Off (2008)

i first tried this game a long ass time ago and never finished it and just recently replayed from the beginning start to finish (with all 3 endings) and so heres the review

i have absolutely no clue what the fuck just happened and the tightest theories i've found online say this is either about a terminally ill child recalling their life in their final moments or how stupid mens rights activists sound. and i think thats part of what makes this awesome

boring turnbased rpg combat and a handful of ok-what-the-fuck puzzles BUT the art and music/sound design are great and the game doesn't stretch itself out too long to the point of tedium. i like the cat

TL;DR if you dont care too much about interesting gameplay and are just curious about the super weird vibe this game has and want to see more of it, i can definitely recommend OFF. i wish more games had stories like this that have a ton of room for interpretation

Off isn't a bad game per-say, its just overall really not that good. As a save, I actually still enjoyed it, partly because its not an overly long game or overly large world, it also redeemed itself in the last quarter for me and started to find a stronger voice. The game also doesnt try to get too involved or grindy. (Were this to be the case i would have abandoned it quite quickly) HOWEVER The good bits of something different in the express JRPG format are filtered through RPG MAKER and pitted against a handful of some rather annoying sequence puzzles and number combination locks. IOW the puzzles are a real drag and annoying and detract from what the game has going for it. (I relied on a gamefaq when puzzles annoy)

The game does offer a bit of spice and uniqueness to things for a JRPG thoguh, however the novelty factor of this game only goes so far... That is partly because for the most part it plays functionally average (and dry) and is nothing to write about. It's also not really humorous or funny, and never is clever. And to top it off, it's not really very well translated from french or whatever... If you pick this up you are eying this game for its look, or its weirdness. And if you continue to play it the draw is also going to be the weirdness. the look is nice but It looks nicer in screens than it actually is to experience imo.

The game is indeed weird. It also gets increasingly weirder, and builds a bit nicely by the final quarter of the game as things get rolling hard off the deep end (but it makes zero sense to me) The game very much reminded me a bit of Salad Fingers and Richard D james type weirdness (music included, which is fairly decent). I would not mistake this as 'artsy' though, its more like beat poetry or a Rubber Johnny JRPG.. (or a bad dream)

I found the game looks pretty suitable for what it does and how it tends to feel. It still really could have used more detail in certain spots that would have made it seem a bit smoother. There's hardly much embellishment anywhere. Some NPCS are simple shapes. Character portraits are static, I think there is only even one font in the whole game. mechanics work but are somewhat bare. but they do work at least. Improvements in either of these two things would maybe be enough for me to reccomend it.

But I dont think i would reccomned this game to anyone. If you pick this up its on you! XD The novelty factor just really isn't there like it is in other unusual rpg/jrpg type games and this doesnt compare to them.

Still if you are looking for somethign that is genuinely weird (or free), and actually a game, its worth a look. But dont say i didnt warn you... Also, I would caution some people though. As this game is pretty disturbing and insensitive with some of it's undertones and attitudes about some controversial subjects regarding violence waftily presented in a way that just isnt done in western media. (If undertale gives you 'feels' then i you wont like this 'ending' one bit lol)

Off provides a wonderful style unlike that of RPG Maker games and some of their more unfortunately generic reputations. The sprites are unique, coming from a comic artistry I never knew existed, along with an ambient and jazzy soundtrack.

The world is intensely original and surreal, but manages to still slip into some pretentious territory that doesn't quite connect with the world before it. The style comes off as Kafkaesque and existing simply because it is, but the end chapters devolve into some psychological territory. If not for these parts, Off would get a straight-up 5. (Think of it more as 4.6/5)

The gameplay is nothing special, nothing new, yet presented and balanced to an excellent ability. For a short game, nothing's too difficult (even the superboss) and feels manageable, alongside a handful of interesting but not too archaic adventure puzzles on the side.

I would recommend Off to anyone looking for a fresh direction in JRPG-like worlds, but beware the pretentiousness near the end! That said, the rest is quite stellar.