arrangers:
- link: artist/25520
  names:
    en: Sauraen
barcode: '5054526139763'
catalog: MCOL-0018
categories:
- Game
category: Game
classification: Arrangement, Vocal
composers:
- link: artist/25709
  names:
    en: Casey Gu
- names:
    en: Eliza Velasquez
- link: artist/16803
  names:
    en: Toby Fox
- link: artist/25520
  names:
    en: Sauraen
covers: []
discs:
- disc_length: '25:49'
  name: Disc 1
  tracks:
  - names:
      English: A Distant Prayer (Ending)
    track_length: '6:34'
  - names:
      English: A Shadow in the Light (Yang Ending)
    track_length: 0:50
  - names:
      English: Turning Once Again (Self-Contained Universe)
    track_length: '5:01'
  - names:
      English: Alpha and Omega (My Burden is Light)
    track_length: '2:15'
  - names:
      English: Ramsong
    track_length: '1:28'
  - names:
      English: Happy Niko (Medley)
    track_length: '3:17'
  - names:
      English: A Glimmer in the Darkness (Yin Ending)
    track_length: '1:29'
  - names:
      English: Niko's Lullaby (Home)
    track_length: '4:55'
distributor: &id001
  link: org/965
  names:
    en: Bandcamp
    ja: Bandcamp
    ja-latn: Bandcamp
  role: retailer
link: album/64128
lyricists:
- link: artist/25709
  names:
    en: Casey Gu
- names:
    en: Eliza Velasquez
media_format: Digital
meta:
  added_date: 2016-12-26T10:39
  edited_date: 2022-05-03T11:35
  fetched_date: 2025-11-10T22:15
  freedb: 1
  ttl: 86400
  visitors: 2438
name: 'YIN / YANG: A OneShot Concept Album'
names:
  en: 'YIN / YANG: A OneShot Concept Album'
  ja: 'YIN / YANG: A OneShot Concept Album'
  ja-latn: 'YIN / YANG: A OneShot Concept Album'
notes: '"This is a nonlinear album! The order of the tracks depends on whether you
  chose to save the world or have Niko return home at the end of OneShot. If you chose
  the “save the world” ending, listen to the tracks in the order 1-2-3-4-5-6. If you
  chose the “return home” ending, listen to them in the order 1-7-8-4-5-6. Be aware
  that track 2 and track 7 contain spoilers for their respective endings!"

  ---

  Director’s Note:

  "I played the original version of OneShot in the summer of 2015, and immediately
  fell in love with the game. It was refreshingly self-aware, but not in the comedic
  sense common in games and other media: it actually explored the complex and emotional
  relationship between the player, the game, the game world, and the player character.
  I felt immersed and engaged in the story in a way I have never felt about any other
  game--I felt like I almost knew the game already, as if I had created it myself
  and then forgotten it. About halfway through my playthrough, I correctly predicted
  the choice I would be forced to make at the end, and so I had to play the second
  half of the game with the awareness that I was about to lose either Niko or the
  rest of the world. When I got to the end, after much deliberation, I did choose
  to save the world, but it was difficult for me to accept that there wasn’t an ending
  which resolved everything. I intentionally did not play the other ending of the
  game, even though I had figured out how to override its lockout: I remained true
  to the “one shot” nature of the game.

  That same week I got in contact with Eliza and Casey, since I felt like I needed
  to know these people who had made a game which reflected my ideas and feelings so
  well. In part to celebrate the game, and in part to get Casey-senpai to notice me,
  I created the arrangement of “My Burden is Light” which appears on this album as
  track 4, “Alpha and Omega”. Casey did notice and said some very kind things about
  the music, and I remained in occasional contact with both developers.

  Several months later, I decided to give someone I cared about a copy of Oneshot,
  and in preparation for this I decided to break my promise to the game and play the
  other ending. When I saw what happens if Niko returns home, I fell in love with
  the game all over again. While I maintain my decision to save the world, not knowing
  what would happen on either ending, the “return home” ending was much more deeply
  satisfying to me when comparing the two endings a posteriori, for certain reasons
  I can’t elaborate on without spoiling it.

  Yet the two endings were still balanced, and I began to consider the delicate way
  they complimented each other. The “save the world” ending gave the player some extra
  content by Casey, and the “return home” ending focused on a special feature made
  by Eliza. Each had its own ending theme, appropriate to the context, and the credits
  in one case were literally the inversion of the other, light on a dark background
  versus dark on a light background. So once I began working on the album, the theme
  of “YIN/YANG” was a natural choice. On the “yang ending”, Niko fills the world with
  light but can never return to their home; on the “yin ending”, Niko’s eyes glow
  brightly in the dark.

  I’m a big fan of the use of a ballad with lyrics to end off an emotional RPG. So
  I set off to compose the ending song OneShot did not have. The vocals would of course
  have to be from Niko’s perspective, and it made the most sense for Niko to be singing
  to the player just before making the decision at the end of the game. Once I had
  set up the song like this, I realized that what would happen at the end of this
  song would depend on the choice the player made; so I decided to compose an ending
  for each path, and then finish up with an arrangement of each respective ending
  theme.

  I began “A Distant Prayer” with the “Distant” theme and ended it with “My Burden
  is Light”, but the remainder of the music is original, as are all the lyrics not
  lifted directly from the game. Similarly, “A Shadow in the Light” and “A Glimmer
  in the Darkness”, the soundtracks for the “Yang ending” and “Yin ending” respectively,
  are original music with voiceovers adapted from the game’s script.

  “Turning Once Again” is an arrangement of “Self-Contained Universe”, the theme used
  for the save-the-world ending as well as for emotional moments throughout the game,
  plus a small amount of original material in the introduction and B section. The
  tempo and “feel” of the piece was based on that of the original, and based on the
  idea that this ending was a relatively comfortable continuation of the game world.
  The instrumentation is somewhat nonstandard and was created somewhat ad-hoc, but
  the use of Rhodes and cimbalom came from another (unreleased) arrangement I did
  a couple years ago.

  In contrast, “Niko’s Lullaby” was an arrangement I envisioned almost as soon as
  I had solidified the album concept. It is based on a live improvisation: I sat down
  at my keyboard and just played a version of it, on the piano+synth pad sound which
  is heard in the final version. My piano performance skills are nowhere near professional,
  so this version contained a multitude of errors and awkward pauses; but I edited
  and re-recorded sections as necessary, and the version on the album has virtually
  the same structure as the original improvisation did.

  In OneShot, not only does each sheep bleat at a different pitch, as is used in the
  song “Ram Victory”, but each sheep actually plays a unique sample, as Niko finds
  out as they walk around poking them. So I assigned the sheep to a keyboard, and
  created “Ramsong” as a joke which should be understandable by anyone who is a fan
  of emotional, fourth-wall-breaking indie RPGs that occasionally use animal sounds
  as pitched instruments. :)

  Finally, “Happy Niko” was inspired by GIRakaCHEEZER’s remix of “Puzzle Solved” on
  the original OneShot OST album, but I wanted to create a more complex arrangement
  which could be enjoyed as a complete electronic track. My experience with producing
  EDM is limited, and so other influences snuck their way in--from marching band to
  carnival to whatever that piano solo was. The title was an easy choice, as I imagined
  Niko dancing to this song; and everyone knows that pancakes are what Niko loves
  the most, so they appeared in this song as well.

  Special thanks to all the performers who helped bring this album to life; to Sebastian,
  for creating Materia Collective, without which the album would not be possible;
  and to Eliza and Casey, for creating such an inspiring game."

  ---

  TRACKLIST & CREDITS

  Sauraen: Producer, Arranger

  Casey Gu: Album Art

  John Montoya: Mastering Engineer

  Sebastian Wolff: Producer

  1 A Distant Prayer (Ending)

  Sauraen: Arranger

  Casey Gu: Composer, Lyrics

  Eliza Velasquez: Lyrics

  Fabian Fabro: Electric Bass

  Katelyn Isaacson: Vocals (Niko)

  Matheus Souza: Electric Violin

  Mike Lee: Acoustic Guitar

  Spencer Congero: Piano

  2 A Shadow in the Light (Yang Ending)

  Sauraen: Arranger

  Casey Gu: Lyrics

  Eliza Velasquez: Lyrics

  Katelyn Isaacson: Vocals (Niko)

  Taira Komori: Bulb SFX (freesound.org (CC Attribution))

  3 Turning Once Again (Self-Contained Universe)

  Sauraen: Arranger

  Casey Gu: Composer

  Fabian Fabro: Electric Bass

  4 Alpha and Omega (My Burden is Light)

  Sauraen: Arranger

  Casey Gu: Composer

  5 Ramsong

  Sauraen: Sheep Programming

  kangaroovindaloo: Ambient SFX (freesound.org (CC Attribution))

  Toby Fox: Composer

  6 Happy Niko (Medley)

  Katelyn Isaacson: Niko “Pancakes”

  Casey Gu: Composer

  Eliza Velasquez: Composer

  Sauraen: Arranger

  7 A Glimmer in the Darkness (Yin Ending)

  Sauraen: Arranger, Composer

  Casey Gu: Lyrics

  Eliza Velasquez: Lyrics

  Katelyn Isaacson: Vocals (Niko)

  Lauren Liebowitz: Vocals (Niko''s Mom)

  8 Niko''s Lullaby (Home)

  Sauraen: Piano

  Casey Gu: Composer'
organizations:
- &id002
  link: org/1517
  names:
    en: Materia Collective
    ja: Materia Collective
    ja-latn: Materia Collective
  role: label
- link: org/2280
  names:
    en: Materia Collective LLC
    ja: Materia Collective LLC
    ja-latn: Materia Collective LLC
  role: publisher
- *id001
performers:
- link: artist/27169
  names:
    en: Fabian Fabro
- link: artist/27279
  names:
    en: Katelyn Isaacson
- link: artist/18830
  names:
    en: Matheus Souza
- names:
    en: Mike Lee
- names:
    en: Spencer Congero
- link: artist/15165
  names:
    en: Lauren Liebowitz
- link: artist/25520
  names:
    en: Sauraen
picture_full: https://media.vgm.io/albums/82/64128/64128-1482778856.jpg
picture_small: https://medium-media.vgm.io/albums/82/64128/64128-1482778856.jpg
picture_thumb: https://thumb-media.vgm.io/albums/82/64128/64128-1482778856.jpg
platforms:
- PC
products:
- names:
    en: OneShot
- link: product/4106
  names:
    en: UNDERTALE
    ja: UNDERTALE
    ja-latn: UNDERTALE
publish_format: Commercial
publisher: *id002
related: []
release_date: '2016-12-23'
release_events: []
release_price:
  currency: USD
  price: 5.0
reprints: []
stores:
- link: http://materiacollective.bandcamp.com/album/yin-yang-a-oneshot-concept-album
  name: Bandcamp
vgmdb_link: https://vgmdb.net/album/64128?perpage=99999
votes: 0
websites:
  Official:
  - link: https://www.materiacollective.com/music/yin-yang-oneshot-concept-album
    name: Materia Collective
