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Soundtrack: Dragica Kahlina - Ava Chapter 1 OST (2022)


78 / 100
A compelling dark ambient soundtrack, best enjoyed by fans of atmospheric and cosmic soundscapes rather than traditional game OST seekers.
Ava is a mobile puzzle game inspired by tarot cards, developed by Stardust LLC. It was released in four chapters, rolled out periodically between February 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. While there’s a claim that the game won an award, it was never explained exactly where or what it won. For the soundtrack of Chapter 1, Stardust LLC collaborated with local, Zurich-based artist Dragica Kahlina.

Although the game came out in 2020, Kahlina only uploaded the OST two years later on Bandcamp, using cover art from Level 11: The Crown that features Ava herself.

The atmosphere of darkness and cosmic vastness is strongly felt throughout the eleven tracks, built primarily on dark ambient foundations and layered with various sounds: echoing stick-like noises in the opening track, scattered synth touches, and even kalimba in
“Level 5: The Child.” Meanwhile, “Level 9” stands out as the only untitled track—being the most experimental and deliberately unsettling—while “Level 8: The Thread” and “Level 11: The Crown” lean towards minimalism. Interestingly, the closing track doesn’t go for something epic or glorious, but instead remains firmly within dark ambient territory.

Whether or not it matched the in-game experience, Dragica Kahlina’s OST successfully captures a cosmic darkness deep enough to stir the soul. It feels right at home for fans of Cryo Chamber and Rojinski.

Best Tracks: “Level 2: The Lovers,” “Level 7: The River,” and “Level 11: The Crown.”
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