Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1

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Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is a single player simulation game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Cosmo D and was released on May 15, 2020. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Tales From Off-Peak City is a first-person adventure game series. Volume 1: Caetano's Slice is the first game of many in the anthology of Tales. While each 'Volume' is its own self-contained story and experience, taken together, they build towards the larger over-arching narrative of what’s really going on at the corner of July Avenue and Yam Street and what role you ultimately play in its fate.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 screenshot

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99%

Audience ScoreBased on 538 reviews

music76 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a captivating and surreal art style that immerses players in a bizarre yet beautiful world.
The soundtrack is excellent, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience of the game.
The narrative is intriguing, with quirky characters and a unique story that keeps players engaged.

The game is relatively short, lasting only about 2 hours, which may leave some players wanting more.
Some players found the gameplay mechanics to be simplistic and lacking depth, primarily revolving around pizza-making and exploration.
The dialogue can be lengthy and may feel tedious at times, potentially detracting from the overall experience.

music
179 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
56%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its exceptional quality, blending jazz and experimental elements that enhance the surreal atmosphere and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack is intricately woven into the gameplay, with unique soundscapes for different environments and character interactions, making it a central aspect of the game's charm. Overall, the music is described as captivating, beautifully complementing the quirky visuals and engaging narrative, solidifying its status as a standout feature of the game.
- “The music is amazing and adds to an unusual immersive experience.”
- “The soundtrack is fantastic, the graphics are weird and beautiful, and the story was super compelling for me.”
- “The entire atmosphere brought forward by the characters, story, music, sound effects, and environment is awesome and exactly what I was expecting.”
- “From the crappy collage style visuals and the noisy non-rhythmic music, to the strange story and the cringe characters, everything is just not right.”
- “The non-rhythmic music and the scattered strange sounds fit perfectly to the rest of the aesthetics.”
- “Cause those sound cues do not sound like a voice, they clearly are just noises made with a musical instrument, which makes it overlap the actual score that is incessantly playing in the background.”
story
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
59%
2%
The game's story is widely praised for its unique, surreal, and engaging narrative that unfolds through exploration and interaction with quirky characters, creating an immersive atmosphere. While some players find the plot convoluted or incomplete, many appreciate the depth and charm of the storytelling, which is enhanced by a captivating soundtrack and distinctive art style. Overall, the narrative is seen as a significant improvement over previous titles in the series, leaving players eager for future installments.
- “The story is very interesting and the mechanics feel fun.”
- “Tales from Off-Peak City provided me with exactly what I wanted after playing Off-Peak, a strange, bizarre, yet fascinating story with wacky characters, crazy settings, and just a general fever dream feeling.”
- “The story is pleasantly detailed for a game of this size, and never feels like things are just being shoehorned in to maximize weirdness.”
- “The storyline is boring af.”
- “Trying to convey some story by simply laying it out for you, not leaving anything for interpretation, eliminating all the charm and the distant feel of the world that is presented in the game.”
- “From the crappy collage style visuals and the noisy non-rhythmic music, to the strange story and the cringe characters, everything is just not right.”
graphics
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
53%
4%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a surreal and unconventional art style that blends trippy visuals with a nostalgic, low-fi aesthetic reminiscent of older gaming eras. While some players appreciate the unique and immersive world-building that these visuals contribute to, others criticize the lack of detail and refinement, suggesting that the graphics may serve as an excuse for overall poor quality. Overall, the game's distinctive visuals, combined with a compelling soundtrack, create a captivating atmosphere that resonates with fans of artistic and experimental gaming.
- “The visuals are stunning and surreal—I adore the buildings with faces and sentience—and all the characters feel like if you were to see someone as their vibes instead of strict representation of what they looked like to normal eyes.”
- “An incredible experience with the most unique and beautiful visuals!”
- “The bizarre art style has found its groove, the world’s established enough that the characters are at their most memorable, and the tunes are sublime.”
- “The world is interesting in that it is, well, crazy, but it also feels like a bit of an excuse to get away with atrociously bad graphics for a game released in the 2020s.”
- “The graphics look like something from 20 years ago, which adds to the overall weirdness of this game.”
- “The visuals, despite their creative ambition, still lack detail and refinement, and the mechanics are still only minimally interactive.”
gameplay
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The gameplay in "Tales from Off-Peak City" primarily follows the walking simulator format, focusing on exploration, dialogue with NPCs, and light puzzles, with a notable pizza-making mechanic that adds a unique twist. While the mechanics are minimal and often secondary to the narrative and atmosphere, players appreciate the game's immersive world and engaging story, though some feel the gameplay could benefit from further innovation. Overall, the experience is described as relaxing and enjoyable, appealing to those who prioritize exploration and storytelling over complex gameplay.
- “10/10 atmosphere, 10/10 gameplay, would recommend to freakin everybody.”
- “The mechanics are fun, the characters are interesting, it's just an all-around blast of a game.”
- “What I love about Cosmo D's Off-Peak series is that it has simple, relaxing gameplay mechanics, accompanied by mesmerizing world design, and an intriguing story.”
- “The gameplay is minimal, but that's pretty common among all walking simulators.”
- “The gameplay is very much a secondary consideration here, consisting mainly of talking to characters, solving some very light puzzles, and delivering pizzas.”
- “If I had to criticize this game for something, or at least highlight an aspect that could be better, it would be the gameplay.”
atmosphere
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
43%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique blend of surrealism, engaging music, and immersive environments, creating a captivating experience that resonates with players. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke strong emotions and a sense of intrigue, often describing it as a chill yet unsettling journey through a bizarre world. Overall, the combination of striking visuals, a jazzy soundtrack, and thoughtful character interactions contributes to an atmosphere that players find both memorable and worth revisiting.
- “The atmosphere the game had with the music, setting, and character interactions was cool and unsettling in a good way, and certain touches to the game really make it unique.”
- “During my first playthrough, I spent most of my time just wandering around in the space and taking in the atmosphere, listening to the music and admiring the bizarre landscape.”
- “A huge amount of creativity has gone into this game; it oozes atmosphere, has a good storyline, and a great jazzy soundtrack.”
- “However, its atmosphere, style, or imagery might still be disturbing for some.”
- “Like off-peak or the Norwood Suite, this game is yet another that is kind of difficult to explain or properly convey with any words, like a bizarre dream you had that is impossible to explain properly because you just can't fully convey the feel and atmosphere of the entire experience.”
- “The atmosphere is still bizarre and off-kilter in all the right ways and the writing is actually starting to come together, tying in events from the two previous games which starts making a clearer picture in its own absurd way.”
humor
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its odd, surreal elements and well-crafted dialogue, creating a darkly comedic atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the quirky visuals, immersive sound design, and the clever integration of humor into gameplay, particularly through interactions with bizarre characters and situations, such as delivering unconventional pizzas. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with intrigue, making it both entertaining and memorable.
- “The bizarre visuals may be the first thing you notice, but the sound design and music are notably great and the dialogue is well-written and funny.”
- “I enjoy the darkly humorous atmosphere of the game, and find the low stakes gameplay relaxing.”
- “In this game, you get to explore a surreal-magical Brooklyn-esque world by making and delivering pizzas to a host of bizarre and funny characters in trippy apartment buildings.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many users noting its more cinematic structure akin to a movie rather than a traditional game. While some appreciate the experience despite its short length, the consensus is that it lacks significant replay value.
- “It looks like a one-time experience, but in fact, it's got enough replayability.”
- “Additionally, a lot of the development seems to have gone into replayability.”
- “The only downside is the lack of replayability, since it's more like a movie in structure than a game.”
- “Even though it's really short and not very replayable, I'd definitely recommend the experience!”
- “Not every game needs hours and hours of new stuff to be replayable.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply impactful, describing it as a wholesome and relaxing experience that resonated particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The heartfelt storytelling and surreal moments create a moving and sometimes heartbreaking journey, making it one of the most touching gaming experiences for many.
- “This game is surreal, moving, and heartbreaking.”
- “Came for the pizza delivery simulator, stayed for the surprisingly heartfelt story told in a city full of surprises.”
- “The most touching game experience I've ever had in my entire life.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, users have noted that the game feels somewhat unoptimized, indicating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “As far as criticisms go, the game feels a bit unoptimized.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players generally find the grinding aspect engaging and immersive, as the world feels vibrant and alive, making the search for missing pieces enjoyable. However, some mini-games, like the pizza-making task, are viewed as tedious and detract from the overall experience.
- “This world felt so alive to me that finding the missing pieces to the puzzle wasn't tedious at all.”
- “I would recommend it if not for the tedious pizza-making mini-game.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively utilizes a single street corner setting over one day to deliver rich character development, blending intrigue, humor, and engaging interactions, all while incorporating a unique pizza-making element.
- “It takes place on a single street corner over the course of one day, and it manages to pack a lot of intrigue, character development, humor, and pizza making in that short period of time.”

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4h Median play time

4h Average play time

2h Main story

3h Completionist

3-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is a simulation game with horror, mystery and thriller themes.

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

The main story can be completed in around 2 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 3 hours to finish. On average players spend around 4 hours playing Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1.

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 was released on May 15, 2020.

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 was developed by Cosmo D.

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its replayability.

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 is a single player game.

Similar games include The Norwood Suite, Off-Peak, Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams, Kentucky Route Zero, Broken Reality and others.

Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1

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