We Are OFK

It's not often that such in-your-face product placement turns out to be anything but unappealing. We Are OFK completely flips the script on what's acceptable to put out to not-so-subtly advertise an upcoming product by focusing more on an engaging, heartfelt story. We Are OFK takes the struggles of younger generations and turns them into a storytelling masterstroke that'll constantly tug at the player's emotions. Whether it's grief, heartbreak, or feeling as though you aren't good enough or not living up to your family's high expectations, We Are OFK tackles these issues realistically and tactfully while constantly making players wonder if the band will ever be able to work through their problems for the sake of music or not.

Without spoiling too much of the story, players will alternate between the perspectives of all four would-be members of OFK as they try to work through their own issues while upholding the bonds within the group. Along with the bold, colorful graphics that sell the eccentricity of the main characters and Los Angeles as a whole, the story's stakes only increase from one episode to the next, culminating in a satisfying manner in which players are rewarded for caring about the band members. Even though the only "interaction" players really have with the story is through dialogue-based choices that don't really change the narrative all that much, players will be captivated enough with what's happening that it won't even matter. The choices, while not relevant to the story, give players more of a sense of what the characters believe in and who they are, which goes a long way for a game with such a minimalistic sense of interactivity. We Are OFK definitely skews more toward appealing to the millennial/Gen Z crowd, but behind the quirky wordplay and obvious marketing strategy is a well-told story that absolutely has no business being as good as it is -- yet this game proves it can rock the mic as well as any story-focused game out there.