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The Cold Realm Within's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Composition | #55 | 4.082 | 4.082 |
| Quality | #64 | 4.082 | 4.082 |
| Overall | #88 | 3.871 | 3.871 |
| Correlation to theme | #138 | 3.847 | 3.847 |
| Impression | #151 | 3.694 | 3.694 |
| Creativity | #220 | 3.647 | 3.647 |
Ranked from 85 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
This is an OST for an imaginary adventure game called The Cold Realm Within, created for OSTCompJam #7! Cover art is a public domain image (Zes kerkuilen slapend op besneeuwde takken [1939] by Theo van Hoytema).
The game is a single player adventure game that takes place on a frigid mountain. The main character (you) finds themselves alone in an abandoned village. High upon the peak of the nearby mountain, they see a light emanating from what appears to be some sort of shrine. Staying in the village surely means death through starvation or freezing, so they begin their ascent to the mountain's summit. Along the way, they are descended upon by shadowy creatures that strangely feel all too familiar.
Upon reaching the summit, they encounter an idealized, almost god-like imitation of themselves. The being taunts them, mocks them, and challenges them to stand against it. When defeated, the being is absorbed by the main character, and we learn that the shades were insecurities and manifestations of feelings of failure and unworthiness in the mind of the main character, and the god-like being was the reality of who the MC is - a fine creature only antagonistic to itself. The landscape we trekked through to arrive to this conclusion was nothing more than a representation of our own inner mind - barren of warmth and comfort for oneself.
Track list:
1. The Cold Realm Within (Main Menu)
2. Alone (Introduction to the world)
3. Snow Buried Village (Village Theme)
4. Footprints in the Drifts (Starting the Ascent)
5. Shades on the Trail (Combat Encounter)
6. Failure (Game Over)
7. To Claim Oneself (Boss Fight)
8. End of Self Discovery (Ending/Credits)
Composed in FL Studio 21!
Message from the artist
This was so much fun! Thank you for doing this!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
The entirety of the game takes place in the inner world of the protagonist, though they don't realize it until defeating and absorbing the boss. They realize how cold they are to themselves, how their insecurities and fears manifest as dangerous beings hell-bent on attacking them, and how they have an idealized version of how they think they should be, but even then, that version only speaks negatively to itself.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/circles-in-the-sky/sets/the-cold-realm-within
Number of tracks8
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Love the concept and the obvious icy types of sounds. Very well written! I really like the Snow Buried Village. It’s nice to see a good variety too.
Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D
The Cold Realm Within had me feeling the hopeful trepidation of a journey ahead, while picturing a cold expanse ahead of me, and Alone had the reality of the journey undertaken start to creep in. Still hopeful, but tapered. This feels treacherous and there's more to come.
The shakers in Footprints in the Drift had me feeling the snow crunching underfoot. The Organs kicking in in To Claim Oneself were wonderful. Really enjoyed the return to mallets for the final track. Nailed the feeling of overcoming adversity and the end of a journey.
Really enjoyed the whole entry, and I feel positively chilly even though it's been roasting hot here for a week or so :)
Wow, thank you for the detailed response to my submission! The irony of it being a snow-themed entry is not lost on me - it's been extremely hot here as well lmao. Maybe I am missing some chilliness of the winter (which I never thought I would say)
Great orchestration! My favorite track was Shades on the Trail (Combat Encounter) with its high energy. This soundtrack was a solid showing! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank YOU for listening and commenting my friend! I'll be checking yours out shortly!
I have seen a couple of approaches towards the theme that are about the main character's inner feelings, and it's always interesting to see what everyone focuses on. I love the setting you put yourself in, with the snowy mountain and the shadowy figure comparing to one's negative feelings about oneself. Your project was directed by that idea and it shows. My favorites are Shades on the Trail and To Claim Oneself; there's action and pacing, that serve as a great climax for the progression the rest of the collection works up. The instrument picking on all tracks was great, the overall atmosphere is snowy. Thoroughly enjoyed my stay!
Wow thank you so much for the kind words! I appreciate your visit :D
Wow...it's so beautiful and well crafted, I listened to the entire thing like 3 times! The overall sound, rhythms, and interplay between the various parts is super well done and polished, it's a joy to listen to. I think for the tense tracks like 'Shades on the Trail' and 'To Claim Oneself', you could play around with even more sub-rhythms within the overarching rhythmic structure to build up even more tension and drama. That said, I really loved this OST, amazing job!
Thanks so much for the feedback! I completely agree with your comment about the subrhythms in those two songs! Especially Shades. That was the last one I made before submitting and passing out, and there's honestly a lot I would change about it haha.
I appreciate the constructive criticism!!
hey, as I promised you I listened to the soundtrack! I have to say that we might have very similar tastes, it's the type of compositions I love!
I like the alternation between pizzicato and happier toned songs with songs in which the harp underlines more sadness.
Furthermore, most of the music seems perfectly designed for a video game. I imagine the scenes you described in the story just with the music, which in an exploratory game phase can be a pleasant background without boring in the long run! nice work😉
Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm glad to have found a kindred musical spirit! :D
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Good luck in the rest of the jam!
The music fits the lore very well, I really enjoyed the orchestral style. My favorite track is "To Claim Oneself" because of how epic it is.
Hey thanks a lot for checking out my submission! I'm glad there was something you enjoyed!!
You nailed it! I think it even started snowing in my room! Great use of instrumentation to help reinforce the theme!
Thank you so much man, your submission hit it perfectly as well! I'll be there shortly to help you clean up lmao
This is so good! Each song has their own character and feel, yet still feels intergral and connected to the overall theme and vibe. Wonderful orchestration and phrasing, I loved it!
Wow thank you so much for the feedback! I'm listening to yours now! :D
this is much better than you gave yourself credit for lol, if this is what you pulled off in only a small portion of the jam's runtime i'd certainly be amazed by what you'd do with the full 9 days... great work.
Coming from you that means a lot man, thank you so much! Looking forward to seeing what you pull off in the next one :D
what a great colletion of music, really love many of them specially Footprints in the Drifts x3 amazing work man x3
Thank you so much for checking it out and for the kind words, my friend!
So goddamn good, I'm amazed by everything that I'm hearing. You did an incredible job with the orchestration, the theme is amazingly represented, love the OST. Thank you so much for your submission, will learn a lot from your work for sure!
Holy shit, thank you so much! That may be one of the most kind things anyone's ever said about my work, I really appreciate it!!
Well deserved, hope to reach that level some day!
Some absolutely fantastic orchestration here! You’ve done an amazing job creating a sonic soundscape for your theme and story! Amazing work!
Wow, thank you so much my friend! I'll be checking out your submission in between busy times at work today :D
Love your work on "the cold realm within" ! I visualize a lot the game and the universe of it !
Thank you so much!
I won't forget you tried to make me cry with Whispers of the Night though ;D
Yeah that was my goal xD
Yo, love the pieces! And thanks for checking out my project as well!
Thanks a lot man! Your submission was fantastic as well, thanks for the reciprocation!
Bro cooked with gas 🗣️🔥💢
Hahaha thanks so much my friend!
Such a clean mix in the more complex tracks! I can tell you love the harp :)
Hahaha you got me! Thanks for the kind words my friend!
Lovely orchestral piece, very well mixed To Claim Oneself is amazing, I wish the choir would go even harder and be more Epic, very well done !
Thanks so much for the feedback! I thought about using Olympus Choir for that track instead of the VSL choir I have, but I was running dangerously low on time before I passed out the night before submissions were due lol.
I may just go ahead and swap out those choirs once the jam wraps up!
Great orchestration! Each track is unique and plays to its strengths accordingly. I like the mix of styles throughout - whimsical Snow Buried Village, pensive and slow evolving Alone and the regal, foreboding To Claim Oneself. The two stand-out tracks for me are Footprints in the Drifts and Shades on the Trail. Can't quite put my finger on it, I just feel as though they're the frontrunners of the album. All in all a great mix, good work!
Hey thank you so much for the feedback and breakdown! I really appreciate you giving it a listen :D
Very soothing and expert orchestration!
Thank you so much!! That really means a lot to me!