This began as a piano-focused submission for Phase I of the Newgrounds Music Triathlon (2024) but I couldn't help myself from evolving it beyond the parameters of the challenge so lmao…using just a few tracks when you're MIDI-ing is hard! I remember having the same difficulty with the first NGMT too. Oops. So I'm not officially entering this in round one, but I hope to have more self-discipline with the incoming rounds.

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My take on the theme of "The Reclaimed Land" :

There were many solutions being theorized to stop the catastrophe that would erase human life from Earth, but all of them were much too late to take any meaningful form. Doom was certain for humanity. And the stubbornness of human character kept some people focused on wish-work anyways, mostly scientists testing their luck on miracles despite knowing they wouldn't be around long enough to see the results. Moments before death, a group of bioengineers made their last attempt by tricking their beloved pets into ingesting an experimental formula.

As it turned out, the experiment worked. Their cats and dogs were imbued with pure longevity, making them impervious to physical trauma and able to survive extremely long periods without food or water. They remain to be some of the last living inhabitants on the planet while it decomposes around them, beginning its rebirth after a few hundred years. It's at this point that the pets very much enjoy the world: the boundless blue sky, the growing diversity of new life, and the consistently nice weather.

But, the flattened ruins of human existence give them a tinge of confusion. Perhaps sadness? There's a sense of familiarity in these structures beyond just playing around them every day. Despite having an idyllic paradise to themselves, these immortal animals share a feeling of sadness while relaxing in lush fields of shortgrass…

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Yes, I know about the game Stray (2022)