Update One Hundred and Sixty-Three: 29 April 2018
Off-Peak
1.2 hours, 6 of 6 achievements
8/10
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
If you don’t like walking simulators, but are interested in giving one another go, I suggest you play this one.
It’s weird. Odd. Strange. Late 90s Techno Dreams Web 1.0 weird. It reminds me (graphics-wise) of playing Tony Hawk Pro-Skater 4 or Tony Hawk’s Underground. Like, you know those skate parks in the beginning, that you can train in? Big cavernous spaces that seem to exist out of time, out of space, in a cyber future that died around 2002? Take that and mash it up with Second Life and you’ll get Off-Peak.
The game is short (and free!!)- doing absolutely everything took me maaaaybe an hour, and then I played again to get one more achievement and finished it in under 15 minutes (if that). The game does such a good job, though, of seeding information of its strange world. Who’s Marcus? What’s up with Luuuuuke and why does everyone seem to know him? Some people are huge - giants exist here. How? Why? What’s the Circus?
Honestly, the only ‘bad’ thing about this game is the ending - it is so rushed and so abrupt, taking the complete opposite tack that was really unsatisfying. Even an extra 20 or 30 seconds of dialogue or action or SOMETHING would’ve left me with more than ‘… guess that’s it!’
Off-Peak managed to reach a kind of dark, dreamlike, shadowy nostaliga, of things unreachable and unfathomable that I remember as a child learning about the new Tech age, but not really understanding. I used to believe that there were whole worlds outside the invisible walls of the video games I played, and that I just couldn’t get to them. Off-Peak returned that feeling to me for a little while, and I really enjoyed that.
Next up: I’ve heard a LOT of good things about this one…
See you soon!
I’ve played The Norwood Suite recently, also developed by Cosmo D… and yeah it was certainly a weird experience, I just looked and it’s in your library so I’d recommend checking it out for sure seeing as you’ve enjoyed this one :) Enjoy OneShot too, really gets quite emotional so brace yourself!
Yeah, when I got to the ending screen and saw ‘the Norwood Suite - Coming soon!’ I was like …. I’ve heard of that before… where did I… and I just so happened to have kept it from a Humble Bundle.
I’m excited! I read a little bit more about it and the dev said it’s a sequel to Off-Peak in a way, and I’m very into that.
Hell yeah! I’m ready to cry!
Hope you have fun with Oneshot! Make sure to get the Solstice ending too!
I hope I do, too.
And u kno I will - I love me gettin my grubby hands on all the secrets games have to offer.
This comment was deleted over 6 years ago.
Thanks for your review! I’ll probably give Off-Peak a go. As for OneShot, I’ll tell you this: Do not use any walkthroughs on this one. I did that and I pretty much spoiled half of the game for myself. Try to figure out everything by yourself, but if you get stuck somewhere, the folks in the game’s official Discord channel will give you spoiler-free hints.
You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed the review c:
And I’ll do my best! I’m very excited to play. I do like finding nice Discord communities, too.