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A jam submission

Queen Bubblene Blast!View project page

She's A Mean One
Submitted by Jofes (@jofes123456) — 2 days, 21 hours before the deadline
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Queen Bubblene Blast!'s itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Correlation to theme#414.1494.149
Creativity#703.9863.986
Overall#1513.7343.734
Composition#2553.5273.527
Impression#2583.4663.466
Quality#2793.5413.541

Ranked from 148 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Judge feedback

Judge feedback is anonymous.

  • What a delightful musical journey! I smiled instantly upon listening. This has a wonderfully playful tone that I found immediately charming. I really like how you’ve set up a clear set of ideas and stuck to them across a variety of different tracks— it can be so easy to allow the music to become unfocused, but I always felt like I was in good hands. It is often very difficult to achieve a sense of *variety* while still holding the entire thing together in a *coherent* way, but I definitely think you’ve achieved it here. I love the bassoon (I think that’s what it is?) in “So You’ve Been Turned Into a Bubble” (also: *killer* track name here!). Your instrumental choices really help you out, and I appreciate that you stuck to the sonic palette you set up in the menu theme. Over the course of tracks for so many different situations it can be easy to “wander”, but you stay disciplined and “on-message”, tonally, for the whole thing— this really helps hold the whole thing together! I would encourage you to write actual endings to your tracks (rather than just relying on a fade out) as this gives you one more option in implementation (you can always fade something out if you want to, but you can’t insert an ending that doesn’t exist). Overall, the word I’d use to describe my feelings here is “delight”— just a really fun, skillfully-executed set of tracks that set a clear musical goal and then achieve it brilliantly. Very, very nice work!

Description
The total length of all the music is 11:08

The style of game I imagined is a precision based fast paced 2d platformer where you die it one hit and have to restart from the start of the stage. you are a bubble so the jumps have a slow fall time allowing for really long stretches of time away from the ground
There would be 8 stages and a boss at the end kind of like a Megaman game in structure
The levels would be kind of like geometry dash but with more freedom of movement but with a constant death wall from behind so you always have to stay on the move.

The tracks in order represent a different part of the game each

Queen bubblene Blast! - Title screen music
So you've been turned into a bubble - Theme of Queen Bubblene
The H2Zone - Town/stage select theme
Nonstopped Unpopped - Level theme
Taking in some air - Pause menu theme
Octo-Popper Supreme - Final Boss Theme
Surfacing - Credits theme

I wanted to compose each track to be fun and easy to lise yourself in. I didn't want listeners to get bored so each song is only as long as necessary since I wanted to make sure people would remain engaged and have good impressions of each song.

many of the songs have intros to really set a mood for each track

I also included a leitmotif in almost every single the a series of 8 notes that goes - High Mid Low High Mid Low Mid Low - with varying tones, distances, and feelings.

I used FL studio to compose and generally started with the bassline and percussion since they were the most important part of the vibe I wanted.

Message from the artist
I'm sorry about the novel I wrote below I just had so many ideas about my music I wanted to share and I didn't want to leave anything out.

I HIGHLY RECCOMEND WATCHING THE YOUTUBE VIDEO as it has animation as well as a lot of worldbuilding for the game I made up in my head that is fun to read.

I will also describe some story elements in the "how does it fit the theme" section as well as explanations for a lot of my musical decisions.

Please enjoy!

Theme

Inside my world
Picture theme

How does it fit the theme?
My interpretation of the theme Gameplay and story wise is that the player character is the bubble seen in the picture and the little girl is the one that brought you into "her" world. As such, I thought it would be a fun twist to make her the villain of the game.

Her name is Queen Bubblene and she is the ruler of this little underwater kingdom. Using her magical bubble wand, She turns lots of people into bubbles for her own amusement since seeing them get popped and die is cathartic since humans keep fishing up all her loyal tax-paying subjects. (the fish)

She of course doesn't just instantly pop the people she brings her though, she makes them go through rigorous stages filled with her fishy minions so she can watch you struggle.

There are 8 stages to get through before she decides to stop the playing and get serious. If the player manages to beat all the stages it is revealed that the pathways leading out of the city to each stage was actually the tentacle of a huge octopus that Queen Bubblene takes control of for the final battle in which she uses all 8 tentacles in a background-foreground boss fight scenario.
The player needs to destroy each tentacle 1 at a time in order to beat the boss.

once defeated you use the Queen's bubble wand to return to the surface and unbubble yourself.


My interpretation of the theme in the music is as follows, First generally, and then each song individually.

The main thing I did to emphasize the "Inside my world" theme was to not use ANY traditional percussion. No snare drum, No bass drum or kick, and no cymbals of any kind.
The only percussion used are things like cowbells, tambourines, cabasas, guiros, claves, Vibraslaps and etc.
I did this to make it seem a bit more alien and a bit more like unfamiliar territory to really drive home the feeling that this isn't your own world anymore.
Most if not all of the instruments have a filter on to sound a tad muffled since everything is taking place underwater and a lot of the instruments I used have connotations to being underwater.
The xylophone and marimba both made of wood already give an underwater vibe especially the marimba with its deep timbre.
The harp is reminiscent of Banjo-Kazooie with how that game uses a harp solo for underwater sections.
The steel drum is heavily associated with the beach and the ocean in general.
The bass has a deep timbre like the marimba and the tubas are also a very muffly but also regal instrument so they fit the underwater vibe as well as the royalty of the villain Queen Bubblene
The high strings give a lot of the songs a great ambience
The bassoon is another low timbre and muffly instrument to provide something a bit more ear catching than the tubas for variety
and the high horns for one song are there muffled to be a climactic new instrument for the climactic finishing part of the game.
now for each song individually

Queen Bubblene Blast! - I wanted a strong and captivating opening song to grab and hold peoples attention and the first verse after the intro prominently uses the leitmotif of the game.

So you've been turned into a bubble - This was the first track I made and it represents Queen Bubblene herself. I wanted it to be royal and naughty at the same time hence the heavy use of tubas and bassoon

The H2Zone - I wanted the town theme to be simple and catchy. bouncy enough to get stuck in your head and simple enough that it feels like a town theme.

Nonstopped Unpopped - I wanted it to be fast but not too fast since it's not meant to be a super speedy game its more like a precision platformer that forces you to not take your time that much.

Taking in some air - Since this is the pause menu theme I wanted it to be simple and short. The bass and strings are the only instruments besides the percussion. and the percussion is meant to sort of mimic menu noises which is why they sort of take the melody.

Octo-Popper Supreme - This song starts at 100 BPM and ramps up to 188 BPM since it is an octopus so I thought that would be a fun use of the tempo to further tie everything together. The song stays at 188 BPM for the remainder but it is played as though it is in half time so it doesn't actually feel that fast since the boss fight plays more like a waiting game of dodging the many attacks of Queen Bubblene before you get a turn to strike so having a to fast paced song would not be as fitting. It is the only song to have the horns since they are regal like the tubas but a lot more leading which fits a final battle as Jazzy as this one.
The rising intro is there as the scene where the boss reveals itself and then does a big scream before commencing the gameplay.

Surfacing - It starts with the leitmotif as a nice sendoff to the game. the harps play upward chords representing your ascent back to the human world. the song is also quite short since the credits would be rather short too for this small little game that I made up.

If you read all of this then thank you! I put a lot of work into making this as good as I possibly could and it means a lot to me that people care about why I made my music the way I did.

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
LINKS

YOUTUBE:

FULL OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSxOonm2tT0


Queen Bubblene Blast! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZC6signojA

So You've Been Turned Into A Bubble - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo5jz7JjfoE

The H2Zone - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaCi1rxrIHg

Nonstopped Unpopped - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXKACnKocDQ

Taking In Some Air - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mm6wrjzsOc

Octo-Popper Supreme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMx-A2RMiJQ

Surfacing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMw7_ZeuN9Y


SOUNDCLOUD:

Queen Bubblene Blast! - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/queen-bubblene-blast

So You've Been Turned Into A Bubble - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/so-youve-been-turned-into-a-bubble

The H2Zone - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/the-h2zone

Nonstopped Unpopped - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/nonstopped-unpopped

Taking In Some Air - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/taking-in-some-air

Octo-Popper Supreme - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/octo-popper-supreme

Surfacing - https://soundcloud.com/joseph-black-16953843/surfacing

Number of tracks
7

Genre

Orchestral

Soundtrack use permission

Yes (CC BY)

Any project

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Comments

Viewing comments 84 to 65 of 104 · Next page · Previous page · First page · Last page
Submitted(+1)

 visuals and sounds are very FiRe! 🌵 keep it up!

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

I really enjoyed listening to your pieces, you have created such an immersive world! 

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

There's some great stuff here! I like a lot of the themes and stylistic choices! Beach themes have a lot of potential for both slow paced themes, and waverace JDnB fast themes. You have a good sense of diversity when it comes to the reason for a song, whether for narrative purposes, or a simple pause menu. Really good!

I also took a look at your video, and your channel! You've got some good stuff going already! I'm subbed!

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much! 

I really appreciate you looking at my channel! I have so much music I want to make so I hope you will enjoy!

Submitted(+1)

I really liked this OST! and this images in the youtube video of ur OST, amazing work

Developer(+1)

Thank You So Much!

Submitted(+1)

I think Taking In Some Air is my favorite, but I'm a sucker for down-tempo atmospheric stuff. My second favorite is Nonstopped Unpopped for the opposite reason haha. 

Nailed the vibe, great job!

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

I loved your YouTube video going through the entire story in context with the music! This is a very cohesive OST and your choice of sounds as well as your great mix really make this one shine.

The H2Zone is the highlight for me! It's like Spyro meets some Final Fantasy, and I can't really explain why lol. 

Very nice work my friend!

Developer(+1)

Thank you! I appreciate the compliments!

Submitted(+1)

Love how chirpy and energetic this music is, it's a lot of fun! Several of the tunes like "So you've been turned into a bubble" and "Octo-Popper Supreme" are really cute and also kinda creepy too - excellent stuff!

Developer

Thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

I really enjoyed the experience!! your soundtrack puts me into the world you created very well, also my respects on creating the animations to drive the story on Youtube.

Nice job!!

Developer

Thanks a ton!

Submitted(+1)

Very upbeat and lighthearted soundtrack. Really liked the combination of bassoon and steel drum as the main instruments in most of your pieces. All in all nice work.

Quick tip fore anybody whatching afterwards, watch the YouTube. You get some additional fitting animations and an additional cute storytelling of the scene you are listening to.

Developer

thank you!

I second this tip! The YouTube video was a ton of fun to make and I hope is also a ton of fun to watch!

Submitted(+1)

Hey I recognize this person!

1) Haha that vibraslap xD, although I would put the volume a tad bit lower myself. That jazz-piano (or whatever it is) starting at 0:25 sounds really water-y.
2) Haha, love the bubble sounds at the start. How did you make those? Also love the 3/4 time signature. That "muffled" filter really works like crazy! Those cabasas, the reverb, and the fading in-and-out strings also make it sound perfectly underwater.
3) Simple and fun. Works perfectly for a town theme. I like the steel drum in the second part - I've fallen in love with that instrument as of recent.
4) Would fit well for a platforming section. As you say it: fast but not too fast. It ain't boss-level energy, but fits well for a platforming section. Love the tremolo-marimba at 1:02, and the melody at 1:10 is also great.
5) Would fit fine for a pause theme. I have never been good at pause themes, but this works great!
6) Love the speed-up! I see how you intended it to be a bit slow actually, contrasting the speedy start, though I was really hoping for a banger of a battle theme.. :'). Still, great song!
7) Ahh... peaceful. A nice one to finish off with. The harp also fits well.

I like that you went for many songs, but with many of them being on the short side. That is perfect! It is exactly how I want all entries to be: it would take me ±10 minutes to rate, not much more like with some other entries, and I can still hear a good variety of songs covering wide aspects of the game.

Also, I am definitely going to use this as inspiration for my own underwater music - I've been lacking in that regard and you seem to have the keys to success! Really, I love this :D

Oh, I still have to watch your animations! I always download the songs and listen them from my iTunes. I'll watch it soon :)

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much!

Would you believe me if I said the vibraslap used to be louder. Also it is just a harp playing in that first song not a jazz piano. I used harp for the underwater feel since a harp solo is used for underwater music in Banjo Kazooie which is my inspiration.

The bubble sounds I believe were from the Banjo Kazooie soundfont

Thank you for enjoying it! I hope you enjoy the animations too they were a lot of fun to make!

Submitted

I had completely forgotten, but I promised to watch that video! It is really entertaining, especially with the text and images along with it! I loved the Tune-a Fishes and the fact that they will keep the angry Bubblene as their queen... after rehabilitation! And the songs are also still really good. I can as of recently use the cool features of Musescore4, which includes a low-pass filter I can use to mimic that "muffled" water-sound you are going for. Cool stuff :D

Submitted(+1)

The amount of effort that went into this is very noticeable, and I think that's so cool! You built a whole world just for this jam, with a solid story, really cute visuals, cheeky text explaining lore, and a very consistent and well put together aesthetic. Fantastic!

The music here is all really nice and fitting. I like the choices you made with instrumentation, and how you correlated each instrument to the overall theme of your submission. The melodies are pretty nice, and everything sounds good. Nice!

The only "criticism" I'd give is that the level and boss themes feel a little too laid back. I think making them both a bit more busy, and emphasizing the tempo would've got their context across more clearly.

Big shoutout to the text on the youtube video, it's incredibly cute and quirky, and I liked it a lot.

Great job!

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much for the feedback!

The tempo specifically for the boss theme I made 188BPM as a reference to it being an octopus but I also wanted the boss fight to be a sort of rhythm game back and forth style fight. Because of that, I basically made it in half time so the BPM feels like 94 which I believe is slower than all the other tracks. 

I definitely understand the criticism though and I even had feelings like that myself about the boss theme but I liked it too much to want to change it. I thought it gave it a lowkey danger vibe but I agree a faster paces action song could have been just as or even more fitting.

Also thanks for enjoying the text on the video I had a lot of fun with that!

Submitted(+1)

Wow I really enjoyed it! It's like I'm adventuring in the ocean. Really nice!

Developer(+1)

Thanks!

Submitted(+1)

Fun tunes! You put so much work into this, I like that chord progression in the first track, it has a little twist that piques my interest.

Developer

thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

I really like how well thought out this OST is for the game you envisioned (and made animations for!). It feels very complete and fleshed out!

Developer(+1)

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Love how fresh and whimsical your music sounds, you did an amazing job! Also the animations are such a nice detail :)

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

the funky silly nature of these, in addition to the percussion used, really reminds me of some of stardew valley's day themes which i love!! i love seeing people who also put a bunch of thought into the concept work behind their imagined games and respective OSTs. great, unified vision that rly shines through in the ost

Developer

thank you so much!

Stardew valley is one of my top 3 favorite games and I also was reminded of it myself specifically with the way some of the xylophone hits sound in the first track!

Submitted(+1)

I see you are a fellow rambler like me :D *high five* I adore how much thought you put into your game concept and even the cute animations in the videos :3 I wish I had the time to have done the same, but then I probably would have ended up rambling about everything even more than you did because once I get started talking about this sort of thing, I can’t stop xD I enjoyed reading all of your in-depth explanations about your process though!

The whole OST is catchy & cute, but I especially like ‘So you’ve been turned into a bubble’ because I can really feel your ideas of Queen Bubblene being a mischievous and crooked character, haha. As you say, it does sound royal and naughty!

I do also really like 'Taking in some air' as well though! It is so perfect for a pause menu and a nice change of pace from the other tracks :3

Developer(+1)

Thank you so much for reading my ramblings (:
I had a lot of fun making all the ideas I had into a reality!

Submitted(+1)

Very quirky soundtrack! Each theme was a delight to listen to, and I especially loved the "H2Zone". Great job creating a unique OST!

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

It delights me how much thought and care you've put into this. Reading your description at the bottom really helped me connect with each piece all the more - a level of composition I deeply respect and aspire to one day exhibit myself. 'Queen Bubblene Blast!' is probably my favourite. Using non-traditional percussion really gives it all a very tropical feel, which actually reminds me of the Destiny Island theme from Kingdom Hearts. Thanks so much for making and sharing this! Not in a position to watch the animation, but will do so once I'm home!

Developer

thank you so much!

I am so glad that my story could help you connect with the music more!

Submitted(+1)

The OST video was awesome lol. Helped a lot with contextualizing!

Reminds me a bit of the Toontown soundtrack so you get some nostalgia points from me there. Everything, from the composition to the instrumentation, felt cohesive with itself as an OST and to the story. My only suggestion is to have some more driving percussion in "Octo-Popper Supreme" to make it even more final boss like. Great work!

Developer

Thank you for listening and for the feedback!

Viewing comments 84 to 65 of 104 · Next page · Previous page · First page · Last page