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Blockbuster: Excerpts from the Original Soundtrack's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Creativity | #8 | 4.387 | 4.387 |
| Overall | #28 | 4.115 | 4.115 |
| Quality | #41 | 4.227 | 4.227 |
| Impression | #41 | 4.067 | 4.067 |
| Composition | #63 | 4.040 | 4.040 |
| Correlation to theme | #136 | 3.853 | 3.853 |
Ranked from 75 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Things haven´t been easy since dad left. Mom has not left the couch for what feels like months, excluding visits to the licquor store. Samantha, my sister, has been taking odd jobs to feed make ends meet. Even if the landlord is not kicking in our door, we are still stuck in the worst neighbourhood in town - maybe any town.
We have a VHS player. An old, broken down unit, but it works. I find myself watching dad´s old tapes. Tales of debauchery, adventure. Tales where you can make a better life for yourself. Every day, I pick a tape and forget my worries for just 90 minutes, our kitty rupert curling up next to me. This is my world, far from the troubles of the real one.
One day, it seems Rupert is not coming home from one of his strolls. Sam helps me looking for him, but she has to work. It has been three days since Rupert has come home. I put in the tape for Space Station Eta to forget my worries and, somehow, there he is. Rupert is in in the movie. I get close to the TV screen, feeling the gentle buzz of the tube TV´s electricity. Touching the screen to make sure I am not dreaming, suddenly I feel myself being pulled away...
Blockbuster is a unique take on a metroidvania and millenial nostalgia. Collecting VHS tapes, our hero can travel to different worlds represented by classic movie settings to save his cat Rupert. Items that he finds in one world may be useful in another, or even in the real world. Save Rupert and experience the magic of movies - in 4:3!
The soundtrack takes a needle drop approach. Urban sounding tunes for the real world, inspired by music trends from the nineties such as east coast rap and trip hop,clash with lush orchestral scores representing Cowboys, Outer Space or pirates.
3 of the 6 tracks represent their respective biome. "Desperation at the Space Station" is for a space movie type setting, "Ghosts of the Railroad" represents a western movie type biome and "The Pirate Queen´s Booty" represents a pirate theme. "City Streets" and "Home. Sour Home" represent the real world, and are therefore harsher, weirder and more strongly based on musical trends of the time period. "Home Video Escapism" is a short jingle signifying a travel to the other worlds. It involves sampling from a VHS recorder and heavy delay manipulation. Tracks involve both real instruments, sample libraries, warped samples and softsynths. Their application varies from track to track.
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
Movies have always been a kind of escapism for me. For a while, you can escape your world and enter a better one. The soundtrack is meant to capture this feeling.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://goatthroneaudio.bandcamp.com/album/blockbuster-excerpts-from-the-original-soundtrack
Number of tracks6
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
Any project
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Comments
This is a very cool take on the theme and it lends itself so well to a video game OST.
Fantastic job!
Thank you Jofes. I see you rating in the lesser rated submissions a lot, and I wanted to thank you for putting in the work. Mine is popular enough, but I know how it feels to shout into the void. And beginners especially need feedback.
Absolutely phenomenal. I'm torn between "Home. Sour Home" and "Desperation..." for best track. Love the variety!
woww this is such a cool concept. i love seeing that someone else incorporated VHS as a way of shifting worlds in their game lore :D
i am in love with the first half of desperation at the space station. i am a huge sucker for organ, and the sound of that droning organ with the guitar bends is so amazing, i almost wish the track stayed in that state for longer!! city streets is also such a jam. great job on building such cohesive worlds!!
Thanks Scarlet! Nice to see someone else loves some crunchy 4:3 action. I will make sure to listen and rate to your OST later today.
Its funny you say that, as that track seems to be the most divisive one. I decided to set up a long, stagnant build with the droning note at the top, similar to how Zimmer has done it on the interstellar soundtrack, so when the track finally settles into a chord progression and clear melodic structure, it feels like a huge event. Many people disliked the stagnancy and the resulting dissonances from the drone (even though drones kinda always do that, but can´t argue taste) and liked the second half more. Interesting that its the first half you dig.
Funfact: I actually used the tuning pegs for the guitar bends. I had a tuning plugin set up on the DAW, then i would plug the string with my right hand while detuning with the left. That way I could get ultra smooth bends that feel just a little warbly. I like to think going the extra mile like this can add some additional character to a performance and as long as I don´t need to do it live, I can do whatever weird thing I like.
Love the add of the vinyle crisp in the mastering of the first track, it develop a great mood! Everything is so diverse and rich, really liked it!
This was really unique! Every track has it's own flavor that makes me want to just jump back into listening to it xD ESPECIALLY City Streets, absolutely makes me want to do some breakdancing in the middle of an intersection. Great work :D
I am glad you feel that way but please don´t get run over listening to my stuff XD
Wow the quality of this OST is really high! All the tracks are great to listen to, and each one is so distinct with its soundscape, which is impressive! But for me the one that really delivers is City Streets, soooooo groovy. The least one that I liked was the Desperation at the Space Station, it doesn't quite got the same level of quality in composition and mixing as the others. But overall this is a very good OST, great job!
Thanks dude. I mentioned under another comment that I found the mix of organic and synthetic textures on that track to be particularly challenging, but I am in hindsight glad about some of the things that happened by chance in it.
Oh that first track, City Streets, is wonderfully befitting of the title. You've managed to capture that urban feel in just the instrumentation alone (love the warbly piano) and the choice of melodies and supporting accompaniment throughout is fantastic. Feel like I could go on forever about this track alone so I'll just say that this is a great intro to the submission.
Desperation at the Space Station is great - I like the lead in this and the gradual crescendo of the strings below growing and growing. The minimal percussion in this is neat - feels like the orchestra is keeping the rhythm and the beats are intermittent and buried enough to add flavor below.
Ghosts of the Railroad took a very unexpected direction from what I expected. Choice of lead instrument here is interesting - I dig it. A departure from the expected soundscape is a great way of immediately changing the tone without even having to write anything for it to do. This has me feeling pensive and a little bit on edge, almost as though you've spotted the threat but they haven't quite spotted you yet - if that makes sense?
All in all this is fantastic, nice variety of styles, instrumentation and moods. Varied work, and all of which is composed to their strengths. Great work, and best of luck!
Thank you Synlyfe. The Railroad track is supposed to be pensive, the desolation wroughtt upon the west by trying to develop it and the people who gave their life to do so, aiming to mirror the run down streets the protagonist lives in. Danger could certainly be lurking, hidden away - actual, non metaphorical ghosts of the railroad perhaps? We hear their voices hum, still singing the worker tunes they had to sing back then to stay sane and in rhythm.
Nice eclectic group of genres in this soundtrack. Each track is its own, yet they all juxtapose in a strange unity. Very cool.
Love the lofi and jazzy aesthetic of the first track, and Pirate Queens Boty is a filibuster banger, congrats! (Also I like the BM aesthetic of your logo/avatar.)
Thanks Tasmant! I am actually thinking of changing the logo, as I might want something more approachable - not everyone is a headbanger.
I love this soundtrack, and the vibes it gives off, the quality is amazing, and I'd love to see what more you could do if actually being an OST composer for a game!
Hi Kaffeine,
thank you very much. I am actually in charge of the music for a game called Fusionsmith, by polish indie dev Quivscor.
Some of the music is featured here:
That's great! Your level of musical understanding deserves to be featured in many games, tbh. Great job on your soundtrack and good day to you!
Thank you for the kind words. A good day to you too!
this is honestly superb. the variety here is amazing, and the production is so crisp i love it!!
Thanks so much skooka!
City Streets: Ooh that sweet lo-fi vibe. Groovy!
Desperation at the Space Station: Great SFX. Really has a classic movie space vibe.
Home Video Escapism: Effective jingle that really feels like being pulled into the TV! I can imagine the scene.
Ghost of the Railroad: Good simplistic western feel. Love the percussion.
Home. Sour Home.: Cool groove! This reminds me of Earthbound with the wacky SFX and instrumentation. Really love this!
The Pirate Queen's Booty: Love a good pirate theme! The occasional Dorian use, time signature and instrumentation helps enhance that feel.
Great work!
Moin!
Before anything else, thanks a lot for your rating on my submission.
Now to the OST! Most of what I wanted to say has already been commented so I'll keep it short.
- I really love how you use soundeffects in the tracks, it adds a lot of flavour (especially the first one)
- Great Palate, all Songs sound very unique and represent a different world very nicely
- The Filters which make it sound old school sound great as well and as you get further into the genres it dissapates more, which shows a really nice progression through the different worlds.
- Overall Melody and Instrument choice was really nice as well
So in total really good job, keep it up! :D
Hiya! :D
I gave your tracks a listen and I must say, the groovy-ness and catchiness of these tracks are definitely prominent, and that is an awesome thing! Your soundscape/reverb effects are some of the most captivating that I've heard, and that goes beyond this OST Jam. May I ask the name of the DAW referenced in your screenshots? It has me wondering about the other capabilities with the one you specifically used. :D
The tracks themselves have great contrast, and my favorite of them would have to be "City Streets". (The bass and drums were stellar!) Granted you took the text approach for the theme for the jam, but honestly with your explanation and connection of what it means to you, it has got to be the best that I've seen thus far. That being said, I wonder just how many "worlds" the judges are going to have to go through with that approach in mind. X)
Awesome submission though, and again, the DAW w/ whatever plugin or default setting for that reverb is truly superb!
Hi Cheeze,
I use Cockos Reaper, the people´s DAW. It is very flexible and adaptible and there are mods out there to make it look any way you want. Reaper is fantastic, its made by the WinRAR guys.
I still use some of the stock plugins, even. The built in compressor just works for whenever I don´t want to insert some character. For reverb, I use a mixture of Valhalla Vintage Verb and Hofa IQ-Reverb, sometimes Valhalla Supermassive whenever its supposed to be huge and abstract. For delay, I use Valhalla Delay, Deelay or just copy and drag a signal around. Bouncing in place does wonders here, you can really f*@ck with audio that way and be creative.
The sound effects work so well with this soundtrack! The story idea is interesting as well, and the music works with it. Great job!
This is just a great soundtrack! I love both the story you’re telling with the music, as well as the music itself! I love the use of all the different styles, which make it so that the soundtrack is never too boring or repetitive! I love the inclusion of different sound effects(the sound of putting in a vhs tape, the chains and stomping of the railroad ghosts, the SOS signal of a spaceship) in each of the songs. They make the submission that much more unique, and can make you feel like you’re actually there, in a way. Overall, amazing submission, one that I’m sure to come back and listen to again!
Hey another metroidvania OST! I feel like I've said this on every entry but this quality is crazily high, and all the different styles for every track took me by surprise. Really loved the 2nd track though, those percussive sounds bouncing in the side EQ was a great touch and just shows how well produced this submission is, great work!
Glad you like the percussion in particular, I was worried it was too subtle even.
Some brakebeat-wildwest-hip-hop-celtic VHS mix, great writing in all those styles)
From time to time there are tonal dissonances, as in Desperation at the Space Station with strings and guitar, not shure that is on purpose. But overall interesting and unique experience)
thank you Serhil!
The harmony in the space track is very modern and was mostly composed by ear after laying down the initial chords. The initial chords don't adhere to a scale at all and try to move as far away from each other as possible. As such, I didn't intentionally try to make dissonance a happen but allowed them to happen when appropriate.
One of the more unique flavors in the jam! Both the concept and soundtrack reminded me of Star Fetchers. I love the sweet bass tone in "City Streets" and "Home. Sour Home.".
I just watched some footage of star fetches and it has indeed a pretty similar flavour for the Urban sections. There's even VHS tapes (even if no movies). I gotta keep an eye out for that one.
It's a sick game! I'm patiently waiting for its release.
Im just repeating what everyone else said when i say this, but the sheer number of styles you did on top of how well you executed them is so impressive! I especially liked City Streets, I totally see all the influences you took for it and think you created something special because of it!
Thank you pic!