Hey gamers!  Borealis is back!

After taking a break to enjoy Christmas, I'm here to fill your post-festivities lull with some fun!  Let's take a look at the next three tracks from the Venus: Improbable Dream soundtrack and explore their secret stories!  The video below has all the audio you need.  Here we go!

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Making History (Haruka's Version)

This title should already be familiar to you, as a couple of devlogs ago, we listened to 'Making History (Kakeru's Version)'.  This time, Haruka gets her own rendition of it, and it's for a very important reason.  I can't tell you entirely due to BIG spoiler reasons, but you'll be thrilled when you finally get to hear this track in the game, and the amazing scene that comes with it!  It marks a moment of victory for Haruka, and is a wonderful counterpart to Kakeru's version of the song, as both highlight the true sense of achievement that the two of them feel during the scenes they play in.  Also, you might notice that there's only one difference between Kakeru and Haruka's version - have you noticed it?  It's the main instrument.  Kakeru's version of the track features a piano playing the main melody, which is switched to a flute for Haruka's version, to reflect the instruments that they themselves play.  You may notice throughout your various playthroughs of Venus: Improbable Dream that I've used this device in quite a few pieces - piano pieces are heard often, due to the game being viewed through Kakeru's eyes, and whenever a flute appears in a track, it's a hint that Haruka is either present, or on Kakeru's mind.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps

This is the big finale song in terms of celebrating something fantastic.  'Small Steps, Giant Leaps' plays during an incredibly important and heart-warming scene that I consider to be one of the best in the game, and though I won't give out any spoilers again, I can't wait for you to experience it.  Let's just say that it shows Kakeru's circumstances in the best way that they possibly can be, and this track emphasises just how monumental that feels to him.  I decided to let a brass instrument take the lead melody for a change, and kept the whole thing pretty grounded in orchestral music.  It also features a solo piano segment to bring the focus back to Kakeru's state of mind, echoing the main section, but in a much more soft way.  Also, you might have noticed what that title references; to tie in with the space-related theme of Venus, I named this track 'Small Steps, Giant Leaps' as a nod to the famous phrase uttered on the broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing, "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".

Ketsugo

'Ketsugo' is a relaxed, slow and optimistic sounding guitar track that plays in one place only - during the epilogues of certain endings.  It'll be a while until you hear it, but once you do, it'll be so worth it!  I find it quite emotional in a way, despite the track itself not being particularly grand or complex, thanks to how it accompanies scenes that you've played and fought for hours to achieve.  Since these epilogues are emotional enough, I decided to keep this track relatively simple so as not to overcomplicate the moment.  This is also the last instance of me rearranging a previously existing track to make something new; 'Ketsugo' is essentially a guitar only instrumental version of a song I wrote in 2013, and played live when I was still a solo musician.  I chose it because I felt as though the melody and chords would suit being transformed in this way, but funnily enough, the lyrics of the original also had a space theme, so there's an extra tie-in!  Also, the Japanese word 'ketsugo' means 'conclusion', which is perfect, as this song is always the last thing you hear before certain routes end.  I really hope you'll feel a true sense of accomplishment as you enjoy the epilogues that this track appears in!

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And there we have it!  I only have one more of these soundtrack exploration devlogs left for you, as we're running out of tracks I can show you that aren't too spoilery!  However, don't worry, because there'll be plenty more devlogs on different subjects to do with Venus: Improbable Dream coming straight away, so look forward to those!

Have a lovely week!

Borealis