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Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1

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Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1
Developer(s)Cosmo D
Publisher(s)Cosmo D
Designer(s)Greg Heffernan
Programmer(s)Greg Heffernan
Artist(s)Greg Heffernan
Composer(s)Greg Heffernan
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
ReleaseMay 15, 2020
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is a 2020 adventure game developed and published by Cosmo D. Players explore a surreal city. It is the sequel to Off-Peak and The Norwood Suite and was followed by Betrayal at Club Low.

Gameplay

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Two mysterious people task the player to steal a saxophone from Caetano Grosso, a former musician who now runs a pizzeria. The game is played from a first-person perspective and focuses on exploring the world. While posing as a pizzeria employee, the player makes custom-order pizzas based on abstract and somewhat nonsensical phrases (which writer Matthew J.R. Parsons likened to Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies)[1] and meets the various citizens of Off-Peak City. After delivering the pizzas, the player can sneak through customers' houses and photograph the surreal objects found in them. The game does not have voice acting; instead, non-player characters' speech is rendered as music.[2]

Development

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Greg Heffernan made the game mostly by himself using Unity and Blender.[3] After being released as a part of a Humble Bundle, the game was released on May 15, 2020.[4]

Reception

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Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 received positive reviews on Metacritic.[5] Despite his fears that it might be impenetrable, Rock Paper Shotgun's reviewer found it to be a very fun game that is enjoyable on a surface level. He felt that the game helps players discover their own meaning without being pretentious, likening it to being subtly tricked into having deep thoughts.[2] Eurogamer wrote, "It's bizarre and unsettling, yet also captivating and hugely engaging."[6] Comparing it to the works of film director David Lynch, Adventure Gamers said it may be too weird for some players but recommended it to those who are open-minded or fans of surrealism.[7]

Slant Magazine and Rock Paper Shotgun included it in their best games of 2020,[8][9] and it was nominated for the Nuovo Award at the 2020 Independent Games Festival.[3]

References

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  1. ^ https://matthewjrparsons.com/tag/tales-from-off-peak-city-vol-1/
  2. ^ a b Crowley, Nate (2020-02-11). "Wot I Think: Tales From Off-Peak City Volume 1". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  3. ^ a b Couture, Joel (2020-02-10). "Road to the IGF: Cosmo D's Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1". Game Developer. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  4. ^ Morton, Lauren (2020-05-15). "Surreal adventure game Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is out now". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  5. ^ "Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 (PC)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  6. ^ Ahmed, Emad (2020-11-12). "The alluring weirdness of Tales From Off-Peak City". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  7. ^ O'Connor, Bryce (2020-08-24). "Review for Tales from Off-Peak City: Volume 1 – Caetano's Slice". Adventure Gamers. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  8. ^ "The 25 Best Video Games of 2020". Slant Magazine. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  9. ^ "Our favourite games of 2020". Rock Paper Shotgun. 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2023-04-23.