ReMix:Lyle in Cube Sector "Gimme Back My Cat" 4:11

Next up is Lashmush, with some synth-infused metal taking on Lyle in Cube Sector. A quirky game that "looked like an NES game before that was what all the hip kids were doing", Lyle in Cube Sector is an intentionally goofy freeware game from the mid-aughts that's since been ported to a number of Sega systems. Lashmush comments that "I just really love the game and the soundtrack to it, this one especially striking a chord with me" - and it's a fun original track for sure!

This track went through the ringer on review, with several judges commenting on bass response specifically, but ultimately Lashmush's submission passed in no small part due to the excellent arrangement. DarkSim writes:

"The style you've chosen to make this piece in is very similar to the "SID-Metal" style of Machinae Supremacy, a Swedish band who did the excellent soundtrack to "Jets 'n' Guns". I love the sound palette when you have heavy metal elements mixed with clean synth sounds, especially those SID-style pulse arps and saw leads that you've got going on in here. It makes for a very intense, high-energy listening experience that gets the pulse racing...The track is well-crafted, with perfect synth and genre representations."

Along the same lines, noted monkey enthusiast Chimpazilla states that "...this track is well crafted and well performed, the arrangement is interesting and full of excitement, the sound choices are varied and all elements works well together, and the whole package is creative as can be". Personally I didn't vibe with it at the time, but looking at the track now I'm really enjoying the breadth of styles represented here and the overall approach. Sections like the power metal at 1:29 and the StarCraft-esque synth rock at 2:07 really showcase some clever ideation. Plus there's a cat!

This is a fun representation of a game most of us had never heard of until this submission. Flex some cube powers and go find that kitty!