Indie games may be a prominent part of the industry now, but there was a time when fans had to seek them out through forums and chat rooms. There are a load of these games, some of which are still around, while others are lost to time.
So, fans of those message boards and chat rooms must have felt a sense of relief when the re-release of OFF was announced.
Originally made in RPG Maker by French developer Mortis Ghost, OFF has been popular in online spaces for more than a decade and has gained a cult following. This game even influenced other indie titles like Undertale, which has one of the biggest fanbases in the world.
Can this indie veteran still hit all the bases? Or has it exhausted all three strikes?
The First Pitch
OFF is considered to be one of the most influential indie RPGs out there, and it's easy to see why, based on its atmosphere alone.
Upon starting the game, players are introduced to The Batter and The Judge, where things immediately feel eerie. The game’s simplistic and crude art style does a good job of making players feel uneasy as The Batter informs you that he has to “purify” zones. You also feel that uneasiness with the enemies, which start out as cute ghosts but become more disturbing as the game continues.
After completing the tutorial, the atmosphere takes off once going through the game’s Zones. Whether it's the mines, library, or factory, these levels constantly make the players feel uneasy, and that’s what the story is going for. All of this matches up with the game’s themes of anti-consumerism, dehumanization, and industrialism, which makes for a fascinating tale. Even with the bright colors, the empty zones with disturbing imagery really add a layer of tension.
Hit it Out of the Park
Unlike Undertale, which is all about avoiding combat and being a good person, OFF encourages you to keep on fighting in order to "purify" the world. Luckily, the battle system is plenty of fun, even if it doesn’t offer anything new to the JRPG genre.
Anyone familiar with Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle system will be at home here. Players command The Batter to fight foes in turn-based combat, where players will need to decide what to do quickly before they get attacked by enemies. It’s not a revolutionary take on the ATB system, but it’s still fun to take part in, and the hit effects are satisfying.
Gamers who love a challenge will enjoy how relentless some of the enemies in OFF are. While things start out fairly easy, it won’t take long before enemies use status effects to make The Batter’s turn slower, allowing them to dish out more attacks. Although The Batter does get teammates in the form of Add-Ons, character-less circles that can attack enemies and use items, that doesn’t stop some of these frightening enemies from diminishing your health bar.
Luckily, The Batter and his Add-Ons do recover their health and CC when leveling up, so it's not insanely difficult. There’s also a healthy amount of save points throughout the game’s Zones, which also fully recover your characters, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
Swing and a Miss
Because OFF is a re-release of an older RPG Maker game from 2008, that presentation won’t appeal to everyone. While some players will enjoy the MS Paint-style characters and simplistic environments, others will think this looks dated or lazy. That’s a shame, but this art style won’t appeal to everyone.
One other aspect that won’t appeal to everyone is the puzzles. Since most modern games tell players where to go and how to get through obstacles, current-generation players will be shocked at how obtuse some of these puzzles are. You will have to explore environments, memorize any numbers you see, and check everything to find out how to solve them.
Maybe even get a piece of paper to write down clues.
We know there are players who will salivate at the idea of writing clues and potential solutions to puzzles down like the good old days, but others might find this off-putting.
Touchdown
Even with some dated aspects, OFF is a great gaming experience. In fact, you could argue that these aged mechanics make this indie RPG better and give it a proper identity. As long as players are patient and don’t rush through this 5-7 hour adventure, they will discover something special and unsettling with this game.
