Phronemophobia's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[BGM - Rastapuss (2019)]

You know when you're enjoying a good Noir, but that one thought continuously nags at you throughout the whole thing? It's the one thought we all share in those moments: "The music ain't bad, but where the heck is the electric guitar?" Well, we can finally thank one courageous, dislimbered Plok for stepping in and putting our minds at ease. Thank you, Brebnutnbutnet919919!

Bertn1991 responds:

Electric guitars, you know, like they had in the old west according western movie soundtracks.

Also, you're welcome, Pronnematodephobert ^____^

[BGM - Odd Place (2019)]

For such a simple loop, this one has that sort of three-dimensional feel to it that I don't experience from many of your songs. With the sudden rise of sound from one ear to the other, the music effectively becomes the monster slowly creeping up from behind. Usually, it feels like I'm simply enjoying the song from the back row of a Bertn concert.

[Akiko's Mission (2019)]

There's not much to go on, so I'm left to speculate. Cosmo arrived in Videoland in desperate need of help. As luck would have it, Cosmo came across Akiko who seemed more than capable of handling the job. After a few nights of travel, Akiko found herself at the entrance of Saladaria where she quickly made her way past the gatekeeper who was sleeping at his post. While exploring the city, Akiko found herself sidetracked by the sights and sounds of a small, yet joyous techno music festival taking place at the far end of Saladaria's central park. This potential "gaiden" is evidenced by the last minute of the piece and may hint at what to expect from the fourth song in this series. Only time (or rather Bertn) will tell if my speculation holds true. Until then, thank you for sharing this lovely piece with us and the audio portal. <3

Bertn1991 responds:

Oh the joy this brings! What an adorable adventure. I declare it canon. All of it ^.^

[Funky Bio Lab Cat Lady (Phantasy Star 4 Bio Lab remix)]

I'm not a fan of the source track. It sounds like an unfinished piece for a Castlevania title, which isn't too surprising since Numata did the arrangements for Ghouls'n Ghosts, though GnG's music didn't heavily lean into the... what would you call it? I guess, the "Gothic flair" provided by Terashima, Yamashita, and Matsubara. For as short as it is, the original still managed to make itself repetitive before it even had a chance to loop, and the only saving grace came from random battles constantly interrupting the track before most players could notice.

Keeping in mind my (non-professional) opinion on all that, I think you've done a fine job with the remix. Since you've already admitted to the eighties feel, I'm going to assume the messy, cluttered sound was intentional. I wish those synthetic vocals (or whatever that particular sound is that goes "Da-da! ... Da-da!") were a little louder, and I wonder if this would benefit from mixing with another song. I already stated my thoughts on the original feeling incomplete. Could something else from Numata (maybe even something from Ghouls'n Ghosts) be added to help diminish the sameyness? If not here, then what about a future remix of various popular songs all created by the same video game composer being combined into one?

[Exodus (2019)]

The song feels kinda Western, except out in space.

"Not much happens here at Vastitas Gulch. Just a small, quiet town in the middle of a large, quiet basin. Most stop on by to restock while making their way to see Olympus Mons while others drop on by to get a taste of our Mars-famous spaghetti. Just humble folk trying to get by on a planet without water... or oxygen. Don't ask us how we manage to boil the pasta. We don't rightly know ourselves."

Bertn1991 responds:

Another glorious review. 5.1/5

Water would boil at such a low temperature on Mars that cooking pasta would be impossible... or so we thought. Them Vastitas boys found a way dad-gummit.

[Final Fantasy 6_Frosted Rage Flakes]

I really oughta rate this as either a 3-and-a-half or four-star submission. Parts of it are basically a cluttered mess of sounds fighting to drown out one another and, as a result, the song has a bad habit of becoming abrasive. If I were to view it as merely being a remix of Umaro's theme, I can understand why it wouldn't be accepted. His song only plays while you're in his cave, and it's difficult to top the playful, simplistic piece Nobuo Uematsu created to accurately describe the sort of creature Mog had just welcomed into your party. Umaro's a dumb, lovable oaf who takes orders from a critter far smaller and weaker than himself. It's a cute relationship within an otherwise grim storyline. For whatever reason, I disregard all of this and only hear it as Umaro's new battle theme. As such, the frequent clashing of loud, aggressive brass fits right in with the game's uncontrollable brawler. It's a beautifully unbeautiful mess of a song, Alex... just like our grab-happy Yeti friend who only views his team as human-shaped projectiles.

[Breath of FIre 2_More than Reverb]

Wasn't long ago I finished BoF2 again on the Switch. If it wasn't for the nostalgia, I probably wouldn't enjoy listening to a slower piece like this one.

This is a solid four-star submission. It doesn't really do anything to separate itself from the original. It's clearly not meant to, either. I just appreciate having a high-quality version of it, rather than the now-dated SNES rip from the game.

[Mario Paintin' - The Way Too Long Version (2020)]

The song is too long and the description is too short? Wait, what in tarnation is happening in the quarantined world of Bertn?!

There was so much build-up in this, but the climax was far too short. I was truly expecting the entire collection of sound effects to kinda come together in the end. It started to, of course, but it felt a little too... safe? too structured and underwhelming? Not entirely sure how to phrase it. All I know is if anyone could just suddenly explode into a glorious, spontaneous celebration of silliness with everything Mario Paint had to offer, it would be THE Brent Bunn.

5 out of 6 stars. I love it, but it's not perfect.
I'm sorry for being harsh.

Bertn1991 responds:

I hear you and understand. I worked on this song forever but could never come up with anything after the first section, so that's why it just repeats with all the Mario Paint instruments. Easy enough. It was tough to bring all the instruments in at the end and have each one shine, but maybe I didn't try very hard.

I'm inspired to remake it now. We can rebuilt it. We have the technology. Mario Paintin' 2 confirmed.

[Mallard Mania (2020)]

Ah yes, the music during the credits of Mallard Run is probably the most memorable part of the game. An unexpectedly cheery end to an unexpectedly spooky platformer. For most games, the 3D graphics on the N64 have aged poorly over the years, but that merely enhances the creepiness of exploring the murky waters of the mallard's ghost house once again. This time I came prepared, too! Got my flashlight sealed within a large storage zipper bag, along with another bag filled with garlic AND silver bullet-flavored bread crumbs, and my trusty NES Zapper.

Thank you for this lovely trip down memory river, Bertn.

Bertn1991 responds:

You are officially my favorite human <3

[Micker Cripper Mime (from Final Fantasy 5)]

This song razzles, dazzles, and charms the ears like nothing I've heard before. It's an organized mess of whimsy and joy that initially had me believing it would just unravel at any moment, yet it holds together from start to finish in the most Moogle manner possible.