Off-Peak

Off-Peak is an adventure game developed and published by Cosmo D. Players explore a surreal train station and attempt to leave a dystopian city. It was released as freeware in 2015. It was followed in 2017 by The Norwood Suite, which shares the same setting.

Off-Peak
Developer(s)Cosmo D
Publisher(s)Cosmo D
Designer(s)Greg Heffernan
Programmer(s)Greg Heffernan
Artist(s)Greg Heffernan
Composer(s)Archie Pelago
Platform(s)
Release
  • WW: February 15, 2015
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Players arrive in a train station, attempting to leave a dystopian city. They have no ticket, but learn that a friend has ripped up his ticket and left the pieces scattered in the station. Off-Peak is a first-person adventure game that focuses on exploration.[1] It is set in a dystopian city reminiscent of New York City.[2]

Development

Greg Heffernan, a professional musician, began making video games in the 2010s under the name Cosmo D. Off-Peak is his second video game. He was looking to create something "satisfying and unsettling at the same time". He was inspired by musician John Zorn to make a surreal world based on improvisation that is grounded in a strong theme.[3] Heffernan credited video games with giving him a "wider creative bandwidth" to talk about life in New York City, people he knew, and the intersection of music and commerce. Heffernan's band, Archie Pelago, provided music for the game.[4] Off-Peak was released as freeware.[2]

Reception

Kill Screen said it was fun to explore and a love letter to Heffernan's influences. Describing it, they said "whether or not this is a videogame, a music video or a mood board is a question with no incorrect answer".[5] In another article, Kill Screen interpreted Off-Peak as warning against the commodification of art.[6] Slant Magazine, which called it weird and beautiful, chose it as one of the best games of 2015.[7]

See also

  • Babbdi, another free video game where players attempt to flee a dystopian city[8]

References

  1. "Following Freeware - October 2016 releases". Adventure Gamers. 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  2. Dimopoulos, Konstantinos (2015-02-24). "Freeware Garden: Off-Peak". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  3. Priestman, Chris (2016-12-01). "Making videogames inspired by New York's musical improv scene". Kill Screen. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  4. Smith, Ed (2016-11-28). "How Indie Dev Cosmo D Is Humanizing New York". Vice. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  5. Kotzer, Zack (2015-03-06). "Off-Peak splits the difference between a videogame and a mood board". Kill Screen. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  6. Smith, Ed (2015-12-21). "Speak Up, Off-Peak". Kill Screen. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  7. "The 25 Best Video Games of 2015". Slant Magazine. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  8. O'Connor, Alice (2023-01-13). "Explore a Brutalist city with climbing axes and a trumpet in this great free indie game". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
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