| Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 | |
| Developer: | Cosmo D |
| Publisher: | Cosmo D |
| Designer: | Greg Heffernan |
| Programmer: | Greg Heffernan |
| Artist: | Greg Heffernan |
| Composer: | Greg Heffernan |
| Engine: | Unity |
| Platforms: | |
| Released: | May 15, 2020 |
| Genre: | Adventure game |
| Modes: | 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.
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]
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]
Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 received positive reviews on Metacritic.[5] Despite his fears that it might be impenetrable, Rock Paper Shotguns 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]