have some really excellent sound libraries-- this track sounds utterly beautiful. I always caution against the repetition of one line while instruments are added to/taken from it (a sizeable chunk of the soundtracks I hear ultimately boil down to that.) What makes this track acceptable in my mind is that the entrances of instruments don't always align with the start and end of the repeated phrase. In the case of the staccato strings, they actually come in on the 4th measure of the phrase.
Soul: love the reversed audio bubbling around. The entrance of this lush cello melody is divine, and I enjoy the tone shift. A beautiful little clip that moves.
Lover's Reunion: I can't lie, the first ten seconds actually gave me chills! What a delightful, delicate little piano-celesta gesture! The cuckoo clock is humorous, and the clarinet over plucked strings in 3/4 is another classic way to symbolize something whimsical. The interplay of woodwinds, and the constant passing-off of the melody is perfection. Another favorite moment is 1:05, when the strings join the bassoon briefly for the melody. In fact, delightful moments keep occurring faster than I can type. I think you've got it figured out...
The Medieval Battlefield: is that really you singing? It sounds like it could be the EW WordBuilder-- or you just have an insane, insane low range. As a baritone myself, I'm envious of this. How did you make that recording? It's so cool and ominous. I love how this track balances sounding almost haunted with having this majestic, somber feeling-- the souls, sad to be dying, perhaps...
The Child: the addition of the heartbeat is a creative way to add emotion, but the piano and string combo is emotional enough! This is the most cinematic of the tracks thus far-- it perfectly captures the feeling of saying goodbye. The icy harmonics are another excellent addition. The pulsating piano certainly sounds like it's imitating the heartbeat as they both fade.
To Safe Thy Soul: yes!!! love the energy that this track sparks. When the melody repeats, and it's echoed by an oboe countermelody... loved it. My only complaint (possibly my first and only complain so far?) is that the opening is so intense, but it gets more subdued as the track goes on. Around 1:45, we almost seem like we're picking up again, but it once again fades. This big, beautiful flowing lines are welcome, but perhaps a percussion instrument would have picked things up a bit. Still, such gorgeous and incredible music!
A Second Chance: I love the return of the opening theme. The solo strings are wonderful (Cinematic Studio Solo Strings, I think? I use the same ones!)
In all, I am glad that you fleshed out your story so much. This soundtrack is incredibly polished, and despite living in a traditional orchestral world, the reversed audio and genuinely exceptional writing keep it from ever sounding remotely mundane. This is undoubtedly one of the best I've heard so far. I can tell you've put your heart into this, and I really hope you'll stick around do these jams again and again. Beyond exceptional work-- keep writing!!!
Wow, thank you for such an in-depth response!! I really appreciate it!!
You nailed all the libraries that I used in this soundtrack. There's also a little bit of omnisphere in there, but only for a handful of notes.
For Medieval Battlefield, I recorded each part of the 3-part choir 4 times before layering the EW Choir over it. The mix is 40/60-ish, so you can probably hear the EW choir more, but the live vocals helped shape the vowels a little better. There are also low strings underneath, so I think that's the super-low stuff you were hearing.
I struggled with the mix of To Save Thy Soul a lot... the last few hours of composing was mostly me being indecisive of how much I wanted the solo parts to stick out at the climax point, which ended up with the accompanying string chords getting a little too soft. There was probably ear fatigue too, though. Definitely taking that percussive element advice, will apply in future works like this!
Very impressed by the overall story development. And I really like how you mixed in the reversed parts with the rest of the more traditional orchestral elements, feels like it fits naturally
Thanks!! It might be because the reversed sounds are mostly just the same instruments, so they blend pretty well... maybe I should have experimented a little more with other sounds though.
It's all so impressive. The opening piano track is so emotive. I loved the levity of the cuckoos in Lover's Reunion. Medieval battlefield matches the scene so perfectly. Great orchestration and composition. Thanks for making and sharing.
Thanks!! And thank you for the feedback!
Beautiful composition and orchestration! Lover's Reunion is amazing
Thank you so much!!
Wow! just great stuff. The beautiful orchestration on Soul gave me the same feeling i had when i first heard Joe Hisaishi's and Kaoru Wada's music as a kid.
Guess who one of my greatest inspirations are... haha. I'm a big fan of Hisaishi, but I'm not too familiar with Wada's works, so I'll go check them out right now. Thanks!!!