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A jam submission

Nevermind Kingdom OSTView project page

Made in a week for the OST Composing Jam #7
Submitted by grasstypefire — 1 hour, 27 minutes before the deadline
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Nevermind Kingdom OST's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Quality#1223.8703.870
Composition#1343.8263.826
Overall#1473.7393.739
Creativity#1663.7393.739
Impression#1673.6523.652
Correlation to theme#2463.6093.609

Ranked from 23 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Description
Made using UltraBox and inspired by SNES-era soundtrack, mainly from the RPGs of the time. In this game you appear in a unusual and yet familiar setting, as if you returned to older times but with recognizable faces like friends and neighbors. You quickly discovered that you entered a person's dream, even though you have no recollection of how exactly that happened. Your main focus is to find out who's dream is this, and how will you manage to break out of the dream.

Mostly the tracks here reflect the setting proposed with the game's idea, with the Final Dungeon - Deepest Tought inpired by the theme art reflecting and revealing the identity of the dreamer.

Message from the artist
Thank you very much for listening! Any feedback is greatly appreciatted!

Theme

Picture theme

How does it fit the theme?
Mainly the picture reflects about the scene that the Final Dungeon - Deepest Tought plays in.

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/bariani/sets/nevermind-kingdom-ost

Number of tracks
8

Genre

Orchestral
Ambient
Classical
Synthwave/Retro

Soundtrack use permission

Yes (CC BY)

Any project

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Comments

Viewing comments 24 to 5 of 24 · Next page · Last page
Submitted(+1)

I love the concept of "Nevermind Kingdom", and I'm also going take a moment to shout out the display picture. 😄

The opening track, Nevermind Castle, is really nice. Great introduction to the soundtrack, solid orchestration with some nice articulations and a memorable, ambling melody. Glissandos on the harp were a really nice touch toward the end to lead into the supported leading melodies.

Plains in my Dreams captures the overworld feel really well. Loving the percussion in this; it's not overly busy, but it is getting the job done and letting the rest of the accompaniment set the tone. Really nice melodies here as well, with some having a pseudo-call-and-response feel to them. Stripping back the mix toward the end to emphasize these melodies was clever.

Wild Doubts is great; a more upbeat change of pace. There's a triumphant flair to this, but not like that of a guaranteed victory - more akin to being in the flow of battle, in control. Horns do a great job of emphasizing these kinds of feelings, so solid choice on having them take lead at points during this one.

Solace is gorgeous - it loosely reminds me of a Resident Evil save room theme. Nice, dreamy melodies without percussion to ground them. I love the subtle pads in the background; they do a great job of bolstering the theme as a whole without drawing too much attention themselves.

The Boss theme, Rejected Memory, has me feeling a couple of different ways. In one sense, it is perfectly befitting of the title as it has this kind of dramatic flair to it. Unlike Wild Doubts, there's no outright triumphant flair in this, no guaranteed victory. It's a struggle to the end; a battle of skill. On the other hand, the choice of voicings in this and the progression itself reminds me of something I might hear in something like Sonic 3 - which is really cool. Kind of scratches 2 itches at once for me in that regard.

I love the washy synth in Conflict of Ideas - it has this kind of shimmer to it that makes it stick out. The melodies above it do a great job of leaving space to breathe and allowing the accompaniment below to come to the forefront every now and again. Solid percussion work here again - not too busy, just enough to provide a heartbeat to the track.

Deepest Thought is dark and meandering in some senses. Has a kind of ambiguous mood to it - not quite sure how I'm supposed to feel, but striking that balance of ambiguity is no easy feat so kudos in that regard. If I had to pick a word to sum this kind of theme up, I think I'd go with pensive.

Wi-Fi Settings, both as a title and the track, was completely unexpected but wholly welcome. I love how this feels more akin to something I might hear on a very early 16-bit title. It's got a subtle groove to it and a memorable melody - I'd even go so far as to say this is a bit of an ear-worm. I'd have actually loved to hear a little more in this style!


All in all, great work. Nice varied selection of tracks, each of which explores a different mood. Great arrangements, well produced. This was a fun listen and has me wanting some more. Best of luck! :)

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! I wasn't very confident with my entry but reading yours and all the comments really made it worth joining this jam, and gave me the motivation to keep trying as a composer. Again, thanks a lot for your comments!

Submitted(+1)

Wi-Fi settings was defo my favorite of your soundtrack ^_^

Saved on my soundcloud, hope you don't mind :p

Developer

Not at all! Thanks for listening to my entry!

Submitted(+1)

VERY COOL SOUNDTRACK!!

I think you've achieved the musical characteristics of the genre really well, especially in the battle music.

Love the sound combinations in Siege Theme - Conflict Of Ideas . At 0:51 the harmony you went for is such a nice break in the song. This was my favorite track!

Well done!!!

Developer (1 edit) (+1)

My favorite track was also the siege theme, but mainly because I like to focus on chords while composing. Thanks for listening!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

1) I like how you got the castle feeling by sticking to on-beat notes - that almost marching-like rhythm was something I found working well for castles as well.
2) The flute works well for the dreamy feeling. Also, those fade-ins and -outs plus the echoing effect on some instruments work wonders as well. Really nice :)
3) Let's goooo, this has a nice beat to it! I wish it was longer, or looped through it one more time.
4) The beginning is interesting as it is easy to lose the rhythm but easy to find it again too. The simplicity makes it good to listen to even though there is no sound on every first beat. I really like this one; it is very simple but just works. It feels like a more puzzle-y kind of dungeon. It still feels a bit dreamy (and a tad bit... sad?) though, really nice.
5) Wow, that immediately felt... heroic, final, absolute. This isn't just a boss battle, but a final boss, it must be! It feels like everything is on the line. 
6) This does feel like some form of march or siege. Nice :)
7) Feels kinda emotional. Calm, serene, as if it all comes to light.
8) Haha, it - for some reason - gives me Mario Kart vibes. Idk, maybe some 'choose your kart' theme resembles it or something. Cool that you even made such a theme xD

I feel like your composition style is a bit similar to mine - we tend to focus on minimalist design, with few instruments. You nail your vibes though, you've always gotten a real good sense on how to create a certain feeling. Chiptune on its best. As always, a joy to listen to :D

Developer(+1)

Thank you very much for listening and the detailed feedback! I agree with you about the minimalism, I tend to go with it mainly to get the most out of fewer instruments possible, I think this usually helps in finding new interesting sounds and to focus more on the composition side. And I'm glad you've enjoyed my tracks too, I hope to see you in the next jam!

Submitted(+1)

You the person who had the best entry in the enemy encounter jam!

My favorites were the battle theme and the boss battle. I think your work on fast and exciting songs is superb! It's why I liked your battle theme before the best!

Developer

Thank you very much!

Submitted(+1)

Maybe I'm wrong but it reminded me a lot of Pokemon's musics! Nice variety!!

Submitted(+1)

Nicely done, good composition and arrangement, only the mix can probably be a bit more "in your face" not too much but more presence would help a lot, Good job !

Developer

Thanks for the feedback! May I ask you what exactly would be "presence"? As in make each instrument stand out more or is it something else?

Submitted(+1)

Mostly overall everything but by achieving that you'll need to look ecah instrument and see what you want to be louder at which time doing some EQ  and panning etc and probably some mastering using a limiter to boost the overall signal at the end within a controlled environnment. Can't explain everything in details since its another craft to master but thats roughly it.

Developer

Oooh I see, thanks for the pointers anyways!

Submitted(+1)

I think you really did a good job really emulating that retro console feel, your melodies were the highlight and did a ton to make your music very interesting to listen to. Very well done, not much to say because I think you did everything good!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

yo! this is some really well done snessy, jrpg music. definitely one of the snes osts i’ve liked more out of the ones i’ve listened to thus far!! i enjoyed the variance between tracks, while still sounding cohesive. i especially enjoyed wild doubts! it gave me some final fantasy vibes. good stuff good stuff!!

Submitted(+1)

Prologue - Nevermind Castle: Classic JRPG vibe. Some cool and unexpected chord options in here.

Overworld - Plains In My Dreams: That bassline! Nailed a SNES JRPG vibe. This reminds me of Mana games.

Battle - Wild Doubts: Ooh, I really like this. Could absolutely hear this in a SNES style RPG. Reminds me of Motoi Sakuraba's work on games like Star Ocean. 

Dungeon - Solace: I absolutely love that bass/pad in conjunction with the more retro lead instruments. Paints a dark but pretty dungeon mood. 

Boss Battle - Rejected Memory: Oh this is good! Castlevania vibes particularly Symphony Of The Night. Delicious secondary dominant into V later on that I wasnt expecting. Like this slightly more emotional take on a boss theme.

Siege Theme - Conflict of Ideas: Gives me that classic SNES/PS1 game war vibe with the percussion. 

Final Dungeon - Deepest Thought: Emotional take on a final dungeon theme. Like that flute like lead instrument.

Wi-Fi Settings: Haha this is a creative inclusion. Love the instrumentation.

Great work! You really got me in the mood to play some SNES games.

Developer

All the games you've mentioned I enjoyed the OSTs as well, specially castlevania which is a big inspiration of mine. And I'm glad my OST reminded you of them, thanks for the feedback!

Submitted(+1)

Great composition, I really appreciate how melody-driven your music is. That's my favorite way to write too :))

I love the openness of the first track. Creative panning too! Nicely contrasted by Plains in my Dreams, which is giving me DK Country vibes~.

My favorite is definitely Rejected Memory. Really unique take on a boss theme, it feels almost introspective, which is super appropriate! Love the work :)

Submitted(+1)

I love the vibe you went for a lot. The boss theme reminded me of Undertale and was well made. The Overworld theme had a sense of adventure and the dungeon themes were a great listen as well. My favorite theme is WI-FI Settings. I didn't that to have a theme but it did and I'm all for it. Overall, I think this was a very good submission front to back. Keep it up!

Developer

Thank you very much!

Submitted(+1)

I like a lot of the mellow sounds and parts! This seems like a game that would have a unique place on the SNES, but without diving into UltraBox or the samples you used I'd have no way of knowing if you conformed to the channel/samplerate, etc of the Sony SMP. Even so - if it's a FM Synth, it probably will work well enough on the SNES.

Neat OST!

Developer

Thanks for listening! Not all instruments used here are FM so it is not too accurate to the SNES hardware. But if you want you can download the project files and have a look at how the songs were made!

Submitted(+1)

Nevermind Castle - tun tun tun... I do not know why, but this pipe makes me laugh)

Plains In My Dreams - Mission Impossible?) Heh... A beautiful composition with a curious bass...

Wild Doubts is Cute. Underwater. Cool!

Solace - Sounds... Sad? But it also seems to be fascinating.

Rejected Memory - This boss theme sounds very playful. Interesting!

Conflict Of Ideas - I like the way the track called "Conflict Of Ideas" feels like a competition between the drums and the basic instruments (Or I'm slowly starting to go crazy)

Deepest Thoughts - Oh, a time of mysterious and deeply ambient...
Wi-Fi Settings - whoa whoa (I love that router sound. Heh))

Overall, you've got a good chiptune. I'm sure it would be a good match for some old game ...

And I like your melody and the idea of the game)

Thanks!

Developer

Thank you, your interpretation is quite interesting and I'm glad you've liked it!

Submitted(+1)

Very well paced, and excellent production quality! It's unique style compared to many of the submissions, and I enjoyed the atmospheric synth pads. My favorite track out of this is "Wild Doubts" as it personifies most of the character of this soundtrack.

Submitted(+1)

So you went all-in with that Wi-fi Settings music huh!

I can hear that you have mastered this style, it's super varied, always extremely clean and really well written.

I really can't spot any faults here, it's a great OST definitely worthy of a game!

Submitted(+1)

Prologue - Nevermind Castle: The gentle bouncy synth/strings along with the high pad instruments gives this the same type of vibe as a gentle town or something like a royal entryway. I love that in true SNES RPG fashion, your music takes a melody-centric approach (my favorite).

Overworld - Plains in My Dreams: The percussion adds momentum to this track which contrasts the underlying sustained instruments very well. I really like the moving parallel chords.

Battle - Wild Doubts: The percussion and harmony remind me of Fire Emblem music, then you add your style of melody on top and it becomes an awesome track!

Dungeon - Solace: The chord extensions in the pads really give this a full and emotionally complicated sound. The lush surrounding pads make this track a little more melancholic and mystical than it would have been afterward.

Boss Battle - Rejected Memory: The intro with the noise sound effect is very true to the era and was a great way to start. The melody is great and you have great supporting chords. I wonder if some movement in the chord instruments would help give this battle theme even more forward momentum and sell the boss nature of the track? I think it could certainly add to this stellar track.

Siege Theme - Conflict of Ideas: The accompaniment sounds similar to some Donkey Kong Country types of choices. I love that chord that comes up multiple times, but I looked at the time at 0:54 and noticed it then.

Final Dungeon - Deepest Thought: The energy dives low for this one and feels the darkest of all your tracks. Fitting for this point in the game that this would play!

Wi-Fi Settings: What a unique track to include, especially since wii-fi wasn’t a thing during this era. Great inclusion to round out a really awesome OST!

Overall: You know your style and you always deliver. This was a fun OST to listen to and imagine some of the modern JRPG types of games on a SNES system. Well done and thank you for sharing!

Developer

I'm glad that one of the tracks reminded you of Fire Emblem! I love that series and its music has inspired me to pick up composing in the first place, so your comment made my day!

I agree with the boss battle theme lacking a bit momentum, and chord movement was a thing I was being careful with the other tracks but ended up not revisiting for the boss theme. It would help improve the track, along with adding more rhythm to it.

Ok so Wi-Fi Settings is a bit of a joke track, I was just feeling nostalgic for the times where some UI menus had its track of its own. Let's just say that this is a uuuh very late SNES-era game with some internet features.

Thank you so much for your comprehensive feedback!

Submitted(+1)

You're really good at writing catchy melodies. All of these tracks are written really well and stay faithful to the SNES style. That battle theme is pretty sick as well. Also bonus points for using UltraBox :D

Developer

Thank you very much!

Submitted(+1)

Really catchy works, love how accurate you emulated the old RPG style, you treated the instruments with delicate decisions and great vol automation to build and fall.  I'm really impressed by your drum programming too, feels really solid.

Developer

Thanks! I don't usually focus too much on mixing so I'm glad for your feedback!

Submitted(+1)

Amazing tracks! Very catchy and fun to listen to, especially the battle tracks

Viewing comments 24 to 5 of 24 · Next page · Last page