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Tunnel Lights's itch.io pageResults
Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
Correlation to theme | #72 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
Composition | #149 | 3.786 | 3.786 |
Overall | #165 | 3.707 | 3.707 |
Quality | #178 | 3.714 | 3.714 |
Impression | #240 | 3.500 | 3.500 |
Creativity | #268 | 3.536 | 3.536 |
Ranked from 28 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
We used Reaper as our DAW of choice.
We're envisioning a game based around the concept of your life "flashing before your eyes" as you die. This game has the player exploring the mind of a dying woman, guiding her through each of her memories stored within bubbles; the character ages with her memories, as the player goes through them in chronological order, hoping to give the woman closure before she passes on. The soundtrack we've written aims to capture the enigmatic and strange world that these memories inhabit, as well as the wistful nostalgia experienced within the memories themselves. The songs within the subconsious loop endlessly, while the songs within the memories have definitive endings.
The Light at the End - This track is the game's main theme; it utilises a reversed acoustic guitar to symbolize the journey back through memories, as well as dreamlike reverb and stereo panning. This track also introduces the leitmotif that connects all of the 'dreamworld' songs.
Wist - As the title suggests, this aims to evoke wistfulness. This is a track that would play within one of the woman's memories.
Drifitng Deeper - As the player ventures deeper into the subconsious, things become strange and distorted; is something hidden deep within these memories?
Night Terrors - A particularly traumatic memory is unearthed, or perhaps a dark secret is unveiled; This song starts with ominous piano before erupting into a chaotic electric guitar.
Wander - Feeling lost and uncertain, this track plays within another memory.
Temple in the Mind - This track is the theme for the innermost sanctum within the subconsious; this mysterious feeling is repesented by the weird 7/4 groove and the strange phrase lengths.
Message from the artist
This has been a lot of fun! Looking forward to hearing some good submissions! <3
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
Our music captures the odd, nostalgic, and dreamlike feeling evoked by the image; and we based our game's narrative around the concept of exploring the memories within someone.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://youtu.be/PqCbl1Tf7u0
Number of tracks6
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
super mystical! i like how nostalgic and upwriting your compositions are. i definitely hear leina raine inspirations within your style, but you've shifted it into your own and have masterfully told your own story. i like how "wist" and "wander" connect to each other as two piano waltzes, with one to start off your journey and another to close. great job!!!
Drifting Deeper was a highlight for me. Just the way that the synths harmonize together simply meshes with my mind. The drums remind me of a heartbeat, and could be decreased in volume. But nevertheless, excellent soundtrack!
Bold move to pan the Bass on first and last track. Good constrast in between all the tracks, composition is nice, nothing feels off. The overall mix feels too quiet, you can definitely crank this up in the mastering process you have enough headroom to make this more vibrant without having some saturation problem. Good job !
Temple in the Mind was awesomely funky. I'd probably not want to leave that part of the game just so I could listen longer haha
Overall great work! I liked a lot of the harmonic choices you made in your composition, they conveyed a lot of different shades of emotion, which really evoked a lot of the emotions you described in your hypothetical game description.
I loved the way you used the reverse guitar to symbolize looking back! that is a really neat way to tie orchestration into theming!
Very solid submission! Liked the way you used the piano in all the pieces and the tempo changes you would implement like on Night Terror (btw that's my favorite track). Overall, this was pretty well put together and very cohesive. Keep it up!
"Night Terrors" are nicely nightmarish! good work!
The Light at the End: Loving the reversed samples. So pretty. Nice mixolydian use.
Wist: Nice 3/4, nice piano. Very beautiful!
Drifting Deeper: Mysterious atmosphere, nice chord choices. That sub! Brilliant atmospheric track.
Night Terrors: These chords are so cool. More reverse SFX! This might be my favorite track. And then the tempo increase and subtle vocal sfx. And unexpected guitar!
Wander: More cool chord choices! I could see this playing for some bittersweet memory.
Temple in the Mind: 7/4 usage is very cool. Great groove.
Great work!
I thought that the track that matched best the dreamlike feeling was "Drifting deeper", I really liked what it installed as ambience! The piano parts that repeats through different tracks is nice too!
So many styles used towards a coherent all... Incredible work, super thematic it's really great work and I'm amazed at how much you were able to do in so little time, with such a high level of quality! Awesome!
So much emotional depth in this OST. Exploring memories is a great description. The sadness and weight of the story really comes through. Almost triumphant at times but always sad with a light at the end of the tunnel. Awesome compositions and great mix!
I don't know why, but Wist chords remind me of my own OST, which is cool—I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought to make that. The composition is solid, and the space vibe you created is just awesome. Great work! ❤
Hi ! I liked your submission and especially night terrors, it builded a great intensity for the track :)
Great ambience and coherence within all the tracks, thank you for your submission!!
Amazing game soundtrack! You’ve creatively captured all the mystery, wonder, and sense of adventure that the original image holds! Aside from the great, wild bossfight themes, the track gives off a lofi vibe, and is definitely something I’ll be listening to in the background from now on. Amazing OST!
The game idea is truly original, well done! This continuous loop works well; the reverse effect seems to simulate rewinding the tape and going back in time through the protagonist's mind. The nostalgia throughout the entire OST works perfectly within the context of the story. By refining the mix and cleaning up some of the sounds, you will achieve excellent results: for example, in the first track, I would have brought out the orchestral instruments more (strings, but especially those flutes). In "wist" the piano is beautiful but lacks a bit in the low frequencies. It’s okay to have some emptiness there at the beginning, but after a while, I would have added something (even just a piano chord in the lower frequency range would add a lot more impact). I’d clean up the kick and bass better in the third track: make them more directional with a bit more high frequencies. Beyond these purely technical tips (which I hope are helpful), I really like the music (The ending of *Night Terrors* is one of my favorite parts, I think (from when the guitar comes in)... the mix of styles is beautiful), and the game idea is well constructed! You’ve dared to be original, and you deserve to be rewarded for that!
What a beautiful soundtrack. I really don't have much words to explain how oddly cozy, yet despairful it feels. The story you wrote in relation to the jam's theme is so on point with what the tracks sound like it's crazy good! I also love the unconventional time signature on the last track, it's very interesting to make a song that feels both lost but in sync with how you should be feeling about it. The melody work on all of these tracks is fantastic! Fav. track: Wander
Love the concept and atmosphere the compositions create. I do feel that the second track gets a bit too loud at times but that's my only complaint.
I really like both the concept for the game & the matching OST! I can absolutely see it all unfolding in my mind as I listen to each piece of music in relation to what you described :3 It has such a lovely feeling of warmth and acceptance which makes the contrast of 'Night Terrors' even more ominous when it arrives :D
I really enjoy your take on the theme. What is our world but the sum of our memories?
I really love the sound of that reversed guitar on the main theme. Dreamlike, somewhat somber and very fitting to the story, a really clever idea.
Wist feels like acceptance. Like the mind you're inside is ready to go on the journey with you.
I love the sliding bass on drifting deeper. Leads us on down into the depths nicely, and I like that the end seems to hint at the turn in mood to come next in Night Terrors.
Temple of the Mind stands out to me. Has a liminal feel to it almost, the bassline catches your focus enough to let your brain swim in the usually empty mall vibes. Really enjoyed it.
Hey ! Great ambiance over the whole ost !
I was afraid that your songs would be all repetitive I have to admit. But then ooh !!
Night Terrors prove me wrong! The guitar sound was so neat and this first "hard" bit was really fun ! I also really liked what you did with the rest of the song until the very end. Nice progression :D
Temple in mind has a super cool bass sound, and the off beat ascending line is infectious I dig it ^^
Nice finish :)