Hey gamers!  It's Borealis!

Time for the next three tracks, and I hope you're enjoying the videos that come along with these devlogs!  Click the one below to hear the songs I'll talk about in this edition.  Let's get into it!

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Fissure

Do you remember me telling you about how the track 'Nichijou' was originally written for a Markiplier fan game that I was composing the soundtrack to, that never got made?  Well, 'Fissure' is another track from that game!  It's a sad, lamenting song that feels full of inconsolable sorrow, and rightly so, as its original purpose was to accompany the scene of somebody's death in the Markiplier game.  When writing it, I used some ideas that I remember learning about during my university days, particularly thinking about my film music classes and hearing examples of Hanz Zimmer's penchant for using lots of low orchestral stringed instruments during his sad or tense pieces (Hanz Zimmer is one of my favourite composers).  As it didn't get used, I figured it was perfect to repurpose for Venus: Improbable Dream, and actually, the entire thing is basically unchanged from the original, bar some mixing.  In its new context, 'Fissure' now serves an unfortunate and dark purpose - it's the song that plays at times when everything goes wrong for Kakeru, if the player makes a choice that leads to something awful, and is generally only heard during events that lead up to a bad ending.  In a way, I kinda hope you never hear it, to save your feelings from getting crushed!  Unless you're a completionist who wants to experience every ending, of course.

Prickle

Less a piece of music, and more a piece of sound design in a way, 'Prickle' is something heard very often throughout the game, as it accompanies scenarios that make Kakeru very nervous and scared.  Its core is a throbbing heartbeat sound, chosen to convey how one can sometimes hear their own heartbeat in their ears when they're feeling particularly on edge, which is exactly what is happening to Kakeru whenever this piece plays.  I decided to essentially let it speak for itself, and not add much in the way of instrumentation at all, simply pairing it with a tense synth melody that repeats somewhat distortedly alongside it.  I also chose the title 'Prickle' to relate to that prickly feeling you get when you're feeling anxious/scared, when the hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand up.

Making History (Kakeru's Version)

You can all breathe a sigh of relief now, because the sad/tense pieces are over for today!  Now it's time to move on to something much more wonderful.  'Making History' is a track that is only heard in one scenario during the game, and when you play it for yourself and make the choices that lead it it, you'll understand why.  The event that this song accompanies is somewhat monumental for Kakeru, a moment of validation for him as a person as he achieves something he never thought he would.  Naturally, I'm not going to tell you what it is for spoiler reasons!  But you can be sure that it's a heart warming, tear-jerking moment that he'll never forget.  Also, I'm sure you've noticed that this song's title states that it's Kakeru's version, and you'd be right in your guess that Haruka also has her own version of it too.  Why is that?  You'll have to stay tuned with these devlogs to find out!

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I hope that was fun for you guys!  On Friday, we'll be moving on to some relatively cheerful tracks, so get ready for a boost of joy to kickstart your weekend!  For now, have a great week!

Borealis