Cool source material; GB Castlevania entries are underrepresented at OCR.

I'm probably going to sound like I hated it, Atcero. There's a lot of merit to writing for a small, limited ensemble like you've done here and you succeeded in establishing a lo-fi vibe. There's also room for more conservative, straightforward arrangements like this one on the site given enough personalization and execution on the other elements; the latter is unfortunately where this track is lacking.

There's a single dropout of the drums at 0:28 before they return shortly afterward, and once the snare comes in around 0:37, the beat doesn't change. In fact, the kick and the hat are the same pattern in the intro as well. That lack of variation in the part writing plus the lack of any depth or oomph in their mix causes the track to drag hard. Even if writing fills is out of the question, more variations in the pattern (and more patterns) would go a long way for listener interest. Separately, there's a massive lack of a bass voice.

The left hand chords being closed voicing and focused toward the lower octaves of the piano's range adds a lot of mud. Part A (0:40-1:44) is the most egregious example of this. There's also the lack of humanization on the piano part as a whole; while there's some space given in the melody line to personalize the writing compared to the source, it feels very blocky and stilted.

The different parts of the source connect well to each other, but I feel this is an opportunity to add to the transitions between them; right now, it seems like the best parts of this arrangement are what Hidehiro Funauchi originally composed and we want to hear more Atcero coming out of this. Separately, the lack of ending is a massive downer. The track just falls off a cliff at 4:48.

There's a good foundation here but this needs to be fleshed out more before it's ready for the front page.

NO