I liked the atmospheric, climactic intro. The part at :17 felt powerful and full-textured. You had some melodies in there at :17, but they got really buried underneath the mix. The melodies at :56 are blissful and catchy, but I thought you could’ve used some more creative rhythms. Those same melodies also got a little lost when you added those additional harmonies at 1:18. There are also other instruments that sound indistinct at times, such as the crashes during the transition at 1:12. The emotional height early in this piece seems really drawn out, lasting essentially from :39 to 1:56, and even then the energy doesn’t stop. By 2:19, that structural relief is more than welcome, and even then it’s short-lived compared to the overall pacing of the piece. You also don’t really have another section with strong melodic content in this piece after the first half or so, which kind of limits the overarching sense of development this piece has. I also thought your transitions, some of your instruments, and chord progressions were pretty generic. You have a great sense of harmony, but unfortunately that harmony isn’t coming through as clearly as it could because of the mastering flaws. For example, I love that bell-like atmospheric synth at 1:57, but it’s hard to discern its melody. Perhaps some panning would’ve helped there. I suggest you explore more stereo widening effects in the future, and maybe also simply more careful filtering/equalizing. If you improve the production quality and flesh out the final climax more, this would be a very good piece. Until then, keep at it, man! ;)

7/10

You wouldn't believe the grin on my face right now. I agree, flying free is also one of my favourite of your tracks, and this captures the original beat, while also bringing a refresh in style. Jae brings up a strong point, the two songs have different emotions, but apart from that the quality in the mastering is fantastic. Overall great song, glad to see my old favourites coming back. (*cough* *cough* -=My Future=- *cough* *cough*) jokes and desires aside, great job.

I won't say I like this one any better than the 2k14 version, but I certainly don't like it any less. I think, though, that's more because of the feelings the different versions evoke. The 2k14 version makes me feel more hopeful and happy and energetic, while this one gives me more feelings of determination and drive and triumph. If this song was the main theme for a movie, I'd say that this is what would play while the hero has a training montage or emerges victorious while 2k14 might play as either the opening or during a carefree period before the main conflict arises.

I'm probably over explaining a bit, but there you go. Either way, Flying Free is my favorite song of yours by far!