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Really lovely game! I think I got a pretty decent record :)

As always, love the music too! It did end at some point, am I correct that it doesn't loop indefinitely? Now I miss the song :(

The game is really quite polished! It got all the necessary elements (tutorial-like images, highscore, menu, etc.) and it feels really good to play! The game is simple enough to be understood almost immediately yet has enough depth and randomization to not be trivial. For example, I always accidentally jump right into a downwards-angled bubble and instantly shoot myself back to the start, haha!

In case you're a bit like me and you get few people to try your game despite having poured quite some time and effort on it, hereby you've got my appreciation :)

I personally am going for just a single page, or perhaps even half of a page. I am simply using this jam as inspiration to try a different drawing style and get drawing again. So don't worry if you don't have many pages :)

I'm here after the jam finished, checking out some of the top submissions to see if I can learn something from them. I think your song is great :). It is relatively simple, great to be in the background of a boss fight, but very well-executed. It got few but powerful chord progressions, a nice brass section, a pleasant-sounding synths, a good rhythm and a strong beat. And I love the bubbly sound - did you use some form of synth or a sound effect for that? Overall, I like having this song on repeat, well done!

Thanks a lot! I have to agree that the bass is overpowering - I went a bit overboard with the bass features I've never been able to use - but its overpowerment had nothing to do with the low pass filters, right? I am glad you like it, thanks again :D

I like this quite a lot actually. It is very simple, but it sounds nice. I could see this fitting a skeleton theme too (skeletons are an enemy of the game I believe), but the jam requested you to make a song for the 'Coral Riff - Boss Battle' of the game, not just any theme for the game. Either way, cool song :)

Thank you :D. It means a lot to me. I actually never considered making the sounds in line with the original sounds; I just chose some sounds that I liked. That largely had to do with the fact that I never played this game and just wanted to experiment. But that is something I will take into consideration for next time for sure, thanks!

Thank you! Mixing and mastering has always been a weakness of mine. I don't hear that an instrument is too loud until I make it softer and notice the big improvement it makes.

Aha! I now get what you're suggesting. I watched a video on side-chaining, and I believe the effect you are particularly referencing is called a "ducking" effect. It's a great suggestion really, just a shame that I didn't know you could do that. Either way, I learned something new here, so thank you :D

Thanks for the in-depth feedback :D

I've barely ever really utilized panning before, so it's a great suggestion of something I can try next time! I like that idea.

I've never used "side-chaining" (nor know what it is), but I'll look it up. I myself felt like the kicks were quite punchy and on-the-beat already, so I am a bit confused about what effect side-chaining will have. Could you elaborate?

Thank you! I hadn't even thought of using panning, it's something I've really never used before. But it's a great idea for next time :D

Thank you :D. I did not specifically use a handpan -- do you by any chance mean the "steel drums"? Those are included in the standard Musescore3 soundfont. If you mean another instrument, perhaps one of the drums like the bongo, feel free to get back to me :). I am getting more familiar with instrument-names, but I am not great at all of them yet haha

I had completely forgotten, but I promised to watch that video! It is really entertaining, especially with the text and images along with it! I loved the Tune-a Fishes and the fact that they will keep the angry Bubblene as their queen... after rehabilitation! And the songs are also still really good. I can as of recently use the cool features of Musescore4, which includes a low-pass filter I can use to mimic that "muffled" water-sound you are going for. Cool stuff :D

Thank you :D. I know it ain't perfect, but I am glad you like it and get AC vibes from it  :)

Thank you! That day and night cycle was fun to make too :D

Thank you, I liked making the different times as well :)

Not really a clue what that means ("harsh attack, too many sub-basses"), but I do agree that the sound was not ideal. I knew that before submitting actually. Thanks for listening :)

Thanks :)

Thanks a lot for the reply! Now that you mention it, I do have to agree. Really helps :)

Thank you :D. Can you give me feedback on which parts need volume balancing, and which instruments need to be louder/softer? I always have a hard time noticing it myself.

Ah, thank you so much :D. I'm glad you find the vibes for each time fit well :)

Thank you! :D

A bit late, but here I am! Let's dive in, shall we? ;)

1) BLUE - Ahh... Immediately I recall why you are my favorite. The quality is always astounding. I also really love how I can read along with the text and have it be perfectly timed. As soon as I read "In the distance, though, she notices indistinct shadowy figures with red eyes darting back and forth just out of clarity", the part at 1:10 started playing a bit more ominously. Do you actually time that stuff? It almost has to be! And the piano full of reverb together with the vocals and such just sound heavenly.

2) DIVE - You definitely nailed that adventurous vibe you were going for! And the underwater plus out of water sound effects work perfectly in tandem with it. And I am starting to like the story more and more too :D

3) WAVE - Before I read it, I thought "this must be a shop theme"! I am still lost as to what makes a shop theme a shop theme, but I am noticing more and more that everyone around me knows exactly what makes it so xD. A short song so now and then is also a welcome change. And the story is really cute, I love this "seeing objects from memories" theme you've got going here.

4) FLOW - I love the vocals here! I immediately felt like the animals were humming alongside me (though they are clearly human voices). It gave it a really cute and hopeful vibe. One of my favorites so far :)

5) SINK - Wow, really cool how you switched to a darker setting. Reading the story that became quite dark suddenly matched the song well. It feels like enemies are approaching, like time is running out, but at the same time... like you will make it. Depressing yet hopeful. Really weird how you always nail those vibes!

6) DEEP - Forget what I said, this one is my favorite so far! I absolutely love this. Again, the text fitted perfectly - "suddenly the sky darkened in the distance" at 0:12 and "using everything she had learned and collected throughout her journey, she fought the snake head-on with a newfound bravery" at 0:35. I love the melodies all the way from 1:24 to 1:39, I love your chord progressions, I love the deep bass, I love the little jittering at 0:34 and 1:58, I just love this one :D

7) BREATHE - Fuck man, your last songs always hit so hard... Or should I say, they hit so deep. The story is simple and so perfect for this soundtrack, you always pull this off. You could have named this TEAR, cause that would be more accurate with our situation here (oh, and that would be in line with the 4-letter thing you've got going). Really awesome!

Also, I like that you chose for capitalized sea-words, all 4 letters long except the last. It makes it both consistent as well as easy for me to explain what song I am discussing :).
I am not gonna lie, listening to your songs is always both a blessing and a curse - I usually think that my songs don't sound so bad until I listen to yours! The difference in quality is just so big. Don't worry, I am not giving up - on the contrary, I'll use your songs as inspiration. Just know that you are exactly who I want to be like (in terms of music skills of course ;).

Until next time!

Thanks a lot, really appreciate it :D

Thank you :)

Thank you :)

Good to see you here again :)

1) Oh, that classical "lovers progression" (I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-ii-V, or any approximation of it) is doing its magic, I know it must be! I love the vocals, really cool :D
2) I love that it starts out really calm - I often want to make over-the-top songs which sound nice, but often a bit of ambience can work wonders in games.
3) I feel like I heard a bit of 'Aria's theme' in here - that lovers progression, even when not played in full, is hard to miss. Nice leitmotif!
4) Love the chord progressions in this one!
5) Oh yes, a battle theme partly in 15/8, let's go! Very well executed too. I love me some odd time signatures. And I hear parts of the previous song, 'Sanctuary of Reason', in here as well, very nice.
6) Repeating that theme over and over with those "Crystal" songs is a good tactic for creating consistency and getting it stuck in our heads. Smart ;)
7) I love a 4/4 song that switches to 3/4! And it feels very "tranquil" indeed; very serene and calm.
8) This is starting to feel like we're reaching the end. Like it starts to get nastier from here... Nicely done.
9) Oof, a song that even I cannot follow. My instincts tell me that this is not a weird time signature but just a lot of weirdly off-rhythm notes. The background is simple enough for it not to overwhelm. Makes for a nicely complex battle :)
10) The final crystal song. Feels fitting that the vocals return. Makes for a satisfying ending :D

Your songs sound really good, all of them, and you know how to balance your complexity with your simplicity well. Very well done, you always manage to impress :D

Thanks a lot :D

Glad you like it, and thanks for listening :D

That's cool, I wish I could animate like that! My drawing skills could still use some improvement, but I'm slowly getting there :)
And don't worry about not making it to OST7, I'll see you in another jam :D

Wow, that's really cool! I was listening to someone's Chiptune entry to the OST Composing Jam #7 and it reminded me of you, so I wanted to see whether you made an entry for it as well; instead, I found this beauty! Really cool. I already thought that it must have been partly 3D-animated (no way that anyone can draw that rotating square in the microwave so cleanly!), but that, 3D-animating, too is hard. Your 2D and 3D blend together real smoothly - I mean, I wasn't even really sure that you used 3D until I read about it. And, as always, congrats on just finishing something, that is hard enough by itself!

Oh, I just noticed this is over a year old... still impressive though :)

1) I like how you got the castle feeling by sticking to on-beat notes - that almost marching-like rhythm was something I found working well for castles as well.
2) The flute works well for the dreamy feeling. Also, those fade-ins and -outs plus the echoing effect on some instruments work wonders as well. Really nice :)
3) Let's goooo, this has a nice beat to it! I wish it was longer, or looped through it one more time.
4) The beginning is interesting as it is easy to lose the rhythm but easy to find it again too. The simplicity makes it good to listen to even though there is no sound on every first beat. I really like this one; it is very simple but just works. It feels like a more puzzle-y kind of dungeon. It still feels a bit dreamy (and a tad bit... sad?) though, really nice.
5) Wow, that immediately felt... heroic, final, absolute. This isn't just a boss battle, but a final boss, it must be! It feels like everything is on the line. 
6) This does feel like some form of march or siege. Nice :)
7) Feels kinda emotional. Calm, serene, as if it all comes to light.
8) Haha, it - for some reason - gives me Mario Kart vibes. Idk, maybe some 'choose your kart' theme resembles it or something. Cool that you even made such a theme xD

I feel like your composition style is a bit similar to mine - we tend to focus on minimalist design, with few instruments. You nail your vibes though, you've always gotten a real good sense on how to create a certain feeling. Chiptune on its best. As always, a joy to listen to :D

Thank you so much :D. I love your deep explanation.

I am glad you like the flute-melody in song 1, SFX sounds in song 2, and drum in song 3 - I especially wasn't sure about the SFX and the drum sound! And there is no chiptune in my songs, but you can see for yourself which instruments I use in my music-sheets.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it :)

Thank you! That means a lot to me :)

1) Everything sounds really good. Love the many bubbles, especially the bubbles at ±1:25 that seem to follow the rhythm. That change in speed at 1:40 was wacky but fun.
2) I am never able to make repetitive background not annoy me. You seem to have put enough interesting sounds on top of it to make it work :D. Sounds very mystique, I like it.
3) I like the change at ±1:45 from one theme to another. Though they are quite different, they match nicely. 'Burst into Worlds' sounds really good.
4) I love Odd Ode! A really cute song.

I would say that your mixing and quality is really good. From the first song I ever heard from you, I knew you were very skilled. Keep up the good work :)

Hey I recognize this person!

1) Haha that vibraslap xD, although I would put the volume a tad bit lower myself. That jazz-piano (or whatever it is) starting at 0:25 sounds really water-y.
2) Haha, love the bubble sounds at the start. How did you make those? Also love the 3/4 time signature. That "muffled" filter really works like crazy! Those cabasas, the reverb, and the fading in-and-out strings also make it sound perfectly underwater.
3) Simple and fun. Works perfectly for a town theme. I like the steel drum in the second part - I've fallen in love with that instrument as of recent.
4) Would fit well for a platforming section. As you say it: fast but not too fast. It ain't boss-level energy, but fits well for a platforming section. Love the tremolo-marimba at 1:02, and the melody at 1:10 is also great.
5) Would fit fine for a pause theme. I have never been good at pause themes, but this works great!
6) Love the speed-up! I see how you intended it to be a bit slow actually, contrasting the speedy start, though I was really hoping for a banger of a battle theme.. :'). Still, great song!
7) Ahh... peaceful. A nice one to finish off with. The harp also fits well.

I like that you went for many songs, but with many of them being on the short side. That is perfect! It is exactly how I want all entries to be: it would take me ±10 minutes to rate, not much more like with some other entries, and I can still hear a good variety of songs covering wide aspects of the game.

Also, I am definitely going to use this as inspiration for my own underwater music - I've been lacking in that regard and you seem to have the keys to success! Really, I love this :D

Oh, I still have to watch your animations! I always download the songs and listen them from my iTunes. I'll watch it soon :)

Hey again!

Love the 6/8 time signatures; it already makes it stand out to me over classical 4/4. Your songs are well-composed and have a good quality to them. I especially like the part at 0:27 of Daydream - that is an oboe isn't it? I love oboes! The vocals are not as "crappy" as you think they are; I actually like them quite a bit.
The first time, that song didn't sound too pirate-y to me, but the second time I definitely heard it!
Really cool entries :D

And I don't mind that it was only two songs. I prefer two fleshed-out songs over 10+ rushed ones any day :)

Thanks a lot for the long feedback :D

Your explanation is 100% spot-on how I intended it to feel! From the funny fighting sounds to the hopeful love to everything falling apart at the end. Love it!

My songs are often called "minimal", as I cannot deal well with many instruments - my sheets become a chaos really quickly. I did not "play safe" but I do keep my songs a bit short if that is what you mean. This is both such that you don't have to listen and rate as much, and to make it easier on me given the limited time. But I am very happy that you would have liked to hear more :D

Hey I recognize you too! We go quite far back :)

Thank you! I went a bit wild this time, trying to get the vibes right, if anything. I am glad you liked it :D

Thank you :). I get very mixed responses about my use of sound effects, so I don't really know if I did a good job or not. Some say it is "quite strange", "really goofy", or "hilarious". Others say "Haha the sound design", and "love what you have done with the sfx". At least it gets the attention ;)

Thank you :D. I can't get myself to stick to classical 4/4, and I noticed that 9/8 is quite easy to listen to (well, sometimes at least). I have tried anything from 9/8 to 5/4 and even 15/8 in the past - I am still in the experimental phase. Thanks again!