Yeah, Moves of the Diamond Hand’s demo really got me thirsty for some more Cosmo D. You heard me. So, why the hell not start at the beginning? Well, that’s Saturn V, but that’s sort of a three-room art exhibit. Hold on, I’ll review it right now: It’s pretty cool, I guess.

Off-Peak is actually pretty similar to Saturn V, but better realized. It’s still, essentially, a modern art exhibit, but parts of it also feel more like a traditional video game. More importantly, it’s free, and it takes less than a half-hour to fully enjoy. You might as well just go play it instead of reading this review, but reviews are more than just about recommendations. This one, for example, is an opportunity to read words that I’ve written, you lucky duck.

TICKET TO RI-HI-HIDE

There is context given to this modern art museum. You get off a train at a grand station and meet a dude who tells you that you can have his train ticket if you can find all the scattered pieces of it. That’s some serious collect-a-thon logic there, but you won’t be leaping hither and yon and growing your repertoire of abilities to gather all your quarries. No, you just walk about, and you’ll see them in conspicuous spots.

There are no challenge or puzzle elements. It’s just a walking sim. So, you might wonder where the appeal is, and it’s just an aesthetic thing. The walls are plastered with interesting images, there are dioramas and large installations such as a giant whale that dominates the lobby. Then there is the music, which honestly didn’t do much for me, but is clearly part of the draw. It works for the atmosphere, but didn’t grab me by the feelers.

Then, there are more normal points of interest. There’s a guy selling pizzas from a mobile brick oven, a lady selling vinyl records, a ramen stand, a board game cafe. People discuss the happenings of Off-Peak City, there’s a really depressed giant dude at a piano, you can eat all the pizza, you can eat all the pizza. You’re mostly just a fly on the wall. A fly who can eat pizza and steal vinyl records if they feel like it.

DROPPING EAVES

By listening in on conversations, you can learn about Off-Peak City, but while it paints a picture, it’s exactly like what’s on the walls: just pictures. Well, I say “just pictures,” but saying that about art is completely asinine. I’m just trying to manage expectations here.

Relationships are only briefly established, and the world outside the station walls are only touched on. However, some of what is included reappears in later Cosmo D games. It’s maybe not enough that Off-Peak provides valuable background for future games, but if you fall in love with the world, it can be fun to backtrack to.

IT’S SO ART

Off-Peak isn’t much of a game; it’s an experience. And whether you connect with the art, the music, or the bizarre world that you’re presented with will depend on how much you like art. Do you like going to art museums? Specifically, modern art museums? If you do, then you might dig Off-Peak. 

However, it is less exciting than the later games in the developers’ catalogue. I think that’s largely because it wasn’t intended as the start of the series. But maybe! I’ll maybe try and ask Cosmo D later. The Norwood Suite would follow it a couple of years later, and it’s a lot denser. It includes a lot of what’s successful in Off-Peak, but pulls it off in a way that takes better advantage of the interactive medium. Overall, I’d suggest trying a later game in the series, seeing if you vibe with it, then circle back to this one to get more tidbits about the world and see how it began. It’s free, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

6/10

This review was conducted on a digital Steam version of the game. It’s available for free.