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A jam submission

My Happy Place [OST Comp Jam #7]View project page

A little girl escapes to her happy place, and realizes she's her own hero.
Submitted by Biz (@bizzybee707) — 17 hours, 15 minutes before the deadline
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My Happy Place [OST Comp Jam #7]'s itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Correlation to theme#1973.7003.700
Creativity#2173.6503.650
Overall#3323.3703.370
Composition#4063.2003.200
Impression#4083.1503.150
Quality#4383.1503.150

Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Description
Listen to the full OST with visuals here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crIOwNTxb3s

Game Concept: Silhouette art-style, platformer / 2D story, childlike, horror. You play as a little girl who escapes reality into her happy place. She can fly away from her troubles, but reality threatens to pull her away. When reality threatens, storms brew and darkness creeps in from the screen edges, and figures of her parents are eaten by monsters that chase her. A savior occasionally helps her, but is always just out of reach, and she chases them. At the end of the game, she finally catches up with her savior, and gets a good look at them. It's an older version of herself. They hold hands and credits roll.

To me this game represents trauma, dissociation, the childlike desire to be saved by a knight or hero from your terrible life, and the growth/healing in being the person you always needed, and realizing how strong you were in surviving and saving yourself in the only ways you could.

My Happy Place [Title Instrumental] - The Main Menu / Main Theme
The Princess and the Dragon - Basic level theme, early in the game, on treetops
The Hero in the Clouds - Final level, on clouds, between a peaceful sunny day and a storm, chasing the hero
My Happy Place [Credits Vocals] - Plays as the credits roll, with some pretty imagery

Music was created in Logic Pro X, with original composition, and some creative commons/loop SFX. Vocals performed and recorded by me.

Message from the artist
This project is very personal to me, and I really appreciate you taking the time to listen.

Theme

Inside my world
Picture theme

How does it fit the theme?
A little girl escapes to her happy place, a fantastical world of her own.

Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/elizabeth-biz-diedrick/sets/my-happy-place

Number of tracks
4

Genre

Orchestral
Electronic
Ambient
Experimental

Soundtrack use permission

Yes (CC BY)

Any project

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

Hey, this ambient... Cheerful? It's sometimes intense, sometimes scary and sometimes hilarious)

I like the use of vocals!

Submitted(+1)

Some really solid concepts in here. These pieces are well thought out and developed - kudos! 

My Happy Place is orchestrated really well, great job on arranging this. Nice use of articulations throughout and it is layered well. The interlude in the middle makes for a nice palate cleanser before moving onto the next section, and it has a nice choice of voicing here, making it stand out all the more.

The Princess and the Dragon is a nice departure from the full orchestra, opting for a lower string drone and some playful, whimsical kind of synth line. It does have some interesting SFX that feature prominently throughout that put a spin on the mood and turn that whimsy on its head, changing the mood of the track.

The Hero in the Clouds is interesting - a slow burn of some nice string lines contrasted by some SFX that crescendo into a storm and, again, change the mood entirely. The storm passes and we're treated to a rather ambiguous wind melody. I can't quite figure out how I'm supposed to feel here, and I think I like that - striking the balance with ambiguity is difficult to do and I think it is done well here.

Finally, My Happy Place, is more of a return to form to the first track with some really interesting vocals - the introduction of them makes me think of an airport terminal with how filtered they are, but  they come more into fruition and clearer in the mix after. These are well done - fitting comfortably in the mix and they sound great! Accompaniment below is nicely done and complements the vocals nicely. 

Solid submission - these were a fun listen and well arranged & orchestrated throughout. Nicely done, best of luck!

Developer

Thank you so much for the thorough commentary! I have a big smile.  I really appreciate it, and good luck to you as well. <3

Submitted(+1)

As I've promised, here I am!

Some really nice tracks paired with a really interesting story! Much like how others have already stated, I really liked the shift in "The Princess and the Dragon." I was originally planning on making my game horror as well, so seeing someone else actually go through with it and make a horror themed OST is really cool! You did a good job transitioning the tracks into their horror elements and I especially love the motif usage throughout the different tracks! I also appreciate the song at the end. I don't see that many submissions that have songs, so it's a nice breath of fresh air!

Overall just some great tracks to go with a nice story! The sound design is also pretty good and the motif that plays throughout the tracks makes them feel more connected, which is a nice addition. Great job!

That's all I have to say really, have a happy day!

Developer

Indeed, thank you! I really enjoy adding sound design / sfx elements to music to really relate it back to its purpose/context, and it has made me really happy to see a few people commenting on it. Funny enough, I usually only really consume horror games/media through secondhand experiences like play-throughs, but I really love composing for that genre, there's something so simple yet expressive about it. Probably also has to do with my value in music making the listener feel something.

Have a happy day yourself. :)

Submitted (2 edits) (+1)

The Princess and the Dragon shift was insane!!! Wow the whole OST was superb, but that moment takes the cake!!

I forgot to mention the sound design is insanely immersive! Just an amazing job overall! I will follow you on Soundcloud, I definitely want more! And thank you for the final vocal track, that was lovely!!

Developer(+1)

Aww, thank you so much!! What a lovely comment, I'm not even sure what to say. Thank you thank you. <3

Submitted(+1)

It was my pleasure really! Such a great job :)

Submitted(+1)

HORROR♥

The Princess and the Dragon...That mood change in the middle...  I was wondering when the horrific part will going to start in the OST and wow... there we go! simple AMAZING!

Love en enjoyed your whole OST, very well crafted!

Awesome job!!

Developer

Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the kind comment. <3

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)

The sound effects overpower the music a little. But the music itself is quite interesting, although it needs a bit of variation. Overall, good work!

Developer

Thank you! I definitely need to work more on volume and balancing in general, I appreciate the feedback.

Submitted(+1)

The dramatic shifts in tone midway through some of the tracks was really neat and the visuals were a nice way to convey it further.

The entire thing was really quiet so increasing the volume would be a good idea

also the vocals were quite nice though they were a bit rough around the edges in terms of audio quality but that's not exactly your fault.

Developer

I definitely struggle with monitoring the volume of tracks so that's something I'm going to focus on in the future, thank you! 

I used a blue snowball microphone which isn't top of the line, but gets the job done for my purposes at the moment. I really appreciate you commenting on the vocals, as that was particularly personal for me. Thanks again, have a great day. :)

Submitted(+1)

I like the development of Princess and the Dragon. Good job!

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

Overall, it's pretty good OST.  I like how each of the tracks don't sound the same, it feels like they are telling their own story.

Developer

Thank you!

Submitted(+1)

I love the vocals on My Happy Place it's very satisfying to listen to when paired with the instrumentals and definitely feels like what would be the internal monologues a child under trauma may be telling themselves to escape from reality.

As someone who experienced trauma as a young child I can safely say that this is such an emotional piece of art, not to mention the other tracks which are just as beautiful and fit the theme with such a impressive ambience such as the heavy breathing in The Princess and the Dragon along with a ton of other stuff I can't even get to.

Well done! :D

Developer

Thank you so much, I am so happy to hear that my submission meant something to you, that's all I could ever ask for. I created this from a place of personal experience, and I really appreciate you sharing that. Have a lovely day, you lovely person. <3

Submitted(+1)

Really enjoyed these! The vocals on My Happy Place fit really well with the track and pleasant atmospheres overall. Great work and good luck to you!

Developer

Thank you! :)

Submitted(+1)

I loved the composition and arrangement. Given more time, I think that a wider dynamic range would make this even more beautiful. You  really captured what it feels like to have an epic dreamlike adventure.

I especially love that heroic motif, the bird-like synths in The Princess and the Dragon, and the openness at the end of The Hero in The Clouds.

Developer

Thank you so much! I had a very busy week and I wish I could have put more work into it.  Your feedback is super appreciated and brings me a ton of joy. <3