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Above and Below's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Correlation to theme | #16 | 3.950 | 4.053 |
| Creativity | #21 | 3.950 | 4.053 |
| Quality | #24 | 4.053 | 4.158 |
| Overall | #28 | 3.817 | 3.916 |
| Impression | #51 | 3.540 | 3.632 |
| Composition | #61 | 3.591 | 3.684 |
Ranked from 19 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
I'm not sure what you could label the soundtrack as in terms of genre. It's grungy/gritty but fun/playful. I wrote each track in my DAW called REAPER (edgy, sorry). I mainly used the piano roll to manage midi events. The plugins I used overall were Opus (EastWest), Bionic Delay (https://www.echochamber.ch/), Serum, and lightly the Earthbound soundfont in sforzando (soundfont loader). Other than that, just default plugins that came with my DAW (ReaEQ, ReaComp, etc).
The first track introduces the two worlds and their themes and ideas. The hub tracks emphasize these themes and ideas and extrapolate on them. The battle tracks are the ideas at their peak intensity, and showing their raw emotion. The final track are the two themes coming together to make an awesome mix of grungy/edgy and playful/bombastic textures.
Artist comment:
There is the world above and the world below.
The Underworld toils in the dark- a hard life but producing great resources along with mental and physical toughness.
The Overworld frolics in the light- a mostly social life, eager to play and explore, building great social skills and spiritual development-- but physically weak no escape from the weather.
At first the ideals clash, and the two worlds are at war. Their shortcomings in battle, however, reveal that they can work together to create a comfortable, fulfilling life for both worlds, harmoniously- embracing and complimenting the achievements and shortcomings of one another.
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
Narrative aside, there are two major themes (mostly designated by texture and feeling than say a melodic motif). They are presented sequentially, showcased independently, and finally mixed together.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://tmurray.bandcamp.com/album/above-and-below
https://soundcloud.com/tuckerhuxmurray/sets/above-and-below
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Comments
Very interesting to think about what a game using this soundtrack would be like with the contrast between "Overworld" and "Underworld." I can definitely see some Earthbound-type influence in "Familiar Village" which made the downtempo feel of "From The Grime" that much darker by comparison. Great basslines and drum sections throughout. Some interesting choices with instrumentation such as the siren-like sound in "Divided By Soil." Liked the overall album concept of having the two styles eventually coming together musically, really helps tell a story. Nice work!
love the composition and light/dark versions used here!
This is so WEIRD, I LOVE it!!
I can imagine the game having a very unique feel thanks to this OST, really unique flavor! Interesting set of instruments, interesting composition, good story stuff!
The one note I might give is maybe that in the credits, that bass is a bit overpowering near the end and could maybe take a backseat while the other instruments are SHINING but it's a pretty minor tweak. Fantastic work, I'm rooting for this one!
I really liked the whimsical, frantic feel of the Overworld battle theme. As for the Underworld tracks, I liked the sound of the bass, drums and overall sort of gritty tone.
I think you brought the two opposing themes together really well with the End Credits track.
Overall, well done!
I love the drums and bass in especially the underworld tracks, but I really love all of them! The Familiar Village reminds me a lot of Snowden Town from undertale, which is one of my favorite game soundtracks. This is easily one of my favorite submissions from this jam!
Very nice contrast between light happy above world and dark tuned below world. My favourite so far!!
love the contrast of vibes between the worlds
Great variety of sounds! I do feel a different vibe between overworld and underworld.