Off-Peak
Off-Peak is an adventure game developed and published by Cosmo D. Players explore a surreal train station and attempt to leave a dystopian city. It was released as freeware in 2015. It was followed in 2017 by The Norwood Suite, which shares the same setting.
Off-Peak
- Date
- 2015
- Language
- English
- Genre
- adventure video game
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Off-Peak is an adventure game developed and published by Cosmo D. Players explore a surreal train station and attempt to leave a dystopian city. It was released as freeware in 2015. It was followed in 2017 by The Norwood Suite, which shares the same setting.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Off-Peak. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q117831218 · wikipedia · Off-Peak
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Off-Peak • Developer — Cosmo D • Publisher — Cosmo D • Designer — Greg Heffernan • Programmer — Greg Heffernan • Artist — Greg Heffernan • Composer — Archie Pelago • Platforms — * Linux • macOS • Windows • Released — February 15, 2015 • Genre — Adventure game • Modes — Single-player
Gameplay
Gameplay
Off-Peak is set in a dystopian city reminiscent of New York City. Players arrive in a train station, attempting to leave a dystopian city. They have no ticket, but learn that a friend has ripped up his ticket and left the pieces scattered in the station. Off-Peak is a first-person adventure game that focuses on exploration. While exploring the station, players will meet characters who will tell them about their lives working in the station, or overhear conversations between other characters.
Development
Development
Greg Heffernan, a professional musician, began making video games in the 2010s under the name Cosmo D. Off-Peak is his second video game. He was looking to create something "satisfying and unsettling at the same time". He was inspired by musician John Zorn to make a surreal world based on improvisation that is grounded in a strong theme. Heffernan credited video games with giving him a "wider creative bandwidth" to talk about life in New York City, people he knew, and the intersection of music and commerce. Heffernan's band, Archie Pelago, provided music for the game. Off-Peak was released as freeware.
Reception
Kill Screen said it was fun to explore and a love letter to Heffernan's influences. Describing it, they said "whether or not this is a videogame, a music video or a mood board is a question with no incorrect answer". In another article, Kill Screen interpreted Off-Peak as warning against the commodification of art. Slant Magazine, which called it weird and beautiful, chose it as one of the best games of 2015.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Off-Peak”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q117831218: Off-Peak
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Dimopoulos, Konstantinos. Freeware Garden: Off-Peak. Rock Paper Shotgun. 2015-02-24.
- 2.Following Freeware - October 2016 releases. Adventure Gamers. 2016-11-28.
- 3.Priestman, Chris. Making videogames inspired by New York's musical improv scene. Kill Screen. 2016-12-01.
- 4.Smith, Ed. How Indie Dev Cosmo D Is Humanizing New York. Vice. 2016-11-28.
- 5.Kotzer, Zack. Off-Peak splits the difference between a videogame and a mood board. Kill Screen. 2015-03-06.
- 6.Smith, Ed. Speak Up, Off-Peak. Kill Screen. 2015-12-21.
- 7.The 25 Best Video Games of 2015. Slant Magazine. 2015-12-07.
- 8.O'Connor, Alice. Explore a Brutalist city with climbing axes and a trumpet in this great free indie game. Rock Paper Shotgun. 2023-01-13.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 21 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Of Orcs and MenWork
- Of the Red, the Light, and the AyakashiWork
- Off RoadWork
- Off Road ChallengeWork
- Off-Road Redneck RacingWork
- office toyTerminology
- OfficersWork
- Official Formula One RacingWork
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a copy of Off-Peak?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.