We Are OFK, a review of a musical biography with a big heart

The story of Itsumi, Luca, Jey and Carter resembles a game. Like Kentucky Route Zero, which can also uniquely interpret the post-crisis existential instability of 2008. We are OFK It is divided into five acts and its characters are replaced by grace and spontaneity on the scene of life.

The setting chosen by the team is realistic Los Angeles, very different from Cardboard Computer’s United States, which seems to have emerged from a dream. Along with some futuristic elements, the world of We Are OFK allows for full definition by players who feel sympathy, hostility, or concern for the protagonists of a limited interactive video game from an entertaining point of view. It completely includes the emotional realm of the players. This isn’t the pompous rise of a big band: We Are OFK tells a small story and therefore manages to penetrate the hearts of those who know how to listen.

let’s learn in We are OFK review.

Escape from the time of crisis

we were talking about episodic structure We are by OFK. We were able to play all five episodes for this review, only the first two will be available to the public when We Are OFK releases on August 18. Don’t worry, because there won’t be long waits: over the next three weeks, the other three episodes will be unlocked at no additional cost.

There History It opens after one of Itsumi’s long car journeys to reach her workplace: a video game development studio where crunch time is the rule. The criticism of the team that large companies ‘do not respect the privacy and creativity of workers’ is obvious. It’s unusual for a video game to be used to give voice to the thousands of workers in the industry who are overwhelmed by the massive productive cogs of the big video game companies; What is certain is that players will find themselves reflecting very naturally and effortlessly on the nature of the behind-the-scenes work required in some cases to create massive virtual worlds.

At the offices we meet Luca, the second of four co-stars. Along with Itsumi, she also shares a passion that has been relegated to the back of her mind to make room for cumbersome work deadlines: music. Luca has written a few songs in the past, but never considered a career in the music world. Meeting producer Jey changes everything for him and beyond: Pianist Itsumi and graphic designer Carter also find themselves in Luca’s dream and the big projects Jey has done for him. Between twists and tough decisions, We Are OFK characters will knit one dense emotional texturebut always clear and consistent as long as you have a good command of English and are familiar with youth slang.

Big little story

If We Are OFK’s premise was undoubtedly simple, the way the story was told isn’t clear. We witness a smoldering creative fire burst into the hearts of the heroes and their lives will no longer be the same: everyone, without exception, is trying and compelled to realize their true priorities and the unrepeatability of life. Choose between chasing an uncertain – perhaps impossible – dream or a stable and secure employment.

There music It’s the crazy variable that is kept in check at first, but turns the quartet’s life upside down when it’s released. And nothing will ever be the same again. We are OFK, speak a clear and direct, honest language that does not belittle the characters and the audience/actress (the theme of honesty is central to the narrative and is repeated several times). The ghosts of the past suddenly return in the form of boxes, puppets, videos of old friends who are no longer there; The exorcism of the ghost is a necessary exercise, but not always possible: sometimes the right way is to calmly accept yourself and the world as it is.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight, quite the contrary. There character development We Are OFK takes place before our eyes, without jerks, without forced changes. It’s always them, yet in each episode we see new facets of their personality and explore how the four of them are shaped by their interactions with each other and the environment around them. The chasms of existential contemplation explored by the aforementioned Kentucky Route Zero are unreachable, but Itsumi, Luca, Jey, and Carter remain at heart for their sincere humanity as real people.

The phone, the phone of my desires…

We Are OFK’s narration goes through scenes from everyday life: we get emails from the boss, messages from friends, we wait for a drink at the counter… telephone. Here, it is a constant presence in this contemporary world, and it applies to the protagonists of this indie video game as well: from a technological tool, the mobile phone is transformed into a totem that symbolizes the need for interconnection between the protagonists.

It is interesting that one of the characters uses the chat. Games and Online Harassment Hotline: is a truly existing service that provides anonymous listening and useful information in case of any mental illness. Even if you just feel the need to contact another person, it is possible to get help in the US by texting 23368. The service was created with the needs of the gaming community in mind, but anyone can turn to Games and Online. The Harassment Helpline for advice and information, or even just a word of comfort.

This brings us to the We Are OFK game theme. In general, the actor first of all audience adventure that takes place without the possibility of changing its course; Interaction is provided by the choice of reply and dialogue options both in live chats and via message. The scenes in which the protagonists communicate on cell phones, even if they are in the same room, perhaps at arm’s length, are symbolic: a conversation through a messaging app, especially during a concert, was stunned by its intensity.

Each episode has a duration reported to the player on the main screen and ends with a music video. Not surprisingly, the creators of We Are OFK presented it as an interactive musical EP: our movements during the songs will actually affect the direction of the respective video, and the performance can be repeated as many times as you want, or even individually. the rest of the section. In these sections,interaction The number of players is more obvious: we have a kind of Pong to play with by bouncing a phone, a devastating break in a table set to dust the luxury plates, a kitten rescue session (!) to be delivered by mail, and so on.

We moved with pleasureindie pop It’s hard not to love tracks like We Are OFK by We Are OFK, which offers some excellent points in our opinion, it’s impossible not to admire the always happy marriage of interactive texts, music and music videos. An overall excellent level of dubbing and a natural writing that can bring spontaneity and life to the protagonists does the rest to make We Are OFK one of the most interesting releases of this very hot summer. One tip: as mentioned by the developers in their intro phase, it’s better to enjoy We Are OFK on the couch. After trying the Nintendo Switch version, we can say that using the console on the go does not allow the optimal performance of the music, the adventure remains constantly even in the purely narrative parts.