Super Trench Attack 2
By
Paul Stephen-Davis
Retro Army Ltd 2015
Copyright Retro Army Ltd 2015
Report 1 : Sgt Rich (Purple Team)
1) Very up beat, great tempo and use of the trumpet styled noise to create a likable tune. Heavily reminds me of Claymates (Super Nintendo game) (reference: <https://youtu.be/_-G520ACFUo?t=41>). I am a huge fan of the chipper yet battle ready tune. Literally can't find a single negative to the first theme.
2) Gives a sinister yet cheerful/playful vibe to it. Reminds me of the Imperial March (Star Wars) tune. Trumpet use similar to the first beat but still different enough to be noticeable and interesting. It almost feels as though the intro is signaling in a great general/leader's troops as they march into a settlement. The tune gets much darker at the :24 mark and starts to really give off a unique vibe compared to the first.
3) I wasn't as big of a fan of this one as the first two. While the style was there, it seemed the tunes went from more of a battle/war style tune and changed to almost a country styled tempo. I'd like to hear something that reminds me more of a battle march than the tune used. It may be just because I went from two samples of similar tune/tempo and then listened to this one...but honestly it just didn't have that sense of power that the first two beats had. While it is just a map select screen, I think it would fit better if it fell in line with the tempo/action. This song would be perfect for a camp or shop though, or perhaps even the casino.
Honestly, my favorite is Ada's Battle Theme just due to the nostalgia of how you really nailed those old school sounds and the vibe of the whole thing. It really paints a picture in your head when you listen to it.
Report 2 : Sgt Wallis (Green Team)
In general I usually turn off in game music & listen to my own choice instead.
Having said that, here is some feedback:
Ada's battle theme: energetic, upbeat & slightly comical. Reminds me of slapstick comedy skits for some odd reason.
Enemy battle theme: downright creepy when that slide guitar synth kicks in. Nice.
Map theme: ahhh, an quiet evening stroll on the beach with cocktails.
To my non-audiophile ears, it sounds like classic midi format BGM from old 16bit games era. Very retro. ;)
Score 8 pts, 2 more points to Lvl2!
Score 5 pts, 5 more points to Lvl2!
Report 3 : Sgt PandaGirl (Blue Team)
Mission 1
Ada's Battle Theme: I love this; it sounds very retro-y, which is, well, the whole thing behind STA. xD However, I'm not able to give my full opinion on if it fits Ada well or not because I still have yet to finish STA1 [and haven't met her yet]! I hope to finish it soon. :)
Enemy's Battle Theme: I like this theme, but it isn't my favorite. For an improvement, I think it should sound a bit more menacing. It sounds a bit too upbeat, in my opinion.
Map Screen Song: I like this one as well, calming yet also has that retro-feel that we love. It seems to fit the idea of a map screen very well. It also has an adventurous sound to it, which of course, is fantastic for a map screen!
Score 5 pts, 5 more points to Lvl2!
Report 4 : Sgt Aryan (Blue Team)
Starting by Ada's Battle theme, since the beginning all the way to 7th second it pumps energy as something important is going to happen. However, from 7th second to the end, it creates an atmosphere that is implying victory and happiness. So for instance, if it were to be used in a fight scene, I would feel like it is a victorious and easy part. Moreover, listening to it over and over again, gave me a feeling that perhaps it is a main menu song and if this is the case, it is indeed the right choice.
Next, it is the Enemy Battle theme's turn to be criticized. It is some sort of spooky and motivating at the same time. I imagine it being played during a gameplay, while the player is discovering the unfamiliar through darkness and chances of encountering an enemy is very high. One can relate to the beats being played from 8 to 21th seconds as some sort of motivation, which boosts his or her confident. Whereas in contrast to those beats, the beats used from 21 to 41th seconds create an illusion of mystery and for sure a dark atmosphere.
Finally, by listening to Map screen song, it gave me feeling of being lost and clueless, which in my opinion is the right choice for the map screen. It is hinting to the player that even though you are hopeless or lost right now, there is still a slight amount of hope for you to continue. It creates sense of a journey or maybe an adventure.
In general, even though all the three songs are different from one another, they all have this retro feeling that reminds me of the old school PS1-ish games. And for sure, they fit the atmosphere of the game very well.
Score 8 pts, 2 more points to Lvl2!
Report 5 : Sgt Tjitze (Red Team)
1 : Ada theme is a nice music. It hears like the music is from the game "Normality" the intro of it.
2 : Battle theme. real army music. Like a real battle.
3: Map theme. releaxt. Not annoying
Score 3pts, 7 more points to Lvl2!
Big thanks to all participants! I've passed all reports on to our music team. In future if you want to score higher points it's better to write abit more. Just a tip! It gives us more to work with. Keep up the good work Squad 10!
Report 6 : Sgt Scott (Green Team)
Ada's Battle Theme: I like the fact that it has a fast-paced and bright feeling to it, especially as it moves past 7 seconds in. It reminds me of a blend of Final Fantasy and Super Mario RPG sounds and sound design. I feel like the very beginning of the song could be halved (basically the starting 3 seconds repeats twice and then the main theme begins). You could cut the first three and a half seconds of the song off and I think that would help the sound of it. You have a short introduction and then get right down to business and adventure at about 7.5 seconds in.
Enemy Battle Theme evokes a martial feeling with trumpet sounds that give them a sense of power and authority, but I think the metal-style sound at 22 seconds, while really cool, makes me think more of a boss fight than a normal enemy encounter. The music itself should stay the same as it does have that military feel to it, but I would replace the stylish guitar and piano combo with something more military band-style (maybe lower horns or a drummer boy percussion). I really enjoy the guitar licks and piano part and that'd be great for a mid-boss/stronger enemy/boss, but it seems overly special for a normal encounter. A very cool theme overall.
Map screen song: I enjoy the pastoral feel of it (with the hoofbeat sound and more relaxed guitar twangs), but depending on how widespread and brutal the war is, this might be a better theme for just the early part of the game, and then a different, darker theme used for enemy territories and when times are harder. I enjoy this theme a lot, but I'm not sure it would fit for a region steeped in conflict. It'd be a very good theme for a place that is sunny, warm, and safe - More R&R music than "time to go fight" music.
Score 9pts, 1 more points to Lvl2!