QuoteThis is an Original Composition arrangement prompt inspired by the recent 8-Bit Music Theory video.
Not all boss battles are against ancient evils, primal monsters, or villains you love to hate. Some fights, like the one against Ji in Nine Sols, carry emotional weight. Perhaps the emotion comes from the relationship between the combatants; you might be facing a former who has betrayed you, a mentor who has lost their way, or "you were my brother Anakin". Maybe you’re up against someone forced to fight against their will, due to possession, duty, or an unbreakable oath. The narrative weight could stem from the boss’s story, like a battle against a once-noble figure now beyond saving or versus a good doggo defending his master's grave. Or the emotions are tied to the moments preceding battle, like the death of a character, the destruction of your homeland, or the slaughter of innocents. This week, compose a theme for a tragic boss battle.
There are many ways to score an emotionally charged boss fight. You might take inspiration from the latest 8BMT video, using dissonant chords, an emotional melody, and intense drums. Or you could take a different approach - perhaps a delicate solo that builds into an epic orchestral piece, or a theme featuring oppressive synths and sorrowful guitar solo. Also, this isn't the first time 8BMT has analyzed emotional boss battles; consider checking out his videos on:
Entries will be due Thursday, 3 April, 2025 9:00 PM EST.
Entries will be rated by you, the people, on the following:
- Use of prompt
- Score
- Overall
To submit your entry, please DM the message vote!submit to @8Bot via Discord. This will give you a special link that will take you to a page where you can upload your music (in discord-embeddable format like mp3 or link to streaming site like soundcloud or youtube) and score (in pdf format). If you have any trouble using this system, please don't hesitate to ask an 8BMT staff member.
