It’s hard to explain what a surreal honor it is to be reviewingOFF.
I initially became a fan ofOFFaround 2013, the peak of the game’s popularity in the United States cultural sphere, where it influenced communities like Tumblr and YouTube. At just around 15 years old, I was quickly captivated by the surrealism present in this indie gem that, if you ask me, went on to inspire a whole genre of its own in the coming years. Being exposed to the game at such a young and formative age, the odd creations of Mortis Ghost were not simply interesting, but highly inspiring, and shaped my interests in art and storytelling, even directly inspiring my writing.
And now, over 11 years later, I’m being asked to criticize the game in an official capacity, potentially influencing a whole new generation of players to check it out. My, how far we’ve come.
For the utterly unfamiliar,OFFis a surrealist RPG built in the style of RPGMaker titles.Lisa,Omori, andFear & Hungerare similar titles that have reached equal levels of acclaim in recent years. Like these games,OFFfeatures a fairly simple approach to gameplay, with the most advanced mechanics coming in the game’s turn-based battles, in favor of focusing instead on the incredible art and storytelling.
The story ofOFFfollows the Batter as he appears in the game’s strange, reality-defying world with one simple goal: to purify it of evil. As his spiritual guide, you lead this unwavering paladin through the anomalous “zones,” where plastic-filled seas flow into meaty rivers and metal forms the ground you walk on. The word “surreal” is one that I could easily overuse in this review, as the weird world ofOFFis presented to you with little context or explanation, demanding the player simply accept it as it is presented.
That is, in essence, the fun ofOFF: following the Batter’s journey through this incredibly strange environment and taking in the alien nature of the setting as you battle ghosts and malicious tyrants in your quest to exorcise this unfamiliar plane. The deeper lore and themes of the narrative can be difficult to decipher and are definitely up to interpretation, but my analysis (without spoilers) is that the game leans heavily on the concept of personal ideals, death, and responsibility. Behind the bizarre world of the story are small interconnected threads of logic and creation, and you just have to squint at times to see them.
While I would not callOFFa horror story, it leaves lingering feelings that are horror-adjacent, particularly with the overall sensation that something is “off” throughout your playthrough. The game also ends with a tragically difficult choice to make, which again I won’t spoil, but everything is presented so bluntly that it can feel almost alien in its storytelling, in the best way possible.
It’s important to note that 2025’sOFFis not a direct port of the original, but instead a remaster. While much of the original game remains intact, there are some notable changes.
The biggest of these changes comes in the form of the soundtrack. Unfortunately, the remaster ofOFFseems to have been unable to get the original composer back on board (for reasons I’m personally unaware of), and so the soundtrack has been rebuilt from the ground up to capture the original’s eerie feel. If you ask me, it does a fantastic job, as I personally wasn’t able to notice the difference until I did research for this review. Toby Fox makes a guest appearance in a few parts of the game’s soundtrack, which switches from hauntingly industrial to funky little electro-swing moments at will. The sound ofOFFis incredibly important to the game’s identity, and while they had to redo the soundtrack as a whole, I’m glad they managed to recreate it in a way that still feels faithful to the original vibe.
The combat system has also been changed somewhat, refined in a way that makes it feel a bit more modern when compared to the original, standard turn-based RPG system. However, I’d say that this area of the game still remains a bit dated, and certainly isn’t the most exciting aspect ofOFF. Simplistic though it may be with its approach, the turn-based combat sequences were fast enough and presented with enough visual flair that they never felt like a distraction from the main sequence, and I did find myself a little addicted to leveling up Batter and his party, even if the rewards for doing so were minimal. Boss battles remain exciting, thanks to the way the game builds up the presence of each enemy, making clearing one feel like a true accomplishment.
OFFis not an incredibly long game. Depending on how long you spend on its admittedly obscure-at-times puzzles, it shouldn’t take you more than an afternoon to beat it. It is a game, however, that sticks with you, and one that feels like a completely different beast in hindsight, with all of your actions and interactions with characters feeling completely recontextualized by the game’s brutal ending.
This indie gem was so influential for a reason.OFFis an experience that will stay with you far beyond the time it took you to complete it, and this remaster does a delightful job of reintroducing this timeless experience to a whole new audience of ready-to-be-hurt players.
The Final Word
Over a decade later,OFFmaintains its status as a delightfully bizarre, compelling little narrative that will haunt you far beyond its 5–6 hour runtime. This timeless RPG benefits from the polish and updates in the remaster, but otherwise remains faithfully true to its incredible original incarnation.
Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review ofOFF. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on ourGame Reviewspage!OFFis available onSteamandNintendo Switch.
