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Axes's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Composition | #2 | 4.692 | 4.692 |
| Quality | #7 | 4.538 | 4.538 |
| Overall | #7 | 4.331 | 4.331 |
| Creativity | #12 | 4.231 | 4.231 |
| Impression | #14 | 4.192 | 4.192 |
| Correlation to theme | #28 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
Ranked from 26 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Description
Axes is a narrative puzzle game spanning 2D, 3D and 4D environments, in contrating pixel, voxel and realistic art styles. The story follows the Keeper, a stick-man, as he traverses the ever-transforming mind of Pomet, a composer and poet, across time. As the Keeper explores new dimensions, the timbral quality of the music changes.
1. Axes (Title Song) - Since this soundtrack uses a wide variety of timbral settings, I wanted to include them all in some capacity in this song. There are hints of synthesizers, a close-mic solo violin, and traditional orchestral instruments.
2. A Purple Box - At the beginning of the game, we start in a bare, pixelated 2D world, with little else but a stick figure and some purple shapes on screen. These first few levels, we aren't sure what's going on storywise, and must learn the rules of this disorienting place.
3. A Bike Can Go- After a while of exploring, the Keeper stumbles upon the first 'memory' level: here, we see a little boy learning how to ride his bike for the first time. The Keeper must align the objects in the level exactly correct to get restore the seemily corrupt memory into its correct timing: it's here that you unlock the ability to pause time.
4. Shifts and Pauses- This next section of the game introduces 3D environments, and it becomes more clear that we are helping to fix the corrupted memories of Pomet, who has grown into adolescence. As his concept and understanding of time passing by also evolves, so do the instruments we hear-- and the number of dimensions in the level. This is the first track to also have a 'clock mode', which happens whenever the Keeper pauses time (in this case, the clock comes in when the music repeats.)
5. First Cigarette- The moment where Pomet shares his first (and only) cigarette with his first love is the setting for our next level.
6. Inexorable Views- As Pomet gets older, and struggles more and more with his understanding of time, the levels begin to explore the fourth dimension, jumping through different realities and splicing them through time. The music gains a further sense of urgency here. This level also has a 'clock mode', heard on the second repeat.
7. They Say It Flashes- (tw: su!c!de) In the final level, Pomet leaps from the top of his apartment building in an attempt to take his own life. Here, it is revealed that the Keeper is a manifestation of Pomet's subconscious mind, and has been repairing the memories to help Pomet through a coma. This final memory, the hardest of all the levels in the game, is the only way to save Pomet's life.
This project was made with sounds from EastWest Composercloud, as well as some synths and percussion from Spitfire LABS, and from the Cinematic Studio Winds, Strings, and Solo Strings libraries.
Theme:
How does it fit the theme?
The game involves the manipulation of time in various 2D, 3D, and 4D spaces, and the game's story involves the main character grappling with an ever-changing understanding of time.
Link(s) of the submission on streaming services
https://soundcloud.com/david-caldarella/sets/axes-original-soundtrack?si=1c8029ce541844b3a575df18e360dd97&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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Comments
I enjoy a lot how the narrative combines concepts of video game's history timeline with the themes in the game, the sense of continuity and strange tones of A Bike can go captured my attention causing those weird feelings of strangeness and curiosity of travelling through time and space, the high notes brought this nostalgic feeling of facing a memory.
Very professional sounding, mesmerizingly beautiful. I would love to play such a game even though puzzles are not my thing!
Reminds me of the Machinarium a little bit.
A Purple Box's a banger. The entire thing sounds like a professional production! The orchestral instruments were also really well-calibrated to feel natural and fit in. All tracks also lend themselves well to the background, perfect for a puzzle game.
2. Playful and kind of happy, with discret dissonances that conveys desorientation in this new enigmatic world. It simplicity in terms of light instrumentarion illustrates the simplicity of 2d pixel world perfectly.
3. The odd time signature (something in 5) and rythmic initiated by the piano and synth works great for a level that require more focus that the adventurous theme of the previous song/level. Beautiful arrangements on top of that 😀
4. A rich and beautiful track, more classic and more fleshed out, here is the 3d. I really like how you implemented the clock in that song. It bounces off of the binary rythm of the piece and makes me feel like the Keeper is over the time, he's the one in control, if that makes sense... He can play around let's say.
5. Wow, the reverb on this amazing and sweet orchestral tension at the beginning 😳. OMG there's a click at 1:34, it might be Soundcloud or an export glitch but I hope you'll fix it! This song is so transportive, it deserve the attention! This track was dreamy and emotional, it captures the sometimes intense and romantic ideas and feelings of adolescence. And your skills at composing shine in this genre, a lot to me!
6. The Title of this one fits so well. Loved the clock overlaying the tempo in seven :)
7. Nice transition from the previous theme taking the urgency even further. I didn't see that plot twist coming! 😲
1. Didn't comment 1st cause I was reading and wanted to see what you meant by : "Since this soundtrack uses a wide variety of timbral settings, I wanted to include them all in some capacity in this song." => it was really cool te re listen to it after hearing the whole album, this song is hypnotic and even more mesmerizing when you have the context in mind.
You've made an amazing work on this ost! I was looking forward to hear this after discovering you during the last ost jam. And I must say the music is impeccable, but the story and concept is soooo cool. Very very nice idea that allows poetry and, after remember the theme of the jam, it fits quite well even if you've gone far ^^.
Amazing job, thank you, it is inspiring art :)
I love how ethereal yet personal this whole soundtrack feels, such a great blend of emotions! As always, astonishing composition and melodies! You've created something really special here, and the story you tell comes through absolutely perfectly with the vibe you've managed to build. I particularly enjoyed how in some moments the synthetic elements creeped in and added a whole new dimension to the tracks. Absolutely stellar job, keep up the amazing work!
I love the contemporary vibe of the entire soundtrack! I think some of them like track 4 and 7 can totally be performed in a concert hall setting. Your production is so well polished and natural-sounding, and I especially enjoyed when synthetic elements were intertwined with the orchestral instruments to create a new kind of timbre. Amazing!!
You write amazingly for orchestra. It's very impressive.
Axes: I love the calm vibrophone and ambient pads you used. The gentle violin sounds so intimate. I get the sense of a limbo/void type of space from this piece. The harp inserts a sense of optimism which feels refreshing when I hear it.
A Purple Box: The transition to an 8-bit sounds palette fits with the story very well. I think the sparseness reminds me of the mechanical levels of Pikmin which give a very unique sense of curiosity to the piece. The scales you use and mess with have a bright sound which I think add to the content confusion of not really knowing what is going on, but trying to figure it out.
A Bike Can Go: The mixing you did on this piano actually initially made me take my headphones off because I thought my piano was making sounds in my room - it has a realistic quality and distance to it. While this feels repetitive, it has an ethereal atmospheric quality that fits a “memory level” well. My favorite part of this piece is the string swells.
Shifts and Pauses: Excellent counterpoint in the woodwinds. The depth you add in this piece sounds much more like the pieces I’ve heard from you over the past few competitions (which I love). At the repeat, the clock noises fit very well. I especially love the use of the triplet second hand divisions - I think this is very creative and adds an element of momentum to the piece.
First Cigarette: This is a very dreamy piece - evoking emotions both from a cigarette.s effects on the mind as well as from a love interest’s effects on the mind. The violin slides are beautiful and very impressive.
Inexorable Views: The instrumentation feels so clean. I really like the soft electronic sounds that skitter in the background. The clock ticking also works very well in this piece to add a sense of imminancy.
They Say It Flashes: Wow, this would be such a great twist to a story. So creative! My favorite parts are the french horns which are so clean as they cut through the mix. I also think that the timpani is very well-used throughout.
Overall, I think you have done such a great job of matching the sound to your story - it complements what I imagine the gameplay to be based on your descriptions super well. This is a different style than I have heard from you before and I think your choice to go in this direction paid off very well! Great work and thank you for sharing!
Dang - the orchestrations are on point, as usual. You put so much of yourself into the work, I really feel personality and imagination radiate from every piece. I hear a lot more complexity in the melodies vs last year, more dissonances, more tonal/rhythmic variety, overall it feels like you're taking more risks. Compositionally this is still 5/5 for me; don't be afraid to occasionally deliver a really strong, consonant, direct theme once in a while. You do it so well and it's one of the things I fell in love with about your work last year, so if I were to weigh in on future efforts, that's something I'd love to see continue.
Axes:
I really enjoyed the different tones and textures presented here. Calm, yet intriguing!
A Purple Box:
I could very easily see the game in my mind in this track. The use of grittier synths to convey the 2D space was genius! The track captures the feeling of being confused and having to learn different mechanics very well.
A Bike Can Go:
Wow, just wow! This track reminded me of what it felt like to ride a bike for the first time after failing at it day after day. It captured the feeling of wind in my hair and the nostalgia of that moment. Bravo!
Shifts and Pauses:
I think you did a wonderful job of capturing the expansion of dimensions in the game. This track in particular has a kind of 'working' mood if that makes sense..? It feels driven, yet still uncertain. I like it!
First Cigarette:
What a tender and sweet track! Blown away beyond words
Inexorable Views:
I love the sense of urgency in this track. It really feels like the player has mastered the 3rd dimension and now has to grapple with the mind-bending 4th dimension. The clock adds a lot on this track in my opinion, but I wish it was a little faster.
They Say It Flashes:
This track almost gives me Spider-Man PS4 vibes, it really feels like a race against time to save Pomet. The strings really tie this track together; I love how everything seems to soar above this constant texture. As a tuba player myself, I find myself wanting some low brass to support the trumpet as it climbs into the stratosphere.
Overall, I love your work here! I think the fact that your music brought up some old memories of mine says a lot about your ability to write compelling music. Amazing work! I look forward to your work in the future!
Interesting mix of atmospheres and moods! I don't really have any technical nitpick to share. I think the quality remains consistently good all the way through and each composition idea is compelling in its own way. It's also a somewhat unique approach to the concept of time compared to what I've heard so far from the other entries. You used time signatures and subtle, constant motions in the instrumentation to convey that sort of restless tension. Overall, very enjoyable, high quality soundtrack.
Axes: really cool ostinatos, very pretty mix of textures
A Purple Box: man these synths are really cool. Cute beeps and boops that imply some cool chord changes.
A Bike Can Go: really pretty atmospheric track. I love those occasional subbass swells.
Shifts and Pauses: lots of cool modal interchange here on the melody, love the natural 6 use that gives the Dorian vibe, and that one really cool secondary dominant. Beautiful woodwinds.
First Cigarette: Great strings and woodwinds. I heard a pop that might have been a rendering error at 1:33, but its very minor.
Inexonarable Views: the little occasional synth in the back really adds a nice touch to this. I kind of get Hollow Knight vibes from this one.
They Say It Flashes: I'm loving the percussive elements here. A tense conclusion to round out the ost.
Another great OST from you!
Oooh, what a very nice entry, and I love how much thought you put into the game and every single track! The arrangements are great, the orchestral sounds are on point and I’m always a sucker for irregular time signatures. Also a lovely amount of variety, even though the soundtrack was quite long, not a minute of it was boring in any way. My personal favourites are probably “A Bike Can Go” and “Inexorable Views” – like I mentioned before, I’m a sucker for irregular time signatures. Great stuff, well done!
Incredible work!! I was drawn in by your music straight away - so deeply atmospheric and cinematic. Each track was fresh and unique, while sounding cohesive when all put together. "Shifts and Pauses" was my top fave, but they all sound wonderful.
really well orchestrated! i was definitely expecting something more violent when i read the title, but with the story you've written, the more curious and tense orchestra music really shines. very well done my friend :)))))
Very nice indeed, lovely orchestration and also a wide range of variation both within and inbetween the tracks. Just as You describe Your imagined game - a journey with very different stages and possibilities. Really well, done - IMHO easily one of the top five of those I have heard so far. Hat off!
One of the most immersive I've heard so far. You really took us on a journey through styles and emotions. Great job!
Stunning work. Your orchestration is only getting better. Great instrument choices. I love the variety of sounds and how they all work together. The compositions are so interesting and refreshing and I think they fit the described scenes well. I loved listening to this. Thanks for making and sharing.
This is awesome! I love the very cinematic approach to a lot of the tracks, and the instrumentation is phenomenal!
The story is very interesting and very cool, and the fact that you wrote it in this span of days AND composed this entire soundtrack in such a short time is incredible!
I have to say that the ost reminds me of something, but i can't quite put my finger of it, so mybe you could tell us what inspired you it might be what i'm thinking of lol.
Anyway, awesome submission, and I think you definitely deserve 1st place!
Absolutely beautiful. You've crafted a great atmosphere. Amazing work as always!