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Memories of Blue's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #64 | 4.040 | 4.040 |
| Overall | #228 | 3.568 | 3.568 |
| Composition | #231 | 3.600 | 3.600 |
| Quality | #271 | 3.560 | 3.560 |
| Impression | #320 | 3.320 | 3.320 |
| Creativity | #400 | 3.320 | 3.320 |
Ranked from 25 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
The soundtrack is meant to by for an RPG style game.
I focused a lot on the melodies to begin with, and then spent a lot of time on the harmonies, and the layering of instruments. It was important for me to make sure that the right emotion came out of each individual track.
The music was composed and produced on Cubase. Each track has its own set of subsections and transitions, intros and outros, as shown on the project screenshots.
All the sounds came from the following Roland Cloud libraries:
JV-1080
SRX extensions (orchestra, strings, keyboards)
XV-5080
The underwater sound effect in the Memories of Blue track was taken from pixabay.
All the instruments were produced with various synthesisers, as well as a sound effect of water/underwater for the main theme, Memories of Blue.
The following section describes how each track fits in the game:
Memories of Blue: Contains 2 themes in one. The first one foreshadowing the fate of the world, and the second part (section 2) illustrates the connection the character has with her mother, and the sadness of her not being there physically but also being there, in spirit, at the same time. This track has a constant water / underwater sound effect that plays in the background, to give it a stronger atmosphere and highlight the importance of water and the ocean in the story.
What Lies Beyond: That theme is meant to be used in dungeons where the character explores new areas and discovers truths about the world. Section A repeats the motif of the main theme.
Halcyon Days: That track is meant to be used when the character travels on the world map. It is purposefully meant to be relaxing so that it creates a break (for the player, and character) between the different areas and dangers. That theme is reused when the evil is destroyed at the end of the game and the world goes back to being at peace.
Message from the artist
I had lots of fun writing the music for this theme and jam! I hope you enjoy the music and let me know what feelings you get when listening to each track!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
The soundtrack was written for a story (RPG) that takes place in an imaginary world.
The main character (as seen on the theme picture) grew up in a town on the coastline by the ocean.
She was raised by her uncle as her parents were planetologists and never came back from their latest trip.
As the main character grows in age, she finds out that she can sense the emotions of her surroundings, whether these are the fauna or the flora.
As this is a skill that is not shared by other people in her town, she embarks on a journey to understand better what this power means, and to hopefully find clues about what happened to her parents.
As the journey goes on, the main character discovers that there is a menace that is looming on the world. She meets other people that embark in her journey and help her fight against that evil.
Ultimately, as she gets close to the end of her journey, deep down in the lower depths of the ocean, she discovers that her mother merged her spirit with the planet, in a last attempt to contain the evil that kept growing day after day.
It is thanks to the link that the mother did with the planet, and her bond with her daughter, that the main character managed to get these abilities.
With the help of her friends and the powers that the planet conferred through her, she eventually was able vanquish the evil that was looming, bringing back peace to the planet and freeing the spirit of the mother as she can now rest for good.
The following section describes how each track fits in the game:
Memories of Blue: Contains 2 themes in one. The first one foreshadowing the fate of the world, and the second part (section 2) illustrates the connection the character has with her mother, and the sadness of her not being there physically but also being there, in spirit, at the same time. This track has a constant water / underwater sound effect that plays in the background, to give it a stronger atmosphere and highlight the importance of water and the ocean in the story.
What Lies Beyond: That theme is meant to be used in dungeons where the character explores new areas and discovers truths about the world. Section A repeats the motif of the main theme.
Halcyon Days: That track is meant to be used when the character travels on the world map. It is purposefully meant to be relaxing so that it creates a break (for the player, and character) between the different areas and dangers. That theme is reused when the evil is destroyed at the end of the game and the world goes back to being at peace.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/alexbredy/sets/memories-of-blue
Number of tracks3
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
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Comments
Super cool cinematic style that fits the theme perfectly. Love the use of bubbles in the opening track to set the scene. Great work!
The second track reminded me of Ace Attorney games like during a cutscene with the big bad.
Really great!
This is a great OST you've made! It really captures the aquatic theming well, it feels like it would fit in the sort of game where you just lose yourself in the atmosphere. Great job!
You've done well with the lore and it can be felt in the music itself. I really like how you did all the ambiences and the story you tell us!
This is an outstanding set of compositions. The production and mixing is very good, with some bold dynamics really bringing it to life. I disagree with the other comment about the sustain pedal on the piano - I think your work with quietness in the first piece is what really makes it stand out. Those shorter piano notes convey an emptiness that fills the soul.
And What Lies Beyond in particular... It hits hard. I might agree that the tubular bell is a bit too strong. That said, oh jeez. That contrast between the mystical part and the intense one. That call and response between the motif and the swelling strings and choirs. That choice of scale in the second melody.
The third track is also very good quality, but the composition didn't hit that strong for me. In my critique I take into account that a peaceful track doesn't hit as hard as the dramatic ones, of course. My issue is maybe the opposite, that it's maybe a bit too energic, and it steps into the cheese zone too much for me. With that out of the way, I will concede that the track is very well composed and produced, and it fits the intended scenario for the intended genre of game perfectly. Maybe as the happy epilogue reuse it works better for me - that cheesy happiness would probably soak up the bitterness stuck in the throat after a particularly intense ending.
What really makes this submission so great is that not only is the production and instrumentation good, or the athmospheres fitting for the themes; This one really goes above and beyond, the emotion in these is insanely powerful! Maybe not so much on the third track, which is of course normal since that one is the peaceful of the bunch. But not many submissions can attain this level of expression, even less so in complex arrangements that are challenging enough by themselves, and with this level of quality.
I wholeheartedly believe this sumbission has to make the top 20. Sorry for the wall of text, I really wanted to fully articulate why I gave this a perfect rating. This is so much quality, and the first two tracks' composition really struck my chords. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this.
Super solid OST! I enjoyed listening from start to finish. Halcyon Days is my favorite one!
Good job!
Really nice submissions, but What Lies Beyond is a standout, even compared to other great submissions.
Such a beautiful mesmerizing melody. Awesome!
Memories of Blue: I really like the harmony walking up the minor scale. I wasn’t expecting to hear the minor 3 scale degree in the bass, but I really liked it! The piano motif is memorable and conveys a sense of wonder that I think is really beautiful
What Lies Beyond: Gosh I love those choral and string swells with the dissonant but gorgeous neighbor tones! The tubular bells give a sense of dread that helps convey the sense of a dangerous dungeon theme very well.
Halcyon Days: I really like the glockenspiel twinkling run throughout. I appreciate your idea of giving the player a break from serious dungeon themes to lighten the mood a little when it’s safe.
Overall: I really like the richness of these tracks - the fullness and care with which you composed them is very apparent! Well done and thank you for sharing!
Very solid. What Lies Beyond was my favorite, keep it up dude.
I don't dislike the other two tracks but What Lies Beyond is easily my favourite, really has that "the truth unveiled" sound to it, very effectively got across through the melodies & instrumentation, love that.
Only thing I would say is that maybe the bell and choir sounds should be a touch less dominant/overpowering? Both work really well still though.
Love that arpeggio and flute(?) melody in the calm section. And absolutely love the strings and woodwind in the more ominous sections. Kinda feels like mid point between several tracks from FF7 & 9 but with unique identity of its own.
Memories of Blue made me think of Finding Nemo for some reason.
Favorite was probably Halcyon Days
All right this has great potential you have marvelous ideas, the arrangement is very nice. On first track Memories of Blue, don,t be afraid to use sustained pedal on the piano, you can probably change your voicing on the strings to make them sound wider even if the plugins is not the best of the best it will enhance A LOT your tracks just like that. Your lush choirs is nice but I think you can play with a bit of reverb and look with volume automation with fade in / fade out to create a better transition between those. Other than that the composition is really good. Well done !
Memories of Blue: JRPG vibes right off the bat! Reminds me of Final Fantasy.
What Lies Beyond: Lush textures. Like the darkness that the Phrygian sections introduce.
Halcyon Days: Nice positive ending. Cute track!
Great work!
Great writing. I loved the use of the bubble textures in Memories of Blue, and I loved the strong opening sounds of the other tracks. Quite uplifting and very fit for the theme!
Great tracks. Memories of Blue stood out to me - a gradual evolution with great choice of supporting instrumentation. Halcyon Days is much busier and does a good job of capturing that calm that comes with traveling and particularly resting. What Lies Beneath reminds me of something you would hear in the early N64 days; tense and foreboding but not overtly ominous. Great use of articulations and choice of instruments with this one in particular.