Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller (full season)
“We can hardly disagree with your selection for Best Music, since we made the same choice ourselves last year after the initial Cognition episode. Between the wonderful score composed by Austin Haynes and the haunting closing credits song by Erica Reed voice actor Raleigh Holmes, the soundtrack is a superb musical complement to a powerfully dramatic story, and a deserving award winner any year.”
Runners-Up: The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, BEYOND: Two Souls, Face Noir, The Night of the Rabbit
Cognition Episode One: The Hangman
“These narrative highs and lows would have had much more trouble resonating with players if they were not framed with an appropriately atmospheric soundtrack, but the brilliant score by Austin Haynes consistently hits just the right notes at all times.
Cognition’s music is soft and reflective when it needs to be, moody and ambient when circumstances dictate, and jarringly intense at the game’s darkest and most dramatic moments. The composer’s work on The Silver Lining was notably one of that game’s strengths as well, and Phoenix Online clearly made the right choice by once again putting their music into his hands, as Cognition proved itself a deserving winner of our Best Music Aggie for 2012 over some very tough competition.”
Runners-Up: The Walking Dead, Journey, Botanicula, The Journey Down: Chapter One
Cognition Episode One: The Hangman
“It was no sure thing that Haynes could jump from the fantastical adventures in Daventry to a dark, disturbing serial murder thriller. But the self-proclaimed “composer for the imagination” did just that with Cognition, delivering a top-notch score that evoked all the right moods at just the right times. We clearly all hope to hear more from him in future, in more ways than one.”
Runners-Up: Botanicula, The Walking Dead, Deponia (series), Journey
Original Dramatic Score, New IP (Nomination)
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller was nominated in 2014 for “Original Dramatic Score, New IP” by The National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
“The music is universally stellar: Austin Haynes has outdone his work on The Silver Lining here, and Cognition’s soundtrack is lavishly produced and full of haunting melodies and memorable themes. A great deal of the dramatic weight in the story is shouldered by Haynes’ score, and it handles the burden with gusto.”
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
“Touch me tender with those notes you play. The drama and tension is also achieved with the music which is simply fantastic. Like a suspenseful thriller the score reinforces the impact of the violence and gets the player involved in the action scenes, and touches in ways only low piano and acoustic guitar tunes can capture the mood.”
Cognition, later episodes
“In a game that runs on as much emotional fuel as this episode does, I’m almost out of adjectives for Austin Haynes’s wonderful soundtrack, so perfectly framing every sequence with every emotional range, from thoughtful longing to dark desperation. It is the type of original game soundtrack that every genre should be taking notice of.”
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
“Sonically, Austin Haynes’ soundtrack is one of the best components of the package, delivering a number of key motifs which complement the on-screen adventure splendidly.”
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
“A highlight of the presentation can be found again in music. Exciting times, sometimes creepy, but always at a high level, it is therefore not surprising that the upcoming soundtrack album will be sold separately.”
The Silver Lining
“The soundtrack is beautiful. The music seemed to match the scene and the feeling each time it started to play. Overall, the audio in this game would impress me even if it were a full-length big budget game.”
ImpulseGamer.com
The Silver Lining
“Music is beautiful, and a pleasure to listen to.”
Abadonia Reloaded (The Silver Lining Episode 3)
The Silver Lining
“Voice acting is of excellent quality, rain and wind effects build an impressive atmosphere together with the music, especially the soothing but catchy tunes you hear in the palace.”
HardyDev.com
The Silver Lining
“The music is certainly well done…”
National Examiner