I like the cute synth arpeggios at the beginning and the popcorn drums. The plucked synth at :11 sounds really loud compared to the rest of the instruments, and also occasionally clashes with the underlying harmonies. The cutesy tone and upbeat mood of the piece are great, but the synths themselves sound a bit cheesy and unpolished. The solo at 1:21 is really fun - I like the consistently descending frequency and wonky meter. The injection of energy at 2:10 was a pleasant surprise, and that section really helps hit the piece home. Overall, I think the composition of this piece is really strong. The melodies, fun shifts in tone and energy, mood, and atmosphere are all pluses. The staccato-y texture could use a shake-up at some point, even if it’s just a pad/drone part to smooth things out momentarily. I also think the mix sounds pretty dry overall, and that the atmosphere of the piece would sound that much richer if you had added a little more reverb and also maybe more bass tones. Still, nice work with the melodies and video game flair. You really told a story with this one, CommanderJersey. Keep it up! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.5/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1.25/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.5/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
.75/1
Composite score
8/10

i'm a sucker for sunvox and odd-meter rhythms. apart from the short buzzy lead, which i think is too loud and a little too harsh on the top end, the cute sound palette comes together really nicely. while i do like the progressive structure and slightly spicy chord progression, i found the melodies to all be meandering and not very memorable. if i was playing a game with this soundtrack i would find it annoying to have a dynamically jarring synth lead and melodies that are trying way too hard to steal my attention. the rhythms and chords are already quite complex - keep the melody simple!

important notes on my NGUAC review process: https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1476427/18#bbspost26965604_post_text