*gravelly voice* Kept you waiting, huh?
Sorry for the delay, I've had a few things to sort out and I didn't get chance to sit down and review these until now! Thanks again to everyone that took part, all of your entries were great!
So! Getting down to it!
PythonBlue - Top-drawer production and instrumentation, everything sounded brilliant. I definitely got the WW2 vibe from it, and you nailed the sense of Triumph and resolution. There was also a sense of relief that came through, kind of like the end of a huge battle (youknow, like...the war
). But because of that the sombre mood did creep in a little. The build of the crescendo did a lot to counteract sad undertones and got everything nice and major, and the final hit punctuated the ending very well. It was nice to hear you produce something like this which was very much out of your normal specialty and I could definitely picture this as an end credits tune.
8thMode - Fantastic production and instrumentation! There was a real playfulness in the overall sound which I really enjoyed. Big checks in the triumph and resolution boxes, it made me think of the end of a big adventure and would work for several types of game. My only criticism in terms of the challenge was that there wasn't as big of a buildup towards the crescendo as I was expecting. However, you do hint at it earlier at around the 24 second mark so it doesn't come from nowhere, but I was anticipating more of a build towards the end. The crescendo itself is executed perfectly though. Overall its hard to comment on the specifics of this entry since I liked it so much, so well done!
ChristianC - Great production on this one, although I wasn't completely sold on the use of the chiptune synth along with the piano as it started to grate on me a little as the song progressed, mainly because of the juxtaposition of the harsher glitchy sound against the soft piano. The banjo part would have been better higher up in the mix as that was really nice and I wanted to hear more of it! The track did give a sense of resolution, however the mood wasn't all that triumphant throughout most of the track which was quite a big part of the challenge. However, the build towards the crescendo at 2:58 was great and built up a happier tone, but the crescendo itself was hampered by the drums continuing afterwards. With all that said musically it was fantastic and I liked how the whole track was a nice smooth building progression towards the ending. Overall the song was definitely relevant to the theme and I really enjoyed it despite the melancholy feel.
But this wasn't an original piece for the competition so unfortunately I can't really let it get through.
MusiCore - Great production and instrumentation! I really loved how it sounded retro yet modern & clean at the same time. The sense of triumph and resolution were definitely there and it would easily fit with an end credits sequence. For some reason I got a sense that it would be at the end of a Sonic game, or possibly even a Clover/Platinum games end sequence where they have all the characters doing a big dance sequence. I would have liked to hear a little more progression in the melody, as a lot of the progression was based off just the one riff which made the whole piece seem shorter. The use of the sweeping effects throughout worked well to split up the song though and helped build towards the crescendo, however this would have been more effective if the melody and chord progression built up along with it. Unfortunately the track seemed to have been cut off early as well after the crescendo, but I got the idea! Overall this was a solid entry and I was really hoping for a dancey kind of tune when I was setting up the challenge so good job!
BleakProspects Nice, clean production and a great use chiptune and more natural sounding instruments together. The intro was nice and the progression throughout made for an infectiously catchy tune! It definitely fit the bill as an end credits piece, and I got a sense that there would be an epilogue to accompany the credits as this was playing. However, there was a slight sense of a bittersweet end rather than a triumphant ending. Unfortunately there also wasn't the big finish I was expecting since the whole piece was a more subdued affair, so it would have been more in line with the challenge had there been more of a build and ended with a bang, rather than opting for the slowing in tempo. I did really like this entry though, and there is a good chance I will find myself humming this at some point in the future.
Tipp - The production could have been better on this one, The bass kind of muddied up the song and everything else seemed a bit too quiet as a result. This track would have benefited from being slightly longer as well as it seems to end before it really gets started. I did like the melodies a lot though and it would have been nice if they had been given a bit more of a chance to shine! This would work as an end credits tune as it does tick the boxes that I was after in terms of the mood, but there wasn't really any crescendo since it seemed to tail off slightly at the end. The little flourish at the end was a nice touch though
I could definitely see where you were going with this entry though but the technical issues seemed to hold it back.
Tao Tao - The production on this was good considering the extremely lo-fi/retro style you opted for. The main melody synth was maybe a little
too basic for my taste though! When I first listened, the intro had me a little bit confused, but when I listened to the whole piece it made more sense as a bookend for the track. I loved the progression into the main section and this was another catchy track. You nailed the theme and it really made me smile a lot =D Whilst I could see the intention with the crescendo, it seemed a little overly complicated and there was a distinct gap as it started which broke the flow that you had established up to that point. Overall though I liked this entry and was an unexpected surprise at the end of the competition. I could definitely see the bad animation in my minds eye!
Sublinimal - Great production and retro style! however the whole mix was lacking in low-end which seemed a bit of a shame given the more upbeat style you opted for. Whilst I imagine you wanted to avoid giving it too much punch so that it didn't sound like an ending theme, I think it would have benefited from having something to carry the track through in the bass frequencies. Another really catchy melody though, I really got the sense this would fit at the end of a high-octane arcade game, something with cars or motorbikes
The progression was great and the overall mood was exactly what I was looking for (You got an audible "Yeah!" from me as this kicked in, which you should be proud of!) Reverting to the intro at such a high volume at the end did detract from the crescendo though, as I would have preferred to hear a more definitive "ending". This is another entry that I would have liked to have been a little longer as well as I was really enjoying where you were going with it.
It was a blast to listen through all the entries and hear the broad spectrum of ideas that came out of it, I was looking forward to hearing everyone get creative and I wasn't disappointed! Apologies on the timing for those of you that wanted to enter but couldn't due to school commitments!
I've been having a
ridiculously tough time whittling this down to the 3, as there were some entries that I really liked in terms of musicality and production, but didn't quite hit on the theme as well as they could have done and vice versa.
But with that said, the finalists are:
8thMode, PythonBlue & MusiCore 
Developer
