Off (video game)

Off,[2] stylized in all caps, 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.

The Batter advances by leveling up, acquiring new party members, and upgrading his statistics, such as attack and defense, as well as gaining special abilities termed "competences".

One notable feature of Off is its unusual number of puzzles, which include finding a multi-digit password and entering it into a giant keypad, locating missing book pages, or "repeating room" puzzles where players walk through multiple instances of the same room in the right order to escape.

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".

The first Zone consists of a series of towns that is ruled by a vulgar, imposing humanoid creature named Dedan.

The Batter is informed that there are spectres within the smoke mines of the first town, Damien, and promptly rushes through them in order to purify the area.

As The Batter exterminates spectres within a barn, Dedan, the Zone Guardian, berates one of the workers for their incompetence.

The Batter is informed that there are spectres within the library and advances through the building, encountering the Zone Guardian, Japhet, who appears to merely be a cat.

He proceeds to Bismark's amusement park, and then to the residential area, where Japhet is terrorizing citizens with spectres.

The Judge informs The Batter that his brother, Valerie, has been "calling himself Japhet", implying that he has been possessed by the Zone Guardian.

The Batter returns to the roof of the library and engages in battle with Japhet, who reveals his true form—a hulking phoenix with Valerie's corpse still attached.

The Batter advances to the Director's office, meeting the Zone Guardian, a gigantic, overweight man named Enoch.

There is only one type of enemy in each of the purified Zones, known as Secretaries, who appear to be large humanoid infants in differing wrestling attire.

There are several references to Hugo's illness, ranging from the constant mention of pills to direct flashbacks.

The Space Apes describe their plan to construct factories in the now-lifeless world of Off to produce robots capable of killing the aliens.

[11] Heidi Kemps of PC Gamer described it as "a memorable and haunting RPG, filled with tricky puzzles, bizarre symbolism, and challenging thematic elements.

Gameplay screenshot of Off , in which the main character, the Batter, alongside two of his Add-Ons, is fighting a boss named Sucre
Gameplay screenshot of the original French version of Off , in which the Judge is explaining a block puzzle to the Batter