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The Monolith's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Impression | #2 | 4.333 | 4.333 |
| Quality | #3 | 4.515 | 4.515 |
| Overall | #6 | 4.152 | 4.152 |
| Creativity | #21 | 3.909 | 3.909 |
| Correlation to theme | #30 | 3.848 | 3.848 |
Ranked from 33 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Album name: The Monolith
Genre: Epic Folk Orchestral
Game concept: A roguelike adventure game about a journey into the wasteland in search of an ancient monolith. The game has a dark, brooding atmosphere with a sense of mystery and adventure. The hero goes on a two-fold journey both by traveling to a distant land and in their own mind as they attempt to overcome the will of the monolith.
Tracks:
1 - Into the Wastes: This track is the main menu theme, establishing the sound of the game and many instruments and textures that appear throughout the album
2 - The Forgotten Citadel: This track plays during gameplay when exploring and solving puzzles. It has a more upbeat feel, but also a tension to support the player exploring the unknown.
3 - Waking the Monolith: This track plays during a boss fight where the spirit within the monolith awakens to battle the player.
Message from the artist:
These songs feature classical guitar, orchestral instruments, and an eclectic mix of folk instruments ranging from Taiko drums to the Erhu. I wanted to capture a dark, brooding sound that still felt adventurous, and was very inspired by soundtracks like Hades, Dead Cells, and Blasphemous. Enjoy!
Theme
How does it fit the theme?
This album fits the theme in a few ways. The use of ethnic folk instruments and unusual combinations of sounds gives the listener something unique and adventurous to listen to. The flow between songs also reinforces that a journey is taking place, from the steady rhythm of the intro track through to the faster paced songs that support gameplay. Each song builds on ideas from the previous one, whether through recurring instruments or the rising intensity from one song to the next.
Link to streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/majorbruno/sets/the-monolith
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Comments
Wooooow, loving this live instrumentation! What a treat.
You did such a great job capturing a sense of space and emotional weight. Your rhythms are lovely, the melody parts repeat just enough to be catchy without being annoying, and you’re moving the backing chords around to keep everything feeling fresh.
I think “Waking the Monolith” is my favorite track here, and I suspect it’s also yours, given how much fun you had recording these metal guitars. Always great to hear solid guitar technique in a short jam like this – you could have shredded instead, but I really like how you kept things focused on selling the vibe and energy of the track.
Really awesome work – I’d love to hear more like this!
Wow, really appreciated all the detailed comments! Thanks so much for listening. I definitely tried to ride that line with being a bit more reserved to really focus on the atmosphere. You're right about the metal guitar - that's definitely a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine. Really happy you enjoyed it!
Superb work!
The Forgotten Citadel is totally danceable track ^_^.
Thank you! That's a great compliment :)
I am speechless at your wonderful work.
You're too kind!
I love the guitar sounds throughout these tracks. The shift from acoustic to electric in Waking the Monolith is so epic, very fitting for a boss battle.
Thanks so much! I was hoping the electric guitar would up the intensity at the end there :)
Track arranged very cool! I love the guitar from "Into the Wastes". Also epic rhythms in "The Forgotten Citade" and "Waking the Monolith"!!!
Thank you! I tried to vary the rhythms and time signature in a few places so I'm happy that stood out.
This is STUNNING! Echoing your comment, I liked yours right from the start. Kept me hooked the whole time, and what a payoff for the finale. Beautifully done!
Thank you! That's very kind. I'm glad you liked the last track, I was definitely trying to ramp up the intensity for the end.
Nailed the guitars in the tracks! Nice Job! :D
Glad you thought so, thanks for listening!
Takes you on a journey from flamenco-tinged landscapes to jrpg rock battles. Well done tying all these elements together, thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! I had fun writing those guitar parts :)
Wow, outstanding quality! I like the guitar sounds :) Excellent, good job!
Thanks so much! Guitar seems to make its way into a lot of my songs haha.
Magnificent performance of each of these pieces! I really enjoyed each of these pieces.
Thank you! :)
got me hooked long before the 5th second of the first song. very impressive sounds. made me think of a band called "Abney Park". very well done.
Thank you! That's a good sign haha. I just looked up the band and I can already hear the similarities. Very cool!
WOW.
Everything sounds so good! The tracks kept me interested troughout everything and I can see this being an ost from a very succesful game xD
With the help of the project thumbnail I could easly imagine what the game would feel like.
I just wish that the tracks were a bit longer but I think at this point I'm asking too much lmao
Amazing work. If only i could give this a 6/5 quality rating...
Hey, thanks very much! Super kind of you to say. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I definitely wish I'd been able to squeeze more tracks in too haha.
Very immersive since the beggining! Would love to collaborate with you making some cool stuff!
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I'd love to work on something together. I'm in the discord so feel free to DM me there, or you can find my Twitter on my Itch profile.
Really loved the build up to the final piece Waking the Monolith. great mix of genres and instruments and great mixing and mastering throughout.
Thank you! The mixing/mastering was a big focus so I'm glad to hear it sounded good.
Astonishing sound quality in works oscillating between Requiem for a Dream music and Diablo's one. Extremely immersive, the absence of a strong theme from the first two tracks allows the music to create an atmosphere that loops without ever getting boring. Very pleasant to listen to. As for the third piece, it takes advantage of what the other two did not have: electric guitar and clear theme, to deliver an epic fight. The whole create a coherent OST, for a journey in vast arid expanses in search of difficult fights.
Thank you so much! Those are two very flattering comparisons, I appreciate it. I'm glad it brought that kind of imagery to mind, that was certainly the goal. Thanks for listening!
The Monilith is the kind of creative orchestral music that I LOOOVEE! Hearing orchestra and electric guitar just creates one of the most epic listening soundscapes. So many of my favorite orchestral tracks have this in and this track has nailed it. Overall a super creative OST! Fantastic work!! <3
Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm really glad it was up your alley, I love blending orchestral stuff with modern elements. Thanks for listening!
oh boi that bASS!!! really cool stuff, it has big hades energy indeed
Thanks! Yeah I really love the grungy bass tone in Hades, that's exactly where it came from haha
That acoustic guitar sounds awesome!
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Smashing soundtrack, one of my favourite submission so far! I love the folk/ethnic vibe and your production quality is very high.
The only critic is that it's too short, and it leaves you craving for more :)
Wow, thank you! That means a lot. And that's some good feedback haha
I absolutely love the vibe the tracks set from the get go. It has such a rustic and simultaneously modern sound to it, and all the lead instruments pop out wonderfully. Love it!
Thank you! I'm really glad you liked the blend of the old and the new, that's definitely what I was going for.