Try our affiliated browser extension - redirect to BreezeWiki automatically!

OFF

Off (stylized as OFF) is a 2008 role-playing video game developed and published by Belgian team Unproductive Fun Time, consisting of Martin Georis ("Mortis Ghost") and Alias Conrad Coldwood. It has garnered a cult following for its story, characters and atmosphere, particularly after its officially sanctioned fan translation into English in 2011. It is about an enigmatic humanoid entity known as the Batter, who is described as being on a "sacred mission" to "purify" the world of Off. The Batter travels through four bizarre Zones in the world, revealing more about the world as the game goes on.

A remaster with new content developed by Fangamer is in development for Windows and Nintendo Switch, scheduled to be released in 2025.[1]

Plot Synopsis

The player (who is referred to directly) assumes control of the Batter, a man in a baseball uniform on a "sacred mission" to "purify the world".

Zone 0

Main article: Zone 0

Here, you meet the Judge who helps you learn the basics of the game.

Zone 1

Main article: Zone 1

You then proceed to Zone 1, where you ride the train to the smokemines. Here, you find Alpha, your first Add-On, who acompanies you on your mission and fights alongside the Batter during the purification of spectres. Going through the mines, you end up at the farmsteads and later the office building where you encounter Dedan, whom the Batter recognizes as hostile, despite being told otherwise. You go to Alma, where Dedan's main office is located, to purify him.

Zone 2

Main article: Zone 2

Moving on to Zone 2, you explore the library and encounter Japhet. He manages to escape before the Batter finishes purifying him, so you visit the shopping mall, amusement park, and residential area (in that order) before moving on to the roof of the library. On the roof, you finally purify Japhet.

Zone 3

Main article: Zone 3

Proceeding to Zone 3, you make your way around a factory. Contrary to the behavior the Elsen have shown in previous zones, they do not deem the spectres a threat. You discover the highly addictive sugar, how it is made, and its significance to the workers. You face Enoch, the director of the factory and boss of Zone 3. However, as Enoch predicted, the battle is lost, and you are forced to retreat. You face him again shortly after, this time defeating him.

The Room

Main article: The Room

After defeating Enoch, you gain access to the Room, which differs greatly from the environments you have discovered so far. It is a dark, shadowy and dream-like realm, in which you do not encounter enemies, with the exception of the Queen, the game's final boss. During your time in the Room, you solve various puzzles, encounter a little arcade sequence and revisit the three Zone's bosses, who appear friendly and cannot be attacked.

After defeating the Queen, you find a chamber containing nothing besides a switch. As you approach it, you are stopped by the Judge and presented with a choice: Fight alongside the Judge and abandon the Batter, or side with the Batter and turn against the Judge. Choosing the Batter and successfully defeating the Judge will allow you to flip the switch, which produces the message "The switch is now on OFF", followed by the game ending. Choosing the Judge and defeating the Batter will result in an alternative ending, showing the Judge walking through various of the now purified zones.

Development and Reception

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of 'Off,' a stream was held where the game's creator, Mortis Ghost, shared insights into its development. He revealed that 'Off' was born out of his own drawings and ideas. He and a few friends used RPG Maker 2003 to bring the game to life while living together in a flat. He candidly discussed the challenges they faced, particularly the limitations of the RPG Maker engine. Despite these hurdles, Mortis Ghost successfully released a demo, which garnered enthusiastic support from players. This encouraged him to release the full game in 2008. Reflecting on his creation, he expressed satisfaction with 'Off' but also acknowledged areas for improvement. He mentioned that the game's difficulty might be "too easy" and that he would adjust it if given the chance to revisit the project.

Following the release of an English fan-translation on September 8, 2011, 'Off' exploded in popularity on Tumblr a few years later in 2013. It became the sixth most reblogged game that year. After Undertale's release in 2015 it led to to comparisons with other games in the 'Mother-like' sub-genre. While these comparisons are common, Georis cited 'Killer 7,' 'Final Fantasy,' and 'Myst' as his primary inspirations. He discovered the 'Mother' games years later and acknowledged that their influence on 'Off' would likely have been significant had he played them earlier. He believes that 'Off' might have been less dark if he had been exposed to the 'Mother' series during its development. Today, he considers 'Mother 3' his favorite game.[2]

Off has been praised for its story, characters, and atmosphere. Heidi Kemps of PC Gamer described it as "a memorable and haunting RPG, filled with tricky puzzles, bizarre symbolism, and challenging thematic elements." Adam Smith of Rock, Paper, Shotgun compared it to Space Funeral.

A large fanbase for the game developed on Tumblr; Off became the sixth most reblogged game of 2013, with the first five being AAA games.

From November 16th to 26th, 2024, Mortis Ghost teased an upcoming 'Off' project. These teasers not only led to a partnership with Fangamer for merchandise but also culminated in a scheduled stream on December 19th. During this stream, it was announced that 'Off' would receive official remasters for Steam and Nintendo Switch set to release in 2025.

Gallery

Promotional Material

References

  1. ↑ "I have a sacred mission to fulfill. I must purify the world. OFF is coming to Steam® and Nintendo Switch™ in 2025. Preorder or Wishlist at http://offtherpg.com" - @OFFtheRPG on Twitter, December 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ "My favorite game at the time was Killer 7, and I had the desire to create a game as strange as Suda 51’s one. This was the big point.” says Georis. “I was aware of the [Mother] games, especially Earthbound – which was on my to-do list – but I don’t have the memory of me making a mental link between them and OFF at the time. I was more into an idea of making a mix between Killer 7, Final Fantasy and Myst. These were the games I was thinking the most when I made OFF, even if it looks a bit strange. I discovered the Mother series years after OFF’s release, and it was a shock. Today Mother 3 is my favorite game of all time, and I think OFF would have been really different if I played Shigesato Itoi’s game before. Like, much less dark and negative.” - Mortis Ghost on Paste Magazine, November 8, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Today’s Off 10th anniversary. So I’ll do a little let’s play of my own game and talk about it. Happy birthday!" - Mortis Ghost on Twitter, June 5, 2018.
  4. ↑ "To celebrate 15 years of OFF, there will be a stream in June. It will be a kind of ultimate FAQ on the game. Ask me all the questions you want in response to this tweet, I will answer as much as possible live. I'll give you the date and time of the stream soon." - Mortis Ghost on Twitter, May 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Off's 15th anniversary stream will likely take place on Wednesday, June 28 at 9 p.m. (UTC+2)" - Mortis Ghost on Twitter, June 20, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Indie gem OFF, inspiration to mega hit Undertale, is back!" - Debug Magazine's Website,