A really interesting idea. The melody of the violin was just wonderful and the idea of using it as a kind of soul catcher was really ingenious. It's hard to do something today that hasn't been done a hundred times before. But here it succeeded. Unfortunately, I can't give it more stars because the game is simply not extensive enough and the graphics aren't exactly the best. But there is a lot of potential in the idea and you could make a wonderful game out of it. Add a few puzzles, a few render sequences and a few more eerie moments and it would be great.
I loved this game, such unique ambience! Not an overly complicated premise but wonderfully executed, the concept of a ghostly orchestra is just amazing. (Also, not sure if you composed the symphony yourself, but if so, excellent job!) I only wish it was longer!
Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed it! I did write the music and I have a link in the description above with the full song if you are interested in listening to it. I have to keep the mechanics simple or I never finish anything XD but I do have a few ideas on how I can expand the concept and the mechanics into a fuller experience, so you may see that in the future.
This game was very different and the tension was almost always there. I'm not exactly sure what happened at the end but the overall game was interesting. I loved the environments and the different spirit characters.
This was such a unique experience! The game was phenomenal. My only complaint: Don't make the escape key just exit the game with no warning. I wanted to see if there were any settings so I tried pressing escape and I got kicked out all the way out.
Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed it! I completely agree about the confirmation to quit, it's a bad habit of mine to skip that in jam games because it seems like it should be simple but there is actually quite a lot of work. You have to implement UI, mouse pointer control and handle pausing, which is very difficult when I have so many synced audio files playing. I'll try and make sure I include it in future projects as I understand how frustrating it is when you have to start again.
The sound design in this was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed listening to it (especially, the part where it picked up in the church). Honestly, I can't praise the music enough! The game concept and execution was really cool as well. Such an awesome and unique experience. Game starts at (42:15).
Hey thanks for playing! Glad you appreciated the reverb change as you walk into the church, I created that effect with reverb samples I recorded in a church here in Edinburgh, such georgous accoustics!
This was such a fresh and unique game! I was enthralled the entire time and loved every minute of it! The music was wonderful, the ghost's design were great and creepy, and the setting was so fitting! Loved it all, great job!
I'm writing to congratulate you on this interesting playable experience that you have made. I'm a huge fan of games that have a unique atmosphere, especially those from the PS1 - PS2 era, and I must admit that I had not experienced such a thing in a long time. You have managed to give your project soul, something very difficult to do even for the great developers in the industry. For this reason, I would like to encourage you with the development of this project so that it becomes something bigger.
You have very good ideas and I think you would be able to do very interesting things, because your music is excellent and your artistic vision is exquisite.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to present your projects on platforms such as indiegogo or kickstarter in order to get funds to use them in your work, since today there are many people willing to pay to finance projects like Symphony of Seven Souls.
Finally, tell you that you can count on my support in your next projects and that if you need anything I would be happy to help you.
PS: Excuse my English, it is not my mother tongue.
Thank you very much! That is very kind of you to say and I'm glad you found this project so interesting. I have a few ideas about taking this concept into something bigger so you may see it in the future.
I've thought about Kickstarter before but but I would have to be far enough along with a bigger project to be confident that I could finish it. Having a day job means money is not really the issue, I've already purchased most of the hardware and tools I need, it's time that is the problem.
Anyway thank you for your support and your English is excellent! :)
Hey Katanalevy, I am not even going to try to run this game on my laptop, cuz I am sure that it wont run well - as always I have discovered this gem via ABG chanell - what I would love to know is what has inspired you to make this game. No, wait, what I would love to know is what or which place has inspired you for the game map. Game world? I dunno from which part of the world you are, but I gotta be honest that the architecture in the game reminded me oh so much of my beloved/hated Prague - plus those weather and light effects, I mean, if you have developed this yourself, then kudos to you, and hats off because the whole thing has an absolute unique atmosphere, which I have enjoyed thanks to the headphones. Have you ever played CoD 4 and other CoDs, have you realised how detailed and alive maps in that game are? That is what your game reminds me of, a living breathing experience.
Hi, thanks for stopping by and sorry the game is unlikely to run on your laptop. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland so that's why it rains all the time in the game XD, but probably quite similar in terms of gothic architecture to Prague. I've never been but I know Bloodborne's team took a lot from the city! It was also infulenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula (the 90s film), the comedy Young Frankenstein and the stories around the violinist Niccolò Paganini selling his soul to the devil.
I've not played a Call of Duty game since the first one in the early 2000s, but I think I know what you mean and that's very kind of you to say.
What an experience! Mad props to composer of this elegant piece. I found that the game just came to life around the life of the violin. Even in the downtime between finding the souls, I found myself always intrigued by the music emanating from the strings. And even though I could move without playing the violin, as a player, I found I never wanted to, which really speaks to how the music, like a thread in the hands of a skilled seamstress, knits this beautiful game together. For such a short game and basic concept (find the souls), you managed to hook me into this world with a flair that would make Edgar Allen Poe proud. I'm quite a fan of classical music, but I also thought that any gamer who might have never heard the sound of a solo violinist would be happy to experience this game. Bravo and please keep up the good work!
Thanks very much! I worked really hard on writing the music and sound design so it's great to hear that people really appreciate it! That's axcatly what I wanted - for playing the violin in the rain and with the orchestra to be kind of it's own reward and beautiful experience. I'm a terrible programmer so it's all audio, visual and atmosphere for me! Do you have any classical composers you would recommend? I've only really just started composing so it's always great to study from some awesome works.
I definitely recommend Philip Glass! He has such a wide range of emotions that he conveys masterfully through music. I'm no musician myself, but I just try to listen and appreciate what I think may be going on in the composer's head when they write a piece. As far as cinematic composers go, Dario Marianelli is a great talent (If you've never seen Pride and Prejudice, look up the piece, "A Postcard to Henry Purce.") Hope you enjoy!
Oh yeah I love Philip Glass and some of the other modern minimalist composers like Steve Reich and Arvo Part. I'll definitely check out Marianelli tho, thanks for the tip!
I just can't express how much I love this game. I've been thinking about it all day since recording. Truly beautiful music, smooth and consistent gameplay, and an incredibly interesting story. I love how the horror aspect of the game only shines through at key points in the gameplay, providing a perfect buildup to the ending. If you're considering trying this game out, stop considering and just do it! It's a hauntingly beautiful experience!
Thanks very much for playing and so glad to hear you enjoyed it! I got the idea from Young Frankenstein and if you haven't seen it then I highly recommend it. Very funny film with also a brilliant violin score. We need more games with instruments and a focus on audio!
Thank you! Unfortunately not, I have no formal training and can't write sheet very well. I score everything by ear instead. I might be able to convert the midi to sheet but I have no idea if there is a good software solution for this.
If it helps the chords in the verses are going back and forth between Cm and G. The chorus is G#, G, Fm (2 bars), G#, G, Cm (2 bars). And the lead violin plays on the C harmonic minor scale, so pretty much your standard minor scale but raise the minor 7th up to a major 7th.
Youtubers - sorry about CookingWithJack's downvotes! You are welcome to post links to your videos under any of my games as long as you link back to the game page in your description. :)
I am the reaper of youtubers, the mere mention of yout*be sets off a frenzy the likes of which will never be seen again. They are strong children, but I am beyond strength...I AM THE END, and I have come for you(tubers)...now fall.
Thanks for playing and taking the time to find the last one! Sorry I'm not quite satisfied with the method of finding them as it can take ages if you miss one, but I appreciate you sticking it out!
Yes, there is an extra flat 2D ghost that is an easter egg for those that have played one of my other games. You can't collect that one. I'm just about to upload a new version with some quality improvements, like brightness controls and the ghost ring a small bell when you are not playing violin so it's easier to find them. Should be up in the next hour or so if you don't mind waiting.
Cool, I'll try it again. I didn't want to just play the whole time either, I tried to sort of see where a spirit should probably be first, so some kind of cue will help. Also, Ihave to say I love the atmosphere the game has. Just imagining being this dark ages violinist playing some eerie composition through the streets at midnight. Now I know what I want to be when I grow up, thank you! :)
Wow this game is cool. The music especially is great. Gave me a whole new appreciation for violin. I'd appreciate anyone watching my gameplay and subscribing if you enjoy!
I have a new respect for violinist! I had no idea you had to deal with all that to get through a song 🤣Very nice game I think this is gonna be a finalist
Looks like I'm the first guy from russian youtube to record this game. In my opinion this game is about sadness and comfort, then freedom... Some of ghosts got really hurt and ugly some of them are usual and calm. Our music has the power to help ghosts so we use it, this game tells me that music can do literally everything to anyone and anything. As a musician I really appreciate it.
Guitar and piano, ahah. I'm quite not very good at the second one as at the guitar but I play it too. I like games on this website and especially I like unusual games like this one.
I'm the same - guitar is my main instrument and piano second. There are so many great unusual games on this site! I recommend Anatomy by Kittyhorrorshow if you have not yet tried that one!
This game was so very unique and I really appreciate the step to making that stands out. Mainly because it's so easy to make a short indie horror game that throws a few spooks at you and then you on go on your merry way. The atmosphere from start to finish was great, especially towards the end, and there was really no dead air! All and all this game was awesome and I really enjoyed it! Keep up the great work and I hope for more to come in the future!
Hi, trying to run this on windows 10 and it's very jerky and slow, is there a way to fix this or another way to run it? I really wanted to play and my system has run other games like this just fine.
I'm sorry to hear that. Are you running on Win10x86 (32bit) or x64? Althought the graphic style is retro this actually runs on UE5 and I'm not sure if they support 32bit OS anymore.
If you are on x64 then what are the rest of your system specs?
This is a great game and I like how you have a violin and trying to recruit monsters instead of running from them. Nice job. I'd suggest making a true full screen and ensuring the cursor is locked to the game.
Thanks for playing and uploading your video! The game should be exclusive fullscreen, but perhaps I've messed something up. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
That's alright, thanks for playing and sharing! Really interesting to hear from a violinist, I just played all the parts on my keyboard because I'm a wimp and can't handle string instruments without frets XD
Hi, when i tried to run the game i was getting an error relate with this file api-ms-win-downlevel-kernel32-l2-1-0.dll, then i downloaded the file and now the game opens with black screen and sound (i can hear like rain or something) but i get another error that said The UE5-PSX Game has crashed and will close. What could this be?
Unfortunately I think your machine might not be up to running it. I tested it on my work machine with an HD 7850 2GB and it was running around 12fps. If you are on an x64 machine you can try installing the prerequisits for running UE5 games from this folder:
← Return to gothic horror tale
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man, i thought that it was a relaxing game until the end...
A really interesting idea. The melody of the violin was just wonderful and the idea of using it as a kind of soul catcher was really ingenious. It's hard to do something today that hasn't been done a hundred times before. But here it succeeded. Unfortunately, I can't give it more stars because the game is simply not extensive enough and the graphics aren't exactly the best. But there is a lot of potential in the idea and you could make a wonderful game out of it. Add a few puzzles, a few render sequences and a few more eerie moments and it would be great.
I loved this game, such unique ambience! Not an overly complicated premise but wonderfully executed, the concept of a ghostly orchestra is just amazing. (Also, not sure if you composed the symphony yourself, but if so, excellent job!) I only wish it was longer!
Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed it! I did write the music and I have a link in the description above with the full song if you are interested in listening to it. I have to keep the mechanics simple or I never finish anything XD but I do have a few ideas on how I can expand the concept and the mechanics into a fuller experience, so you may see that in the future.
This game was very different and the tension was almost always there. I'm not exactly sure what happened at the end but the overall game was interesting. I loved the environments and the different spirit characters.
This was such a unique experience! The game was phenomenal. My only complaint: Don't make the escape key just exit the game with no warning. I wanted to see if there were any settings so I tried pressing escape and I got kicked out all the way out.
Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed it! I completely agree about the confirmation to quit, it's a bad habit of mine to skip that in jam games because it seems like it should be simple but there is actually quite a lot of work. You have to implement UI, mouse pointer control and handle pausing, which is very difficult when I have so many synced audio files playing. I'll try and make sure I include it in future projects as I understand how frustrating it is when you have to start again.
I didn't play the detuned edition for the video but I will definitely be playing it for myself soon! 😁
Hey thanks for playing! Glad you appreciated the reverb change as you walk into the church, I created that effect with reverb samples I recorded in a church here in Edinburgh, such georgous accoustics!
Hope you enjoy the detuned edition too. :)
This was such a fresh and unique game! I was enthralled the entire time and loved every minute of it! The music was wonderful, the ghost's design were great and creepy, and the setting was so fitting! Loved it all, great job!
Thanks for playing and glad you enjoyed it!
No problem and of course!!
We really enjoyed this game! great work!
Thanks for playing and sharing
Hello Katanalevy,
I'm writing to congratulate you on this interesting playable experience that you have made. I'm a huge fan of games that have a unique atmosphere, especially those from the PS1 - PS2 era, and I must admit that I had not experienced such a thing in a long time. You have managed to give your project soul, something very difficult to do even for the great developers in the industry. For this reason, I would like to encourage you with the development of this project so that it becomes something bigger.
You have very good ideas and I think you would be able to do very interesting things, because your music is excellent and your artistic vision is exquisite.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to present your projects on platforms such as indiegogo or kickstarter in order to get funds to use them in your work, since today there are many people willing to pay to finance projects like Symphony of Seven Souls.
Finally, tell you that you can count on my support in your next projects and that if you need anything I would be happy to help you.
PS: Excuse my English, it is not my mother tongue.
A cordial greeting.
Thank you very much! That is very kind of you to say and I'm glad you found this project so interesting. I have a few ideas about taking this concept into something bigger so you may see it in the future.
I've thought about Kickstarter before but but I would have to be far enough along with a bigger project to be confident that I could finish it. Having a day job means money is not really the issue, I've already purchased most of the hardware and tools I need, it's time that is the problem.
Anyway thank you for your support and your English is excellent! :)
Hey Katanalevy, I am not even going to try to run this game on my laptop, cuz I am sure that it wont run well - as always I have discovered this gem via ABG chanell - what I would love to know is what has inspired you to make this game.
No, wait, what I would love to know is what or which place has inspired you for the game map. Game world? I dunno from which part of the world you are, but I gotta be honest that the architecture in the game reminded me oh so much of my beloved/hated Prague - plus those weather and light effects, I mean, if you have developed this yourself, then kudos to you, and hats off because the whole thing has an absolute unique atmosphere, which I have enjoyed thanks to the headphones.
Have you ever played CoD 4 and other CoDs, have you realised how detailed and alive maps in that game are? That is what your game reminds me of, a living breathing experience.
Hi, thanks for stopping by and sorry the game is unlikely to run on your laptop. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland so that's why it rains all the time in the game XD, but probably quite similar in terms of gothic architecture to Prague. I've never been but I know Bloodborne's team took a lot from the city! It was also infulenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula (the 90s film), the comedy Young Frankenstein and the stories around the violinist Niccolò Paganini selling his soul to the devil.
I've not played a Call of Duty game since the first one in the early 2000s, but I think I know what you mean and that's very kind of you to say.
Thanks very much! I worked really hard on writing the music and sound design so it's great to hear that people really appreciate it! That's axcatly what I wanted - for playing the violin in the rain and with the orchestra to be kind of it's own reward and beautiful experience. I'm a terrible programmer so it's all audio, visual and atmosphere for me! Do you have any classical composers you would recommend? I've only really just started composing so it's always great to study from some awesome works.
https://open.spotify.com/track/11KMQy878e4KUhb83110fa?si=270351f69cf24041 listen to this.... it's my favourite classical piece and it's from my favourite film. Great game by the way!!
Absolutely wonderful movie and score, thanks for reminding me about this one!
I definitely recommend Philip Glass! He has such a wide range of emotions that he conveys masterfully through music. I'm no musician myself, but I just try to listen and appreciate what I think may be going on in the composer's head when they write a piece. As far as cinematic composers go, Dario Marianelli is a great talent (If you've never seen Pride and Prejudice, look up the piece, "A Postcard to Henry Purce.") Hope you enjoy!
Oh yeah I love Philip Glass and some of the other modern minimalist composers like Steve Reich and Arvo Part. I'll definitely check out Marianelli tho, thanks for the tip!
Hauntingly Beautiful, Lovely Experience
This was so beautiful, I truly loved it
I just can't express how much I love this game. I've been thinking about it all day since recording. Truly beautiful music, smooth and consistent gameplay, and an incredibly interesting story. I love how the horror aspect of the game only shines through at key points in the gameplay, providing a perfect buildup to the ending. If you're considering trying this game out, stop considering and just do it! It's a hauntingly beautiful experience!
i legit loved it, the music was amazing.
Thanks very much for playing and so glad to hear you enjoyed it! I got the idea from Young Frankenstein and if you haven't seen it then I highly recommend it. Very funny film with also a brilliant violin score. We need more games with instruments and a focus on audio!
wow!!! is there sheet music or something similar for this music? im learning violin and would love to play this
Thank you! Unfortunately not, I have no formal training and can't write sheet very well. I score everything by ear instead. I might be able to convert the midi to sheet but I have no idea if there is a good software solution for this.
If it helps the chords in the verses are going back and forth between Cm and G. The chorus is G#, G, Fm (2 bars), G#, G, Cm (2 bars). And the lead violin plays on the C harmonic minor scale, so pretty much your standard minor scale but raise the minor 7th up to a major 7th.
Came here looking for the theme song, I just love it so much, thanks for makin this game! Really pretty aesthetics and the music's just *chef's kiss*
Youtubers - sorry about CookingWithJack's downvotes! You are welcome to post links to your videos under any of my games as long as you link back to the game page in your description. :)
great game! keep it up!
I am the reaper of youtubers, the mere mention of yout*be sets off a frenzy the likes of which will never be seen again. They are strong children, but I am beyond strength...I AM THE END, and I have come for you(tubers)...now fall.
Not quite sure what you deal is, but Youtubers are welcome on my game pages and a gatekeeping, self-righteous edgelord attitude like yours is not.
What has YouTube done to you? WHO HURT YOU?!
Hiii, I've made a video about the game and wanted to share some feedback about it, hopefully it is useful to you ^^
-The idea/concept of the game is really amazing and original.-The gameplay mechanic the game is based on is really original and well implemented with the level design and it's development throught the gameplay.
-Visually the game looks really nice and totally fits in every way the theme of the game.
Hopefully this is useful to you :D, also if you could subscribe that would help me a lot :)
Regards
What an amazing concept and game! The music of the violin was hauntingly beautiful! Would love to see more!
Very cool game, got a bit lost there on the last guy.
Thanks for playing and taking the time to find the last one! Sorry I'm not quite satisfied with the method of finding them as it can take ages if you miss one, but I appreciate you sticking it out!
I'm having trouble finding the last one, is there an *extra* one you can't collect? She seems hidden, so I'm not sure if I got some bug or not.
Trying to avoid spoilers, so i don't want to just watch another's video. :)
Yes, there is an extra flat 2D ghost that is an easter egg for those that have played one of my other games. You can't collect that one. I'm just about to upload a new version with some quality improvements, like brightness controls and the ghost ring a small bell when you are not playing violin so it's easier to find them. Should be up in the next hour or so if you don't mind waiting.
Cool, I'll try it again. I didn't want to just play the whole time either, I tried to sort of see where a spirit should probably be first, so some kind of cue will help. Also, Ihave to say I love the atmosphere the game has. Just imagining being this dark ages violinist playing some eerie composition through the streets at midnight. Now I know what I want to be when I grow up, thank you! :)
What an incredible unique game! I loved the atmosphere and the music, made it super relaxing until the end lol great work!
Thanks for playing and sharing! I love how the violin is so versitile it can go from soft, sweet melodies to the atonal noises of nightmares!
Wow this game is cool. The music especially is great. Gave me a whole new appreciation for violin. I'd appreciate anyone watching my gameplay and subscribing if you enjoy!
That was an unexpected weapon for sure, i really liked it, you should have added puzzle involving the violin!
I have a new respect for violinist! I had no idea you had to deal with all that to get through a song 🤣Very nice game I think this is gonna be a finalist
Full Playthrough No Commentary
Haha, you think that's bad you should see what the composer had to do! XD Thanks very much for playing and sharing!
I really enjoyed how different his game was. I loved the gothic setting and the violin music was so sad. Very well done!
Thanks for playing and sharing!
Hello, Привет,
Looks like I'm the first guy from russian youtube to record this game. In my opinion this game is about sadness and comfort, then freedom... Some of ghosts got really hurt and ugly some of them are usual and calm. Our music has the power to help ghosts so we use it, this game tells me that music can do literally everything to anyone and anything. As a musician I really appreciate it.
It seems that you are the first! That's a very interesting opinion and I'm glad you shared your thoughts on it. What instrument do you play?
Guitar and piano, ahah. I'm quite not very good at the second one as at the guitar but I play it too. I like games on this website and especially I like unusual games like this one.
I'm the same - guitar is my main instrument and piano second. There are so many great unusual games on this site! I recommend Anatomy by Kittyhorrorshow if you have not yet tried that one!
Thank you so much. I'll look it up soon.
This game was so very unique and I really appreciate the step to making that stands out. Mainly because it's so easy to make a short indie horror game that throws a few spooks at you and then you on go on your merry way. The atmosphere from start to finish was great, especially towards the end, and there was really no dead air! All and all this game was awesome and I really enjoyed it! Keep up the great work and I hope for more to come in the future!
- CrazyCheesePuf
Thanks for playing and sharing!
Hi, trying to run this on windows 10 and it's very jerky and slow, is there a way to fix this or another way to run it? I really wanted to play and my system has run other games like this just fine.
I'm sorry to hear that. Are you running on Win10x86 (32bit) or x64? Althought the graphic style is retro this actually runs on UE5 and I'm not sure if they support 32bit OS anymore.
If you are on x64 then what are the rest of your system specs?
This is a great game and I like how you have a violin and trying to recruit monsters instead of running from them. Nice job. I'd suggest making a true full screen and ensuring the cursor is locked to the game.
Here's my channel for other games I have played. https://www.youtube.com/c/Levont
Thanks for playing and uploading your video! The game should be exclusive fullscreen, but perhaps I've messed something up. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I like the game, great. Sorry I got the name wrong for some reason...HAHA!
YouTuber: Fellowplayer
That's alright, thanks for playing and sharing! Really interesting to hear from a violinist, I just played all the parts on my keyboard because I'm a wimp and can't handle string instruments without frets XD
Hi, when i tried to run the game i was getting an error relate with this file api-ms-win-downlevel-kernel32-l2-1-0.dll, then i downloaded the file and now the game opens with black screen and sound (i can hear like rain or something) but i get another error that said The UE5-PSX Game has crashed and will close. What could this be?
I'm Runnig windows 7 and i have an ATI 6870 1GB
Thanks for the game, it looks very original.
Unfortunately I think your machine might not be up to running it. I tested it on my work machine with an HD 7850 2GB and it was running around 12fps. If you are on an x64 machine you can try installing the prerequisits for running UE5 games from this folder:
SymphonyOfSevenSouls>Engine>Extras>Redist>en-us>UEPrereqSetup_x64.exe
If you are using Win7 x86 (32 bit) then I think you are below the requirements for a UE5 game unfortunately.
Oh i see, my machine is too old :(
I will try that, i'm running 7 x64 bits.
Thanks bro!
windows 7 is epic, never give it up friend.
Wow, I like supporting this new game.
What a lovely charming game! I adore the music too, any chance of the soundtrack being uploaded somewhere? :)
Yup, it will be going up on my Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrNTheKCLjyp-lePbVczm4w/featured ) and a downloadable here on itch. Just need a bit of time to mix all the layers. :)
Awesome, I'll keep an eye out! Thank you for the reply :)