I like the synth arpeggios at the beginning and the sense of build-up into :30. In fact, I think you could’ve done even more to sell that build-up, like adding a sweep, or using some more extreme filtering, drum fills, etc. The refrain at :31 has a nice, quirky sound design and a punchy, well-balanced mix. Love the bass too. The breaks at 1:21 are catchy, but also don’t add much in the way of novel harmonic content. During the following minute, the drums also get a tad behind the rich pads in the mix. Breaking up the heavy texture with the bridge at 2:35 was a good idea, although the piano sample sounds a bit familiar - FL Keys, maybe? I also wanted to see you vary the main harmonic riffs more during the second half of the piece. Feels like a missed opportunity to give this piece a stronger narrative appeal. Still, I like the sound design and rhythmic content here a lot. The mix also holds up pretty well despite my nitpicks. My main concern here is probably the bland composition, but “trying out a bunch of new effects/mixing” definitely paid off for you. Keep at it, MarkRuff21! ^_^
Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
.75/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.5/2
Instrumentation and sound design
1/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
.25/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
7.25/10
MarkRuff21 
