ReMix:Super Mario World "Very... Very Wrong Castle" 3:57

By YoshiBlade

Arranging the music of 2 songs from 2 games ( view all )...

"Dungeon - Main Theme", "Sub Castle BGM"

Primary Game: Super Mario World (Nintendo , 1990, SNES), music by Koji Kondo

Posted 2015-12-09, evaluated by the judges panel


Newcomer YoshiBlade makes an acidic, creative OCR debut with this electro-glitch mash-up of two somewhat similar themes from two somewhat dissimilar games - the very familiar "Sub Castle BGM" from SMW & the lesser-known main dungeon theme from Castlevania (N64), the latter resembling the former quite a bit & thus making for a natural pairing. The artist writes:

"So, after utilizing the Workshop, I feel I can say that this is my first remix that follows an "envision, interpret, display, revise" workflow. We start firmly in Castlevania territory with the backing vocals from Castle Center and the cold ambiance of a stone European castle, drafty and cold. The Castlevania I kept as devoid of electricity as possible, whereas the SMW castle I wanted more chirpy and chippy. The glitch aspect is very important to marry the cheerful Mario with the brooding Castlevania. I really would like to know what if Mario was envisioned as some sort of gothic horror.

2:22, the pain of SMW, the sins of a million dead Yoshis are slowed and twisted. The circuits of the games are bent as the glitchiness robs them of their respective independent worlds and throws them together in a warped reality!!! (OK, I'll calm down.)

3:18 really needed to be there as some sort of grotesque John Carpenter's The Thing -- "bUt IT"s mE, mARio!!! i wOnT hURt yOu" -- this twisted impostor. Come to think of it, the twisted impostor vocals sum up my feelings about this mix: something that should otherwise be cheerful (Mario -- garish, upbeat and happy) synthesized with Castlevania (twisted, mutilated gothic horror), all served with an electro-glitch twist!"

Great descriptive work, here; the above paragraphs actually do justice to the conceptual oddity & peculiar execution that make this ReMix a fun, exciting, & rather unpredictable ride. Chimpazilla writes:

"Cool concept! I love the glitching, even though the patterns on the choir part are a bit simple and repetitive, it's working well, gives a great creepy effect. I'm really enjoying the interweaving of themes, it's very well integrated. I love the use of the "it'sa meeee, Mario" clip. Good drum groove, could stand a bit more variation but I like the occasional bitcrushed sections. I wish the track were mastered a bit louder, it hovers around -3db most of the time. Still, great creativity here."

Liontamer adds:

"Interesting combination of two step-cousin themes, not unlike DaMonz's "Medieval Koopa Jam" weaving Super Mario 64 and Jazz Jackrabbit 2 together. :-) Here's how I broke down the source usage, for reference:

Castlevania 64 - :40-1:00, 1:20.75-2:22, 2:53-3:02.5 = 90.75 seconds
Super Mario World - 1:20.75-1:32, 1:41-1:51, 2:11-2:40.75, 2:43-3:02, 3:27-3:56 = 99 seconds"

Of course, from a certain perspective, there are parts of this mix which could be argued to be arranging both sources at the same time, given some of the melodic overlap. Neat concept, electrified & playfully disturbing execution, and an overall creative & exciting debut from YoshiBlade - definitely wanna hear more!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2018-05-01 01:33:04

Yeah, I'm definitely not familiar with the Castlevania 64 stuff, but from what I picked up on the SMW castle bits and working from there for context, it really seems to fit like a glove. The glitchy, distorted atmosphere is what really makes this ReMix to me, it just makes everything seem off until you get that evil sounding "It's-a me" part, and then the images of a Thing-ish Mario succumbing to insanity and evil pop up. Lots of fun in this one, I like it.

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jnWake
on 2015-12-23 22:35:44

Intro is sweet. The drums are simple but very effective. The choir sample is a bit too crappy though haha. Lead synths are very interesting although they make the melodies a tad harder to identify. Section around 2:30 is a bit messy IMO, too many effects and stuff going on makes it hard to focus on something.

Overall, this is very cool. Experimental sounds with a nice (if a bit repetitive) percussion is a cool combination. It does seem to lose focus near the ending though.

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fxsnowy
on 2015-12-22 11:51:45

Creepy and grooving, loving this. The sound effects, glitches and other unconventional effects work perfectly to add to the ominous vibe.

Great job YoshiBlade!

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TillyFun
on 2015-12-14 16:38:12

You think you've heard all ghost castle mixes... XD So many cool sounds. :D I love the sounds used at 2:00-2:05, 2:20-2:40... XD Can't list them all.

Really good. Really fun, especially the last minute. :)

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YoshiBlade
on 2015-12-10 22:48:11

"YoshiBlade" a new comer to the OCR brings us a his rendition of SMW Castle Theme mixed with Castlevania. I suppose he thinks himself pretty clever with his write up? Using words not doubt gleaned from his Webster's word of the day calendar, throw about with the same grace as a dog who's gotten hold of a dictionary tearing it to shreds! But on to the music, if it can even be called that. We start with a simple expansive pad, almost certainly purchased from a reputable musician, ( I find it rather dubious this young man is capable of that kind of synth design), before we're introduced to a obnoxiously repetitive bass and a small sample of The Castle Center Theme from Castlevania...I bet he seems to think he can hide his hobbled musicianship by playing a small snippet of actual music, rather than utilizing MIDI flies to hide his naked failure as even the most amateur pianist. The voices are actually sampled quite well...were it 1994. As to his use of lead instrument, I'm curious if here is even aware of the difference between a square wave or a sine wave? Or to the proper use of either one?! Then he introduces some more glitchy aspects, though I am having a hard time determining if this is intentional or a product of his total lack of understanding of even the most basic production techniques...Upon hearing these I was granted a small amount of relief, as I thought I received a corrupted copy and thus would have a reason to NOT review this utter swill, however it seems these glitchy aspects are intentional. Or I'm sure he likes to think. I may seem like I'm droning on, but not nearly as droning as his choice of loop, an obvious loop as even the most basic beat structure is as foreign to his ears, this track is to decent taste ...I wonder Mr. YoshiBlade, how much did you spend to on loops to prop up your obvious failings as a musician and human being, hmm? and then we approach a vocal sample Oh-Ho, Yes indeed Mr.YoshiBlade you know how to sample a voice, bravo, Im sure you sat smugly at your computer when you made this, no doubt stroking your overblown ego, with your own brand of praise. Pray Tell, was it difficult to press record than play? Or perhaps you kept forgetting which in which order to do so,hmm? I shan't even waste my time with his piddling ending, no doubt a portent of his career on the OCR short, lackluster and lazy! Let us hope this is the last we hear of this Mr. YoshiBlade. I return to my warm Bree and Burgundian Chablis, disgusted with the depth at which Video Game Remixes have stooped to!

:)!!

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Slimy
on 2015-12-10 22:01:09

Great atmosphere. The parts of the song with a choir reminds me of the ruined world music in Chrono Trigger - and I always though that music fit the eerie landscape perfectly.

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Vaizar
on 2015-12-10 20:21:27

I really love how this mix seems to tell a story, with the distorted noises and the dramatic spoopy "its a me" thing. This seems like it could be used for a scary film lol

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timaeus222
on 2015-12-10 20:10:26

I can tell you had a lot of fun glitching here. :) The one thing I'd say is that the drums could have used more TLC, as they sound like a loop. But I did like the transition into the door creak; that was right on.

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Necrox
on 2015-12-10 14:59:26

This is pretty cool. Nice conceptual blend of games. I really like the ebb and flow of the backing via release automation. the drum loop is also fits pretty dang well. The glitching is on point; 3:10-14 brings Go Plastic-era Squarepusher to mind. Ending is a bit lacking though, left me hanging. Overall, nice work!

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Black_Doom
on 2015-12-09 23:49:01

Huh, this is just a perfect track for Halloween - sounds pretty creppy. The various glitching effects the overall chippiness give the work a freant sinister atmosphere, but what struck me here most of all is the mangled vocal clip @ 3:19 - that really scared me a bit. Nice debut!

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Liontamer
on 2015-12-09 10:43:13

What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (2 Songs, 2 Games)


Primary Game:
Super Mario World (Nintendo , 1990, SNES)
Music by Koji Kondo
Songs:
"Sub Castle BGM"
Additional Game:
Castlevania (Konami , 1998, N64)
Music by Mariko Egawa,Masahiko Kimura,Motoaki Furukawa
Songs:
"Dungeon - Main Theme"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Electro
Mood:
Dark
Instrumentation:
Choir,Electronic,In-game FX,Synth
Additional:
Effects > Glitching
Usage > Halloween

File Information


Name:
Super_Mario_World_Very_Very_Wrong_Castle_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
6,188,449 bytes
MD5:
7a8f515391159ea0a193ec5dc7f1070e
Bitrate:
205Kbps
Duration:
3:57

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