I like the pensive riffs at the beginning, although the synths themselves are a bit cheesy, especially the higher-pitched atmospheric one. Really creative rhythmic work at :14, but I wanted the drums to be a bit stronger and the reverb to be a little less saturated in the mix. The melody at :28 is cool, and there’s a nice renewed sense of energy at :56. The modulation at 1:15 was a nice touch, although I think you overdid the key changes a bit when another big mood/harmony shift comes at 1:23. That synth brass solo at 1:45 was really cute, and definitely sounds like something out of a retro video game. The outro at 2:30 kinda threw me off - it’s a big change in emphasis pattern and energy compared to the section before it. It almost sounds more like the 2nd half of a breakdown rather than an outro. Still, the conclusion of the piece comes together well, and you definitely have a good amount of variety and flavor in the piece to keep me engaged. Nice work with the melodies and sound design, especially. Keep at it, Pheanir! ^_^

Mixing, mastering, and balance
1.75/2
Structure, transitions, phrasing, and variety
1/1.5
Melody, tonality, harmony, and texture
1.75/2
Instrumentation and sound design
.75/1
Emotion, atmosphere, and catchiness
1.25/1.5
Originality and uniqueness
1/1
Overall (how do the elements above interact?)
1/1
Composite score
8.5/10

This is an official NGADM '19 Review

Composition:
This gave me the feeling of something like a high energy 90's SNES or PlayStation game. The 5/4 and 4/4 is played with nicely, and I like how fluid you were with switching between the two. They felt natural and flowed really well when you switched. As far as composition goes, it's really complex without being hard to listen to, and it really compliments the instruments you're using.

Production and Sound Design:
Some of what gives it the feel of a retro style game is the instruments / synths you picked. They're a little cheesy, but in a good way, I enjoy them. However there's a few tweaks I think should have been made. There's some bell style instruments that don't have a good attack and don't decay quick enough for some of the runs you do like in the 0:55 section. It makes the notes blend together a little too much. There's also a couple of spots where you have balancing issues like 2:30. That particular spot it felt like the melody instruments were getting crowded out by some of the instruments that were supposed to be more in the background.

Structure:
The song progresses and develops the main theme pretty well. It feels fresh while not being too unfamiliar as it goes on. However the song felt a little too energetic. What I mean is that there wasn't much dynamics with the energy. The only real contrast I felt happened around 1:30. I didn't necessarily get tired of listening to this, but it felt a little flat since there wasn't different energy levels to manage.

Emotion / Conclusion:
This has a nice charm. You really put a lot of work into the composition and I think it presents itself well. You handled the song nicely and had a nostalgic feel throughout the whole song.

Composition: 9

Production: 6

Sound Design: 7

Structure: 7

Emotion: 7

Indeed.