Phronemophobia's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Roadway Renegade | 2021]

Roadway indeed! I'm imagining a fight similar to that of the Mute City or Big Blue stages of Smash. Engaging in battle on plain ol' solid ground would be an injustice to this tune. Gotta learn to "roll with the punches" in more ways than one.

Bertn1991 responds:

Many thanks. All the thanks! Comparisons to F-Zero is high praise in my book. As a kid playing Melee I felt like the only one who liked Big Blue. I mean, it's got the rockin' tunes, going a million miles an our, what's not to like?

Anyways, thanks again. I hope the day has an awesome you~

[Electric Jazz Theater | 2021]

Within the first thirty seconds, it felt like a Bertn song. It's a wonder how well you naturally brand your sound, even when you're not recycling certain tunes. "Supernatural Intervention" stands out partially because it's similar to the title theme of a certain NES game. "What We're Fighting For" is absolutely perfect. Couldn't have imagined it any better. I love the funk of "The Guardians." Not sure how to picture the guardians themselves, but this segment is the best bop in the piece, so I am assuming one to be rockin' shades. "Into the Unknown" and "An Illusion" pair nicely to really stir up the imagination for adventure, while "Rebirth" and "A Little Help" beautifully reflect that calm before the storm effect. Every part from "Into Hell" up through "A Hero's Death" is so precisely representative of their titles that I'm both impressed with how well you convey the rest of this musical journey and slightly disappointed that it's not more whimsical... charmingly bizarre in the approach. Then again, sometimes it's better to stand out by doing something simple flawlessly, rather than always aiming to be unique.

Never forget that you and your music are treasures on the Audio Portal, Bertn. Thank you.

Bertn1991 responds:

Your commentary always makes my heart happy. I'm definitely not the most popular, but I have some of the best fans around. Big thank you!

Hmm, I wonder what said certain NES game this is.

I don't know who the guardians truly are, but I know they like to funk. Shades are indeed recommended when in their presence.

Supreme thank you once again, sir. You are simply the best <3

[[Phantasy Star 2] "Hot Cocoa in the Ice Rover"]

I would never knock the composers for all the effort put into workarounds for hardware limitations back when these songs were created, because the creative use of simplicity is what really makes them so memorable to begin with, but it's because of remixes like this one that I sometimes wonder what could have been if they were provided with today's resources. I mention all of this because you've managed to provide a more eighties-sounding track than one that was literally created in the eighties.

HoboKa responds:

Well, it's because they had to down-sample to 24 kbs...when songs these days are at minimum 128...320 loss-less rate. That said, a lot of legacy music kicks MY ASS when it comes to automating things like vibrato and pitch tricks. I got a lot to learn too. Thanks for the thoughtful comment :D

[[Little Nemo: The Dream Master] "Little Bemo Jilly Joe I Dunno"]

Interesting. This went from sounding like Nemo's House to Nemo's Boat. If I was told this was a track from Skies of Arcadia, I wouldn't have questioned it. I'm probably thinking too much into this, but I especially adore the adventurous impression left by the tune even though Nemo hasn't left his home.

[Akiko's Etude | 2021]

Definitely like Easter Eggs and it helps give a lot of your music an ongoing theme of "Bertness" throughout. <3

Bertn1991 responds:

Muchly appreciatory, good sir. Bertness is what I strive for.

Hope you're doing well (～￣▽￣)～

[[Donkey Kong Country] Winky's Shaft]

Even before reading the comments, I thought, "This right here could be the very definition of what your MnP competition is all about." I've said this before... probably to you, in fact, but I can appreciate just about any faithful recreation of a SNES track that removes the crippling effect of the console's Gaussian filter.

HoboKa responds:

Hey, I like that shitty muffled sound. So nostalgic. But yeah, the intent was to do a sound upgrade with some changes along the way. Not quite what I aimed for, but it worked out OK.

[[Ninja Gaiden] Ninja Roids]

First half sounds too much like a strained kazoo and is unpleasant on the ears. I thought it was a weird choice for you until the second half kicked in. Holy fuck... that last 50 seconds. Glorious, Alex.

HoboKa responds:

Yeah, it's a mixed bag. But I like it as well for the 2nd half lmao. Thanks :D

[Fabulous Intermezzo | 2021]

Intermezzo? More like InterMania! Add a few quack sounds and it'll be perfect(er).

Bertn1991 responds:

I do like to recycle! And yes, quacks make most things better. Much better than honks~

[[Kid Chameleon] Where in the World is Kid Chameleon-Diego??]

Working slowly is fine if it makes the end result that much better. <3