Software:Off-Peak
| title = Off-Peak | image = Off-Peak cover.jpg | alt = | caption = | developer = Cosmo D | publisher = Cosmo D | designer = Greg Heffernan | programmer = Greg Heffernan | artist = Greg Heffernan | composer = Archie Pelago | series = | engine =
| platforms =
| released =
- WW: February 15, 2015
| genre = Adventure game | modes = Single-player }} 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.
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
References
- ↑ "Following Freeware - October 2016 releases". Adventure Gamers. 2016-11-28. https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/31723. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dimopoulos, Konstantinos (2015-02-24). "Freeware Garden: Off-Peak". Rock Paper Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/freeware-garden-off-peak. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ Priestman, Chris (2016-12-01). "Making videogames inspired by New York's musical improv scene". Kill Screen. https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/making-videogames-inspired-new-yorks-musical-improv-scene/. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ Smith, Ed (2016-11-28). "How Indie Dev Cosmo D Is Humanizing New York". Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/mvbk5b/how-indie-dev-cosmo-d-is-humanizing-new-york. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ Kotzer, Zack (2015-03-06). "Off-Peak splits the difference between a videogame and a mood board". Kill Screen. https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/peak-splits-difference-between-videogame-and-mood-board/. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ Smith, Ed (2015-12-21). "Speak Up, Off-Peak". Kill Screen. https://killscreen.com/previously/articles/speak-up-off-peak/. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ "The 25 Best Video Games of 2015". Slant Magazine. 2015-12-07. https://www.slantmagazine.com/games/the-25-best-video-games-of-2015/. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ↑ 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. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/explore-a-brutalist-city-with-climbing-axes-and-a-trumpet-in-this-great-free-indie-game. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
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