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Aquavescence - Worlds Apart Together's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #89 | 3.962 | 3.962 |
| Composition | #162 | 3.750 | 3.750 |
| Overall | #174 | 3.677 | 3.677 |
| Impression | #222 | 3.538 | 3.538 |
| Quality | #248 | 3.596 | 3.596 |
| Creativity | #267 | 3.538 | 3.538 |
Ranked from 52 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Judge feedback
Judge feedback is anonymous.
- I like very much what you are doing with some of the sounds-- the lead on "Floating in the In Between" has a wonderfully soothing quality and an interesting envelope that I found quite interesting. Great work on keeping the piano accompaniment dynamic and evolving, which held my interest throughout. I did feel like the lead here was competing a bit with the accompaniment from a volume perspective, but not by a lot, probably mostly due to the fact that it has such a quick die-off. I liked the dialogue between the piano and the lead quite a bit. I think there might be some opportunities to add more rubato sections to the music and let the tempo be a bit more flexible. You've written really nice, smooth lines that I think would be greatly elevated by a bit more expression-- that ever elusive quality of "breathing" that can be difficult to find, but very much worth it win the end. Overall I think the biggest thing here is that I'd like to hear more! What you've written sounds great, but I think it feels like it is cut short too soon, and I'd like to hear your stretch your musical talents a bit more. This is a fantastic start, however, and what is here strikes me as wonderfully composed and produced, begging for more!
Description
Orchestral
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
Aquavescence: Worlds Apart Together
GENRE: Top Down Adventure/Puzzle Game (similar to Oneshot)
For as long as she can remember, Aya has day-dreamed herself in a world of water and wonder. Now, she has woken up in this realm of imagination, with no recollection of how she got there. Control Aya as she traverses Aquavescence to find a way back home.
Aquavescence would be similar to Oneshot, a top down adventure and puzzle game.
The game revolves around traversing a dream world of water to find your way home. The soundtrack focuses on setting a feeling of both wonder and an underlying dread of not finding your way back.
Floating in the In Between would be an overworld theme for a more mysterious area in the world. I focused on using instruments to invoke wonder and water, with lots of reverb to create a dreamy vibe.
Respite would be the theme for a save/rest area. A simple track that also utilizes sounds that capture a water feel. The slight offset of the piano melody makes the song feel more childlike.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
Floating in the In Between: https://soundcloud.com/slawflesh/floating-in-the-in-between
Respite: https://soundcloud.com/slawflesh/respite
Number of tracks2
Genre
Soundtrack use permission
For game jams only
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Comments
"Hey, do you know what time it is?
It's time for underwater and relaxing jazz!"
OH DANG THAT BASS IS JUICY
Floating in the In Between had me swaying back and forth too! Really enjoyed the instrumentation and even got reminded of some Kirby soundtracks :D
One critique I'd have is that the synth you used for the shiny high plucks in that track had some piercing resonances in the high end (probably somewhere in the 10k-11khz area), so toning those down could help to meld them into the mix more smoothly.
Respite definitely gave some respite after the cheery good hype vibes of the previous track.
Overall, great job on your submissions! Really enjoyed listening :D
I really, really like your sound palette! You nailed the vibes you were going for with each track too. Great job!!
Respite was my favorite of the two!
Thank you ^_^
Love the jazzy flair. Excellent entry!
I love that you used the offset piano melody to make it more childlike! Added a lot and it was super funky with the great bass!
Nice work here! The instruments in "Floating in the in Between" definitely give me a Yasunori Mitsuda vibe. The chord progression is interesting and wondrous, the whole song has a very dreamy sort of feeling to it. The slight variations in pitch of the background strings is a subtle touch that gives the song a nice amount of depth, especially towards the end. "Respite" is a very pretty little loop that compliments "Floating in the in Between" well. The piano work in both tracks is lovely.
chill/jazzy beats to adventure and complete puzzles to. The tracks fit your game concept really well, and the vibes are just...so...nice! The music is lovely. One thing that would really elevate it (and I suffer from the same problem) is to add more dynamics throughout the piece. Having more ebbs and flows of volume will add an extra layer to the music and make your MIDI sound less like MIDI.
Very much feels like something that really fits the image theme! I really enjoy the melodies present here and how you've used the instruments. Altogether, everything sounds very pleasant and emotionally fitting :)
Beautiful vibes, love the jazziness of the first track! One of the most original submissions I've seen!!
I absolutely love this jazzy, orchestral, fusion vibe! The string tremolos and bends in Floating in the In Between (such a cool name for a song too) are amazing! I love how the stings are panned for different notes it adds so much movement and really adds to the atmosphere. The second track is very short and sweet, the solo piano with the synth bells is such a nice relaxing combo! I wish there was more!
This was a treat to listen to, thank you for sharing :)
Thank you for listening!
This style reminds me so delightfully of Aivi & Surasshu's work for Steven Universe and that is a giant plus in my book! It give a perfectly immersive dremy vibe, just lovely.
Thank you!
The first things that really stood out to me were the frequent modulations, which are very interesting. They tend to make everything more mystical and mysterious. The arrangements are beautiful, with the sax in the first track and the constant feeling of an arpeggiated loop in both pieces. Additionally, it’s clear that these tracks were specifically designed for video game levels; I can easily imagine them within a game. Their "dreamy" sound helps to relax and transport the player to another dimension during a level. I think you did an excellent job. Unfortunately you only wrote two tracks, as I would have loved to hear more.
Thank you! Unfortunately, I was on vacation during the jam, so I had to fit composing into a busy schedule. Hopefully next time I can have more time haha.
The 7/4 is a nice touch, your harmonies and composition are good, and you definitely brought me into a water setting! Personally, I found the drums in Floating in the in Between to be somewhat repetitive - my suggestion would be to have a section somewhere in the middle where the drums drop out. And I really dig the instrument combination in Respite - it would be nice if you threw in Ebma7 Fma7 somewhere in that progression! Good job with this soundtrack!
Thanks for the feedback! As I re-listen, I definitely agree about the drums--will fix that up for when I release it officially.
Lush strings and chords! Sounds a lot like what you'd find in a zelda / mario kart aquatic level. The great the brass/saxophone elements, and I'd be curious of how a variations might sound in a contrasting B theme, similar to the ideas around 1:00. Nice work!
Thanks for the comment, if I had more tracks the themes would have 100% been expanded on.
Nicely done , good chord progressions, love the sax in Floating in the In Between only problem is sometimes the strings are burying the melody. Like the simple vibe with the classic DX7 sound in Respite. Good job !
Yep, I do hear that upon re-listening. Mixing could use some work in some places, I was kinda rushing that part because time was almost up. Thanks for the feedback!
Beautiful chords and tambres on Floating in the In Between. The synths, strings, bass and piano play really well together. If I played a game and this track came on I would have to stop playing just to jam out for a bit.
Respite feels very introspective, short but sweet the whole way. I don't think i'd ever get tired of listening to it so it would be a great track to have on loop in this game. This is a great OST!
Thanks a lot!
Interesting textures, the calm atmosphere fits the theme well. Very enjoyable.
Thank you!
Beautfiul!
Thanks!