“WE OFK” is an interactive game series

Four friends in Los Angeles, existential crises, neon lights and plenty of bubble tea – “We Are OFK” is an entertaining autobiography about a virtual band disguised as a game.

by Michaela Pichler

Like many stories, this one takes place in Hollywood: well, at least in Los Angeles, California, which is teeming with creators. The four protagonists of “We Are OFK” also work in the creative sector. There’s Itsumi, for example: The Twenty-something works as a social media manager for a big game company, is addicted to bubble tea, is grieving the loss of her ex-boyfriend and actually wants to pursue her true dream of being a pianist. Itsumi’s friend Luka feels the same way: He really wants to make it big as a songwriter, but instead works overtime on weekends as a video game storyteller. When he’s also fired, Quarter Life’s crisis is perfect, after all, rents in Los Angeles aren’t cheap either.

Fortunately, these challenges in “We Are OFK” don’t have to be mastered alone: ​​emerge from an existential crisis with the right music and friends – that’s the motto of “We Are OFK”, which tells the story of the virtual game Squad OFK. Visually, this sometimes reminds us of animated films with bright neon colors. The game’s frequent chat logs and dialogues are more than entertaining thanks to the quirky humor. You can learn, for example, how to get rid of unwanted diggers at a party or you can accompany the heroes on their adventures on Tinder.

Dancing in downtown Los Angeles

We Are OFK is a musical biography disguised as a video game. It’s not a real game after all. The five episodes look more like episodes of an interactive series, in which you always have the ability to make decisions in the dialogues. But the game is only played for a short time: in each episode, at the end, you open a music video that turns into a different mini-game each time. Sometimes you have to help collect lost cats like Itsumi, for example, or dance in downtown Los Angeles.

As for the music, the virtual band OFK has received support from real musicians: Luna Shadows and Thomas Powers are better known in the indie world as parts of the New Zealand pop band The Naked and Famous. Entire EP was created while collaborating with the developers of Team OFK. Singles were released per episode and at weekly intervals. The virtual band OFK performed, namely at the Game Awards 2020. Their song “Follow / Unfollow” (in 2D) was presented, which also accompanies you in the game. But the in-game music is just one of several plus points: quirky characters and popular cultural references ensure the story of a slow-paced big city.