Dewdrop Cafe

Dewdrop Cafe is a short and sweet fantasy visual novel about a wandering barista who meets a mysterious girl in a magical swamp. Reach multiple endings and deepen your relationships! Complete with stunning visuals, cutscenes, heartfelt music, and a fantastical new world!

Description of Work: 

As the team's sound designer and composer, my work revolved around creating the entire sound profile for the video game. Over the course of a few months, I composed the game's original soundtrack and created all SFX present in-game. The vast majority of sound effects in the game were created through use of foley, and the soundtrack was created digitally in Reaper. In addition to foley and music, I also directed and recorded voice lines for the characters, working alongside voice actors to create short voice clips, that would then be edited before finally being implemented into the game. Finally, not only did I perform all of these tasks, but I was also in charge of implementing all sound directly into the game's code. 

Artistic Statement:

For this game, one of the greatest points of interest for me was pushing forward storytelling through music. This was my first time working on such a narrative-heavy game, and I wanted to make sure the soundtrack did it justice. As such, throughout the game's music, I make use of reoccurring motifs and melodies to create continuity and emotional connection between the game and the player. The game itself also has an Eastern-Asian influence, and I wanted to express that through music. As such, my composition style for this particular project makes use of Eastern flutes and stringed instruments like the Erhu to capture that fantastical feeling. One of my biggest inspirations for this was World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria soundtrack, in which the composers blend Eastern instruments with traditional Western fantasy composition. This is done to give the soundtrack an individual flair.

For this project, I made ample use of all of my knowledge with Reaper. The entire game's soundtrack was created with digital instruments, drums, and plugins, and much effort was put into making the game sound as orchestral as possible. What few sound effects that weren't recorded with foley were created digitally as well, and all editing, mixing, and mastering was also done through Reaper. Ultimately, I wanted to create a project that would drive forward the narrative emotionally. Something that would complement the rest of the gameplay, and heighten the player's experience of the game. 

Documentation:

Links to all assets created by myself:

Dewdrop Cafe OST

Dewdrop Cafe SFX

In-Game Screenshots

Below are a couple photos from a game showcase!