Life is messy. It's complicated. We're all just trying to work out where we fit in, what we want from life, and what we want to do with the time we have. As a creative person who's nearing the end of my 20s, I'm still trying to work everything out and find my own way. With each passing year, I've learned something new about myself and about life in general. The world can be unforgiving, beautiful, surprising, and scary all at once. You'll face heartache, disappointment, and uncertainty, but also moments of joy and happiness that m🍷ean more as time passes. Sometimes you might hold yourself back, and other people might not always recognize what you're capable of, but you keep on going anyway in the hopes that you'll one day find yourself in a life you enjoy. I've found myself reflecting back on everything that led me to where I am today thanks to We Are OFK, the new interactive biopic music series from Team OFK.
Following the story of four friends who are all trying to navigate their creative fields in LA, We Are OFK explores all of the struggles that come with trying to do just that. Can you still follow your dreams when you have rent to pay? How do you date, maintain friendships, and look after yourself while you pursue a career? Over the course of the five episodes that make up the series, I fell in love with We Are OFK's diverse cast, its catchy as hell musiಞc, and beautiful soft pastel art style. The biggest surprise, though, was just how much its story and songs resonated with me.
Making music
We Are OFK's story begins with Itsumi Sato who's just moved to LA after breaking up with her girlfriend. With a full-time job at a games company, Itsumi is also trying to make something of herself i𒊎n the music scene. But of course, there are always things that get in the way and life can have other plans – which is no better illustrated by Itsumi's buzzing phone continually interrupting her piano practice. Before long, you're introduced to the rest of the cast, with the aspiring singer songwriter Luca Le Fae, up-and-coming music producer Jey Zhang, and creative coder Carter Flores. With all of their own aspirations, hardshi꧟ps, and distinctive personalities, it didn't take me long to form a connection with each person, and it's fantastic to see LGBTQIA+ representation in OFK's line-up.
Every cast member has their moment in the limelight as they try to navigate 💟their way through their own problems and challenges, and each episode made me more invested than the last. There were so many moments that effectively highlighted the struggles so many face when it comes to trying to be creative, and some of the issues that can unfortunately occur in pursuit of our dreams.♈
Say something
The music of We Are OFK is a big part of the experience, with each episode culminating in an interactive music video from the band. Each music video lets you interact with it in different ways, such as taking control of Itsumi in the first song Follow/Unfollow, with arcade-style sections that sees you fly Itsumi through the air to collect shards to the beat, or chase after your phone on a street level. All of the son🐻gs perfectly accompany the episode, with lyrics and music videos that capture what the cast are going through and what happened within the story. The songs are also absolute bangers that you can happily listen back to and replay from the home menu when you've experienced them for the first time. With the songs set to land on streaming platforms after the episodes launch, I can already see myself listening to all of them on repeat for a long time to come.
The episodes explores a lot of themes that so many will no doubt relate to, and I found myself really caring about the four friends and the music they create together. I've always loved the way songs can tell a story and act as a form of 🌠self-expression, and We Are OFK's music channels the hardships of🎃 the band in a way that resonates with me far more than I could have ever anticipated.
ܫWhen I came to the close of the final episode of We Are OFK, I kept thinking about a scene in episode 2. Jey talks to Itsumi about loving opera because it lets you sit in a feeling; lets feelings breathe. When life can get messy and complicated, and you're so focused on making something of yourself, you can forget to sit with your feelings. But through each music video and episode, I found myself sitting with the feelings each one brought to the surface and came away feeling less alone with the struggles I faced in my 20s. The story and music of We Are OFK work together to make a memorable narrative experience that's well worth checking out.
We Are OFK is set to release on PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. Episode 1 and 2 will launch on August 18, followed by Episode 3 on August 25, Episode 4 on September 1, and Episode 5 on September 8.
I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that🏅, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking f🐠ar too much tea for my own good.
