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Inner Dive's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #58 | 4.068 | 4.068 |
| Impression | #112 | 3.797 | 3.797 |
| Overall | #117 | 3.814 | 3.814 |
| Quality | #118 | 3.898 | 3.898 |
| Composition | #166 | 3.746 | 3.746 |
| Creativity | #258 | 3.559 | 3.559 |
Ranked from 59 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Inner Dive is a Semi-Orchestral OST (8') made for a 2D Platformer akin to Celeste using Ableton Live.
The main character is a little girl who has the power to generate bubbles, which she uses to explore three different levels that are representations of her negative emotions, slowly diving into obscurity : the Clouds of Doubt, the Forest of Loneliness and the Ocean of Fear. She also has an imaginary friend she "invokes" by creating a human-shaped bubble.
The Soundtrack is meant to follow those three emotions/levels, as well as an additional Final Boss Fight theme, a Title Screen / Level Select track setting the tone and a Level Complete theme.
The set of instruments used is quite consistent through the game : the Djembe as a main percussion imitates the bubbles, and the duo of Cellos used throughout the whole OST is a reference to the girl and her imaginary friend. Overall, it's meant to present a dream-like sound, achieve by having lots of delays and reverbs. A subtle leitmotiv links the tracks together.
Message from the artist
Love <3 idk
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
Inside My World : The imaginary game is about exploring the psyche of a child, so the whole game is Inside Her World.
Picture : The girl is the main character, the bubbles being her power (and her imaginary friend). Both are represented by instruments in the OST. The image served as an inspiration for the Ocean of Fear track too.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/menuresound/sets/inner-dive?si=57c292a8ab594322a4404e3a1a7e0f57&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlJbI7tMsjk&list=PLGJzbAYHhcmFTgt1ejRjEvRUxvX97uVCC&index=1
Number of tracks6
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Really nice OST! I really like the percussion. My favorite track is Ocean of Fear I really enjoy the cello line at the beginning. Really great job!
Thank you so much !! <3
Nicely done! I think you nailed the Celeste vibes in Inner Dive (Title Screen), love that game! I really enjoyed Forest of Loneliness, it stands out to me the most with the light plucking and soft melody. I actually like the intro to Ocean of Fear a lot too, I think the quick cello lines are interesting and it builds suspense well. My one critique is the lead tones in the first two tracks are a tiny bit harsh, maybe they could use some adjustments to the attack parameter.
Good job, it was pleasant to listen to! Oh, and the last track was a nice little treat (and cool album art too!)
I have to admit mixing was not the priority for my OST unfortunately haha
Thank you a lot for all your compliments! It's really flattering me. :)
overall a very beautiful ost, really nice and cohesive thanks to the consistent instrumentation! a real gem to listen to!
the only suggestion i have is that oceans of fear kinda takes until about the 39 second mark to actually start sounding like fear - its not a bad song by any means, it just doesnt really set the mood as well as it could to start off with, imho. that sinister string duet paired with the chimes is really the key to the fearful atmosphere (and to ur credit, it does a good job of that), so try to establish that first and foremost instead of leaving it for later. (although maybe it was intentional, now that i think about it? idk)
apologies, im not that good at constructve criticism. i really do hope this is helpful in some way and im not just sounding like a jackass, because this is a very good submission!
(sorry, it duplicated this comment when i initially posted it for some reason. apologies for any confusion that may have caused)
I understand your criticism, actually that's why it's my least favorite in the soundtrack lol. I wanted something "not so scary" but yeah I probably could have had an intro thing that sets the tone better.
Thanks for the review!
Evocative and creative! Consider me a big fan
That's too sweet ! Thank you a lot !
Great job with this one! All the tracks really feel like they come from the same game, and they all succeed in capturing an overall somber, perhaps melancholy mood for the game. One suggestion would be to maybe add a little more variation in instruments between songs, so they don’t all sound too similar, but other than that, it’s a beautiful OST. Amazing work!
I agree on the variation part! There's a balance to find, I think I'm *almost* there with this but it's of course not perfect.
Thank you!
I love how consistent everything feels, instrumentally and in tone while also still capturing different emotions really well. Each track reflects what you're going for really well too. The leitmotif throughout is super cool as well!
Thanks for the kind words! <3
This is one of the most coherent soundtracks I have heard in this jam. Well composed, but restrained and quiet in its presentation. The curated instruments are beautiful together, though I do think the tracks feel a little too similar overall, and I wish it went in some more different directions both compositionally and with regards to production, as I'm confident you could have maintained that central cohesion so integral to the OST. Overall a great submission, and definitely fits the vision you were aiming for.
I definitely agree, I realized it while listening to other submissions and I could definitely have added more changes in tone. I got the main point across but then it lacked the rules breaking.
Thanks a lot!
Wow, this is an awesome submission. You definitely nailed that dream-like sound you were going for. Every track is really catchy while still maintaining a certain subtleness to it. Your chord writing is also lovely. Great soundtrack!
Thank you so much!
I really loved the percussion you used it felt so tribal and cool!
Thanks ! Glad you liked it :D
Great use of both the instruments and the percussion throughout, feels very consistent and coherent without ever feeling too samey.
I really like the way you use a lot of restrained short motifs that are often just a little burst of a note or two to contrast with the more long and flowing melodies, they play off of each other really nicely.
A beautiful calming vibe throughout even when it feels quite sinister as it does on Forest Of Loneliness (which was a favourite), or tense as on Ocean Of Fear (another favourite) or My Greatest Fear.
Great work!
The balance between coherence and diversity is really something I wanted to have just right, so I'm glad you noticed it!
Thank you very much for the kind words! <3
It's really hard for me to pick a favourite track cos all of your tracks are so catchy!! I think you did a great job at portraying the dreamy aspect of the game, and I especially adore how you use the percussion to create the bubble imagery. Incredible work! Easily one of my favourite submissions.
You're too sweet! Thank you so much, I'm probably blushing right now.
Beautiful instrumentation! And very solid submission as a whole! Loving the bongo and shaker/tambourine in the pieces. Great job!
Thank you very much! :D
Each track had a clear meaning to the story you were telling and didn't feel out of place. I liked the way you used percussion and rhythm in these tracks and how they added character and movement. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the kind words ! :D
i loved the chords here, they were beautiful! great soundtrack!
Thanks! :D
Love the story telling in each of the tracks! Very simple instrument choices that work really well with eachother, especially that LP'd bongo/conga/thing you hit. Love how you kept using it in each of the tracks, really made it a cohesive listen that seamlessly transitions (even in soundcloud). Also, can't have an OST without a level complete track! Great work.
I love it, I can't put my finger on it but it sound like "tiny" orchestral, in a good way ! Listening to the track really made me feel like I was the little girl.
I see what you mean, I actually take a lot of inspiration from chamber music in my composing! And it's exacty this, "tiny orchestras" with usually just a modest strings section, some woodwinds, a single percussion and a harpsichord (which I replaced here by a piano but which I use a lot usually). Thank you for the kind words <3
Hi there ! Your submission is awesome, I absolutely love the OST of Celeste and I see that you imagined a 2D platformer with some emphasis on storytelling. Your music does great justice with what you imagined I think, the overall ambience was great!
(Loved the title inner dive too)
Favorite track was the boss theme ! Thank you for your submission :)
Thank you a lot! Those are such kind compliments <3
I don't even know if the title makes perfect sense in english but I thought it sounds well haha
Don't know either, but I understand the idea behind the title so that's worth it !
Inner Dive: Loving that subtle percussion. Love the add9 chord at the beginning.
Clouds of Doubt: That add9 motif returns! Floaty track.
Forest of Loneliness: Opening with the i-V for some darkness. The sparse textures add to the loneliness feel.
Ocean of Fear: Love the idea of using bells. Dark track with some cool chord choices.
My Greatest Fear: The percussion here adds a sense of urgency. Another dark track.
Deep Breath: Nice level complete jingle to round out the OST.
Great work!
I didn't even pay attention to the fact that the add9 chords linked the first two tracks together. Happy accidents happen! Otherwise, that was all intended so I'm glad you noticed :D
Thanks a lot for the thorough commentary! <3
The piano/drum ostinato in the title screen track is beautiful - it really glues the whole composition together! I’m really into the drums being filtered so aggressively, really lends to the ‘underwater vibe’ you’re going for! Love what you did with the cello and piano on Ocean of Fear! Very solid soundtrack - well done!
Yeah I think the filter on the Djembe is really what gives it this "bubbly" sound and I'm happy it works. Thank you very much! :D
Very calm and relaxing! Maybe the two cellos in "Clouds of doubts" could be even more in front of the other instruments as they are representing the main characters!
I agree actually, I think I planned on raising the cellos a bit last minute but completely forgot and I didn't notice it anymore. Happens haha
Thanks a lot <3