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I'm glad the Mario comparison came through; that playful quality was definitely part of the intent. And you are right about the theme drifting more toward underwater or beach than lake lol.

Funny you mention the keys idea; The two pianos—the reverberated piano that runs throughout the song, and a second one appearing from 1:10 to 1:30 and again from 2:12 to 2:32, are quite quiet in a way. Funnily enough, I originally had shimmering syncopated chimes but thought it might've been too much. I still have that track, just muted in the project tho haha.

Starting in C Locrian and switching to C Phrygian was a smart way to create that mysterious shift, and the drone note change in the first 30 seconds works well as a structural device. My main note is that the track drifts out of ambient territory in places, so pulling back some of the foregrounded elements would help it sit more firmly in the genre. The lake theme comes through well, especially given how much thought you put into the setting.

Really solid work; I really like the compositional elements!

Thank you so much for the thoughtful critique. I'm glad the intentions came through and that you liked the Pokémon pictures—I really wanted an excuse to use them since they were from a museum exhibit to really fit the vibes.

Your ears are sharp, as your Andean comment is spot on. You actually picked up on something I wasn't sure anyone would notice. Some of the padded instruments in the background were heavily modified/modulated South/Latin American instruments from SRX World, so you caught the real thing, not just a vibe!

Track one is wonderfully ambient and feels like a musician on a boat playing during a still lake at night. Track two is where it drifts, since the flamenco-style strumming and improvisation push it out of ambient territory, though the emotion behind it clearly comes through. Both tracks fit the theme well overall, and the Phrygian to Lydian shift ties them together nicely. I actually think you could've added some hums since you've got the vocals for it—it would be a cool low drone. 

Great stuff as usual! 

Thank you! That was definitely the intent, so I'm glad it really came thru!

This is a really ambitious, well-crafted set of tracks. The Koto work, the experimentation with reverse sidechain, and the tempo shift in track two show a level of consideration and vision that stands out. The storytelling across the three tracks is genuinely clear!

Amazing work; can't wait to hear more from you!

There is a lot I like here! The microtonal dissonance from the gamelan (especially!) and everything else slowly sinking in pitch is genuinely unsettling in the best way, and it gives the track a real sense of the uncanny. I get Creepypasta-lore vibes in the best way possible lol.

Great submission!

The primordial, earthy quality here is extraordinarily unique, and it is one of the more memorable submissions so far. It gives me prehistoric vibes (which I'm a big fan of), namely the Carboniferous era. The mallets and violins might be a touch too forward for the ambient vibe, though. Softening them with reverb, granulation, or even reverse reverb would let them sit deeper in the space and make the whole thing feel more immersive. Really strong work overall; I really like this submission!

The mix and instrumentals are immaculate, not exactly ambient, but epic nonetheless. I get like underwater graveyard-boss-battle vibes from these tracks.  

Great work, guys!

The balance here is great! You introduced variety without breaking the ambient feel. It gives off a cozy, gathering-game atmosphere and comes through clearly. The compositions stay engaging throughout. The piano coming in at 2:25 is my personal favorite part.

Solid submission!

It's like a haunted lake vibe, and it works here. The quiet SFX and restrained mix create a mood that feels genuinely unsettling in a good way, and it fits the theme well. Adding a slow evolution, a new texture creeping in, or a subtle shift in tone would give it more depth without breaking the sparse atmosphere. The foundation is solid! 

Great work!

Your mixing is clean and consistent, and the grainy textures in the tracks complement the edit you've done for the cover art nicely. The cyber-esque direction is a bold choice, but works very well for an ambient theme.

Good stuff!

Firstly, the instrumentation and composition choices are right up my alley! The strings and ambient electric piano blend beautifully, and the wave SFX tie it to the lake theme nicely. I also like that you included a version without SFX to hear the composition by itself. I think you could expand upon this track, maybe adding more variation and SFX. 

Overall, I get a pensive vibe—great work!

I'm scared to get into Omnisphere (it just seems like such a big tool lol). Most of the sounds here are from Roland Cloud, EastWest, and NI.

This is a really nice track, and your mixing has improved a lot! The Phrygian mode works well for a hidden, humid jungle lake, and using the flute and piccolo as bird calls is a smart, effective choice. The bass and cello drones give it a grounding warmth (and I love tracks that fill out the lower end!). It leans more toward structured orchestral—which I'm always a sucker for, and the peaceful vibe fits the theme well. 

Really nice work!

This is a strong submission. The Lydian mode was a perfect choice for mystery and discovery, and the distorted drones paired with pitch-bending water SFX really sell the idea of sinking deeper into something beautiful and unsettling. The raw piano recordings give it a warmth that VSTs would've lost. One small note: around 3:24 there is a suspended drop that came across more like a playback glitch than an intentional pause. I think it was the absence of a trail that might've contributed to that feeling.

Overall, really amazing submission!

 i am under the water now

This is rich, with a lot of variety in its sounds and SFX. The Japanese-inspired approach gives it a distinct identity, and you've got a nice, structured composition.

Definitely replayable—you should put this on a streaming site!

I love the beats; they're subtle but definitely fill the space of the track well. The other small sounds and SFX you've injected are also well done and show good variety!

Great submission!

The lake theme comes through clearly, and the vibe is immersive throughout. I kinda get drowning vibes
(morbid—I know), but in the sense of replaying your best moments in life, way.

I love this submission a lot; you should definitely consider putting this on a streaming site!

The rain and wind sample gives this a calm, fitting foundation for the theme, and I like the subtle thunder in between. This gives me JRPG vibes, so great work!

Beepbox has always befuddled me, so it's nice to hear a good composition made with it! Your track definitely has nostalgic energy to it.

Sounds very chill, like a JRPG fishing site at a lake!

The adaptive design is a fun approach, and it clearly fits an indie game setting!

I like the drone textures, and that is a solid foundation to build on. To take this further, I'd suggest adding some bass or strings to fill out the low end, using automation so the instruments don't cut off abruptly, and dropping in some SFX to fill the empty spaces. Reverb or modulating effects would also help push the sounds past their fundamental tones and bring them closer to an ambient, lake-like feel.

Overall, I get a spoopy—like a haunted fable about a lake vibe, so that's very fun!

Choosing C Hirajoshi was a good call; it gives the track a unique flavor, and the Yangqin sounds good (I love using Asian and MENA instruments in my compositions!). To push this toward the lake theme, I'd suggest pulling things back with more reverb, and granulizing some of the plucky and staccato sounds could add a really nice watery and bouncy texture.

The piano and violin parts are nicely written; you have a good ear for melody. To push this toward an ambient, lake theme, I'd suggest pulling the instruments back with more reverb, softening the loud synth near the end, and adding textural layers (water, wind, animals).

Great work. I hope you continue joining more music jams!

The detail that stuck with me most is that fear of storms is seen as cowardice. That one belief says everything about the Storm Lords. They don't just tolerate the environment, they've built their entire moral code around it, and the moment with the traveler laughing as the storm engulfs them captures that perfectly. 

The gorn garments are a quietly brilliant survival detail too, the same piece of clothing keeping you cool in the day and warm at night. I also love that the steppe dinosaurs are feathered and bird-like rather than scaly, which makes the world feel like it's evolved on its own terms instead of borrowing from familiar fantasy. The image of Iveh being stopped at the Amanuan border by a lone figure with a staff is a strong visual, and it raises a lot of questions about what the Amanuans are capable of. 

The tracks accompanied the text very well and definitely brought your lore to life! Amazing work and detail were put into your submission.

I forgot to post the actual comment earlier in the week, I got very sick and just now recovering 😅

This is a lot to take in, but the layered timeline works well. The past with Nemus and Sylva, the fracture, and Renata's journey all feed into each other without feeling forced. The Sylva twist is the strongest part for me. Her suicide being what gave the forest both its defense and its rage is a genuinely tragic idea, and the Mater Natura as her hatred and fear without her love is an effective concept. The Fides flower is a nice detail too, protection that only lasts when it's freely given. I also liked that the resolution isn't about defeating the forest but about healing it through sacrifice and connection. 

A few things I'd poke at: the lore explanation at the end spells out a lot that the story itself already communicates, and some of it might hit harder if left implied. The middle section with Renata and Nemus traveling together is also quite long, and while the quiet moments are lovely, the pacing drags a bit before the Mater Natura attack. And the ending, with Renata returning and everyone just accepting the forest is safe now, feels a little too smooth given how much trauma the survivors have been through. But overall, this one stuck with me, and the fact that it was written in three days is kind of wild!

I forgot to post the actual comment earlier in the week, I got very sick and just now recovering 😅

The Otherness is genuinely unsettling, and the logs do a great job building dread as things spiral. The best part for me is the myth vs. reality angle, the real scientists becoming gods and villains over centuries is such a good detail. 

One thing I'd poke at: the tone feels split between cozy cute and full-on body horror. That contrast can work, but I'm curious how you'd balance them. Also, the roguelite death mechanic is very forgiving, as you keep 10% of resources and never truly die. Fits the cozy vibe, but it does lower the stakes. Curious how you'd keep tension high without punishing players too hard.

The music was great as usual, solid stuff!

I forgot to post the actual comment earlier in the week, I got very sick and just now recovering 😅

I really like this one. A plant taking over the world and forcing humanity into the skies and underground is a fun premise, and the way you've built out both cultures from that single idea is impressive. As the sky people living off flowers and fruit while capturing gas for their airships, the underground people farming tubers and weaving roots into rope.

Also on the music side, the piano tracks were great, but some reverb or a bit of delay would be nice, "Field of Flowers" especially felt like it would've been more impactful with that kind of space in the track.

Very nice compositions!

This is a strong concept, as the tracklist alone tells a complete story, from the mission's launch to first contact and the activation of something ancient. The Relic pulling her in despite the risks is a classic setup, and the Kaloi tribe makes me have some questions: are they connected to it? Did they avoid it for a reason? The track names doing the worldbuilding is a cool way to tell a story, and I'd definitely be curious to see where this goes next. 

Instrumentally and melodically, your tracks sell the whole technology/space aspect very well!

Great work!

Thank you for the review! I was worried it would be too many words andimages. Originally, I would've had VO work done to accompany the story with on-screen text, but some things fell through with that. I plan to put this all together cohesively in the future with more tracks and align them with the images (probably will make more drawings as well)!

Always love your work; the orchestration is always 
I think I'm in a different camp, as I'll always prefer wetter sounds and the idea of the orchestral piece playing live in a hall, which your pieces always give off!

This is a solid JRPG-style story: peaceful village, coming-of-age ceremony, sudden attack, revenge quest with childhood friends. The story has some genuinely effective dark moments; Justo's parents being dead and fused into the machines that attacked the village caught me off guard (since you said *I* went pretty dark in mine haha!) And the ending, where the heroes choose to destroy all the ancient technology instead of using it for power, feels more mature and responsible than I expected from such a trope-heavy plot, and lowkey I can't relate; I want more power lol. Plus, the self-awareness about running out of time was relatable. 

Great video and music!

This was a nice immersive read; it's a poetic ethnography, painting a vivid picture of a culture that has fully embraced impermanence. The way the River and Mountain people are distinct yet united under 'the Flow' creates a nice thematic duality, and the idea that they build, create, and sing knowing they'll lose it all again is strangely comforting, like saying change isn't the end or something to fear. 

The music sections stood out to me, especially how each group's instruments are shaped by their environment (flutes from ibex horns, chordophones by the river), and how they come together through trade and shared song. I think this would've been the perfect opportunity to experiment with already existing instruments to really sell the focus on both the music of the wind and water! I loved the tracks musically; I just wish I could've heard your idea of how these instruments would sound (playing around with effects, sidechaining wind or water, maybe making the flute overblown). I wanted to hear how your chordophone would've sounded since it was the main star!

Overall, it feels like a world that's been carefully thought through, not just in terms of geography, but in how the people's beliefs, tools, and daily lives all echo the same core idea: that change is the only constant, and meaning comes from participating in it, not fighting it.

I've got some wildlife concept art I've done for the previous jam where the theme was Skylands, and I could honestly see them living in your world you've created!

Great job with your submission, you two!

This was interesting, as it gives off the classic sci-fi horror vibe, but then reveals that the entire planet was gestating an embryo and basically recontextualizes everything. The tension between Saelices' caution and Markham's arrogance, and how that hubris directly causes the extinction of not just an ecosystem, but what could have been a sapient species in the Fih, was realistic. The mental image of the planet collapsing in on itself while researchers flee is dark and morbidly entertaining, and the fact that they were basically drilling into a cosmic egg the whole time is haunting in a broader sense; it's about the cost of unchecked ambition, and how often we destroy innocent things simply because we refuse to look closer.

Great job!

I get a post-apocalyptic atmosphere for sure, but more on the happier, more hopeful side.  If I hadn't read the background lore, I would've gotten "school is out" vibes or even a zombie outbreak in the countryside.  The guitars sound great; good spatialization and instrumentation overall!

I love the ambience! I'm actually looking forward to what you make for the next jam (since that is the Ambience jam!!) .
The tracks themselves are soft and tender—which matches your art style. 

I hope you come back to completing it. You have a strong grasp on perspective, so I think you'll do great! 

I really like the dark, foggy mood you've established across all four pieces. The consistent color palette shows great artistic vision! To take this set to the next level without losing that misty feel, I would recommend adding a few elements to give the viewer a sense of scale. For example, adding a tiny silhouette of a bird, a falling rock, or even that same creature in the distance would make the cliffs look massive. You could also add some subtle, pale highlights to the very edges of the rocks to help define their shapes against the fog, or lean into the watercolor look with some splatters or drips to make the texture feel intentional. Right now, it's a great mood piece, but a little bit of added scale or edge definition would make it feel like a finished world!

This is a very clean, polished character design. The soft coloring and the cool-toned gradient on the wings are really pleasing to look at, and the pose feels natural. It gives me a nice sticker-feel. If you ever revisit this, I think you could make the wings feel more dynamic by adding subtle shading and maybe experimenting with the thick outer outline to help them blend more naturally.