“We Are OFK” is a series of interactive games

Four friends in Los Angeles, existential crises, neon lights and lots of bubble tea: “We Are OFK” is an entertaining biopic about a virtual gang disguised as a game.

By Michaela Pichler

Like so many stories, this one takes place in Hollywood: well, at least in Los Angeles, California, which is teeming with creative people. The four leads of “We Are OFK” also work in the creative sector. There’s Itsumi, for example: the 20-something works as a social media manager for a big game company, she’s addicted to bubble tea, mourns the loss of her ex-girlfriend, and actually wants to pursue her true dream of being a pianist. Itsumi’s friend Luca feels the same way: he really wants to make it as a composer, but instead works overtime on weekends as a video game narrator. When he gets fired later too, the Quarterlife Crisis is perfect, after all, rents in Los Angeles aren’t cheap either.

Fortunately, these challenges in “We Are OFK” do not have to be overcome alone: ​​getting out of the existential crisis with music and the right friends: that is the motto in “We Are OFK”, which tells the story of the virtual band OFK. Visually, this is sometimes reminiscent of anime movies in bright neon colors. Frequent chat stories and in-game dialogues are more than entertaining thanks to quirky humor. You can learn, for example, how to get rid of unwanted digging attempts at a party or you can accompany the protagonists on their Tinder adventures.

Dancing through downtown Los Angeles

We Are OFK is a musical biopic disguised as a video game. After all, it’s not a real game. The five episodes feel like more episodes of an interactive series, where you always have the power to make decisions in the dialogues. But the game is only played for a short time: in each episode, towards the end, you unlock a music video that turns out to be a different mini-game each time. Sometimes you have to help pick up lost cats like Itsumi, for example, or dance around downtown Los Angeles.

For music, virtual band OFK was supported by real musicians: Luna Shadows and Thomas Powers are best known in the indie world as part of New Zealand synth pop band The Naked and Famous. A full EP was created during the collaboration with Team OFK developers. Single singles were released on an episode-by-episode basis and at weekly intervals. The virtual band OFK has even performed, specifically at the Game Awards 2020. Their song “Follow/Unfollow” (in 2D) was performed there, which also accompanies you in the game. But the game’s music is just one of several plus points: queer characters and pop culture references ensure a slow-paced big-city story.