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Over My Head's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #47 | 4.108 | 4.108 |
| Overall | #200 | 3.632 | 3.632 |
| Quality | #232 | 3.622 | 3.622 |
| Creativity | #243 | 3.595 | 3.595 |
| Impression | #248 | 3.486 | 3.486 |
| Composition | #341 | 3.351 | 3.351 |
Ranked from 37 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Over My Head, my finished entry for the 7th OST Composing Jam.
The story starts with a beautiful, wonderous beginning. The first track portrays a world that exists in our main character's mind throughout the day. While sunlight is out, their head is kept safe and distracted by the busy activities of the working world.
Then, the second track, A Glorious Gone, describes the change. The seam between busy and "free." The transition between day and night. As our character watches the day slowly come to an end, they dread what they are soon to face. They've been here before, and they're not sure if they can beat the night terrors again.
Newfound Power, the third track of this project, resembles a reflective state our main character has entered. As the night grows stronger, they reflect on everything around them and everything they've lived for. This meditative period is the character's method for battling the dark. A method for battling themselves.
The final track, Newfound Malice, describes a turn in events the main character is all too familiar with. Negative energy will always reap through their attempts of tranquility, and soon they find their efforts to fight this mind pointless. However, they never do fully give in, continuing to fight their harsh thoughts, all though often finding themselves over their head. The battle continues throughout the entire night, with the evil nearly consuming our character, leading them to almost do something they might regret.
However, this story does not have a linear ending. Instead, it ends with you, the player and listener.
What do you think happened to that poor soul?
Will you let the dark consume you?
Will you let the malice win?
Over My Head would be a philosophical adventure game with elements of day to day life worked into it. The game would play similar to others like Before Your Eyes (minus the blinking of course), with excerpts of life sprinkled into the game.
Message from the artist
This was my first jam so i'm really upset that i didn't get to work on it as much as i would've liked to due to a hurricane taking out our power for a week but nonetheless here's my project! i entered this jam with the goal of improving my music through the help of others so i'm really looking for some feedback. good luck to everyone else that entered!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
People can struggle living "inside their world." My soundtrack follows someone who is battling a spawn of depression that lives with them inside of their own world, fighting for every new day.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYTlor5AFKc
Number of tracks4
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any non-commercial project
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Comments
Is the piano true? very nice! The ambient textures in the background are also beautiful, as is the guitar which recalls the ambient world. it's a nostalgic but very impactful entry!
I don't have the knowledge or experience to give helpful feedback like you mentioned hoping to get x3 I'm a noob who knows nothing about the technical side of things, so I can't comment on those aspects, but what I can comment on is feeling, haha.
The whole OST does a brilliant job of representing the narrative you described for the game! And as someone who has suffered with severe anxiety & depression for most of my life, some of the tracks certainly resonate with me :3
A Glorious Gone, in particular, because it reflects how I feel when it seems like I've lost the ability to even be myself >.< When I listen, it makes me imagine a physical representation that mirrors my state of mind, like a ghost haunting its own home.
And then Newfound Power also feels like an accurate reflection of how I feel when I start to gather parts of myself again. It's soft and fragile but also carries a sense of purpose & quiet determination to never give up :D
It's always exciting to hear themes of mental health represented in music, as it's a subject close to my heart, and music is a big part of how I cope with life, haha. Thanks so much for sharing it :3
Love the laid back, ambient style. Would work so well as background tracks for a game, it's very comfortable to listen to. Great job!
This is some great ambiance, really loved the sounds you used and your overall production. It feels so effortlessly simplistic and fades into the background like a perfect score should. I echo some criticisms mentioned in other comments, but overall I enjoyed just listening to this in the background. Would love to see a game use this score, as you've permitted.
I enjoyed the ambience of the first 2 tracks. Well done overall!
So unique, I admire the identity and personality you put into this soundtrack. The choice of instruments like the guitar giving that rock vibe, the piano linking together the songs, the crunchy drums, and specially the variety on styles, all made this a joy to listen. Last two tracks are superb, I just wish it Newfound Power had some more bass (as said by others). Also love the drum beat in Newfound Malice, it made that song my favorite one by far.
This was an eclectic mix of styles that blended together into something really unique and cool. Well done! I will echo my friend below and say I wish there was a bit more low end coming through, but from a compositional perspective you did a fantastic job and should be proud of putting this out there with the time you had to complete it!
This is a nice collection of tracks! I'd say it would have been a solid job to have done this in a week but putting it together in the time you had is even more impressive.
I like that you've gone for a sort of post-rock/indie rock vibe with these, stands out quite a lot from most I've listened to, in a good way. Merges well with the chiptunes element you incorporate too.
Very solid mixing throughout.
you have no clue how much that means to me when you say this stands out amongst the rest. i've always tried to separate myself from the sounds i'm inspired by and to hear that i'm doing good at that is awesome. tysm!
good stuff. Your sound/instrument selection is nice, I especially like the atmospheric synths you use. I think you have defined a creative sound for yourself. My feedback is I’d like to hear more bass/bottom end tones, it can be subtle still without being overpowering
thanks for the kind words! i do agree that this project as a whole is severely lacking bass elements. if i'm being honest i just haven't reached that stage in music production yet where i can confidently implement bass into my mixes without it sounding muddy, will definitely work on that. thanks again!
I LOVED the instrumentation on this! The first track definitely reminded me of "Home" from Undertale. The third track also reminded me of Night in the Woods. Though I think my favorite is definitely Newfound Malice because I'm a sucker for all things chiptune and chip fusion. Lots of great vibes throughout!
This was really fun to listen to, stayed very nice and relaxing and more tense parts of the soundtrack were really fun as well, and I think built well on the little story you had written along with this. Your melodies are some of my favourite things, I also like what i believe is some bitcrush on the drums (?) Just watch out for your volume levels, as the drums get a bit loud in my opinion in Newfound Power, overpowering everything else as opposed to being a contrast that I think would help everything stand out better. God job though, its interesting to think about how i see the character portrayed in this music, I like how you left the ending more open ended, a nice creative touch to the story!
The covert art and the music share a sober elegance I can only appreciate. The choice of sounds are on point !!
really loved the vibes here! i liked all the guitar, and the chiptune in newfound malice! (what can i say, i have a consistent love for the genre)
Really enjoyed this soundtrack! Coherent and enjoyed the rock/guitar elements in combination with buzzy synths. Plenty of moods and feels to suit a variety of game narratives. I think there could maybe be some more bass elements in the first track for my tastes, but still very enjoyable.
This has a homey feel, kinda like all songs were made by one person in their house with minimal equipment in a good way which also fits the story you describe as well about how it's a personal struggle inside one's own head. It's reminiscent of genres like bedroom pop or garage rock. I love how in "Newfound Malice" you helped the acoustic drum kit's kick to pop out by adding an electronic one. Listening on a pair of monitors, I think the kit in "Newfound Power" could use the same help as well. I like that track a lot but it feels like it's lacking the punch. Not too much but yeah a bit more low-end in there would be nice.
Love the atmosphere in the first two tracks! The drums in "Newfound Power" are real nice, and I love the way they completely change the context of the guitar. The introduction of synths in "Newfound Malice" is very interesting thematically, and I like the combination of digital-sounding and live-sounding drums. Every track here builds off of the context given by the previous tracks, resulting in an OST that is more than the sum of its parts. Nice work!
Clikkie spotted! |-/ ❤️💀❤️💀 I'll be sure to add this to my mp3 collection!
you caught me lmao. also sorry for the random self promotion but you should check out my song "A Guide To Finding a Purpose" - The Eclipse. It uses a tyler joseph sample that i found one day that was really touching (the one where he's talking about kitchen sink(
subbed and liked on yt and spotify 👍 can't wait for whatever you drop next
Well, what can I say...
Industrial drums (and sounds in general) in New found Power is a pretty creative idea
Each track has its own unique feature (even the instruments are almost different). I love variety!
In general, the compositions are quite soothing)
Can I be honest? I added New found Power to my playlist) I liked it very much
Oh, right... in A Beautiful Beginning, it is very interesting to work with echo!
Newfound Power was such a special track for me when i was making it. Really happy someone else liked it enough to add it to their playlist. i’m planning to release that one on streaming services soon so lmk if you’re interested!
I will definitely listen to it!
Really cool vibe a story! The drum beat in Newfound Malice is sick.
That is a beautiful submission, well thought out. I love that you take the time to develop your ideas. Newfound Malice is the one I liked the most, this basic square synth is such an interesting choice for a track with this atmosphere and it works surprisingly well. Good job!
thank you for the kind words! newfound malice definitely got the most work from me and i loved making it, glad you enjoyed it!