Off

Steam Reviews

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• Recommended Posted August 24, 2025 on Steam I am directing my review SPECIFICALLY at people who did not play the original, but have maybe played one of the MANY games that were inspired by it (Undertale/Deltarune, Omori, Oneshot, etc). TLDR: It's not perfect but you should play it. When you take a film class, there are some "classics" that you should watch because they give you context for things that would come after. Those classics may not always be as polished, and may not be to everyone's tastes, but they are important to experience because the give you the starting point to see how ideas have grown and changed in the medium over the years. OFF is one of those for videogames. A modern player who did not play this in 2008 (or in the years afterward) might not appreciate how unique and innovative this game was because there are games now that have taken the ideas from OFF and done even more exciting things with them. But I think it's still important to experience OFF if you're a modern gamer so you can see the starting point, and appreciate how it has evolved over time. Some things to note for brand new players: -This game is a surrealist work, meaning that there is very little LITERAL story interpretation to be done. It is less about "True Meaning of OFF EXPLAINED" and more about emotions, feelings, experiences. If you feel like you are not following the story, that's absolutely okay. Don't focus on an overall narrative, focus on how individual story beats make you feel in relation to how you play the game. If you're curious afterwards you can delve deeper into theories, but there is no definitive singular reading of the game. -Some old fans of the game have been disappointed by the new soundtrack, but as a new player you WILL enjoy the remastered soundtrack. It is very good, it fits the game nicely, and while the original soundtrack is excellent I don't think you're "missing out" with the new tracks. If you enjoy them, check out the originals! Many of the new tracks take direct inspiration from the old ones! -The mechanics of this game are very dated. The puzzles and combat are not particularly challenging, and once you've figured out the "trick" to them there is very little variation in the whole game. The combat got a MUCH needed face-lift in this version, but it's still pretty basic. Please keep in mind that this game was made in 2008 by two people, and to this remake's credit they have PRESERVED most of the feel of the original rather than try to modernize it. A LOT has changed about the video game world since this game was first made. It is still worth experiencing! I think younger gamers who have heard of this game but have never played it might be... disappointed if they don't go into this with the right mindset? You've GOT to look at this piece outside of the lens of the games that come after it (though you WILL have the "ah, that's where Toby Fox got the idea for ______" moments lol) and there's a lot to chew on here. The enemy art is still BEAUTIFUL, the writing haunting and humorous at the same time, and there's still a lot of moments that will make you sit back and go "whoa". It's so easy to see why this game was such a huge influence on so many creators, and I love that it's being brought to a new generation. Respect the classics and give it a go.
• Recommended Posted August 18, 2025 on Steam This remaster is the definition of suffering from success. It takes a phenomenal game, adds tons of quality of life improvements, introduces new boss fights, and offers a brand new OST… and the community complains about the soundtrack change. The new soundtrack is brilliant, but it does live in the shadow of the masterpiece that is the original soundtrack. This is a huge disservice to the new soundtrack, because if it weren’t for this comparison I truly believe the community would be singing praises over how inspired it is. That said, I think it’s a good sign this is the only widespread complaint about this remaster. OFF was a perfect game, despite—or perhaps because of—its imperfections. To be able to build upon it 17 years later without any sort of dip in quality, and to retain the original aesthetic with new content and changes alike; this is truly cause for celebration.
• Recommended Posted August 22, 2025 on Steam Beating OFF was one of the greatest experiences of all time, however it did take quite a while to finish. If i could beat OFF for the first time again, i would take that opportunity in a heartbeat.
• Recommended Posted August 17, 2025 on Steam The original OFF felt like a dream. Playing this version feels like going back to sleep trying to re-experience that same dream, but realising things are a little different this time around. The battle system is definitely an improvement from the base game, some of the fights actually make you think this time rather than just "spam strongest moves to win". I have mixed feelings about the new OST though. Don't get me wrong, they're all absolute bangers, but the atmosphere feels kinda lost in some places without the sharp graty feeling of the original OST. This is most evident in Zone 2, as well as Alma in Zone 1, in my opinion. Overall, I think the rest of the additions are decent and bring an interesting new charm to an otherwise already influential game. Still rating it a 7.8/10, nostalgia bias hits hard.
• Recommended Posted August 30, 2025 on Steam For starters, this is NOT the original release of OFF. This is a rebuilt version from scratch of the original work which was originally made for an old version of RPG-maker and it's not just a random game, it's a cult classic for very good reasons. OFF is a surreal active turn based JRPG with one of the most unusual settings and atmospheres in gaming that's not bordering on overtly grotesque on the likes of Cruelty Squad or Gorn. Built almost entirely as an aesthetic experience, OFF combines surreal world building, uncanny characters and obtuse dialogue to give a unique RPG experience. From the way it treats its mythos to its deliberately obtuse storytelling, OFF makes a very unique approach to JRPGs. In a way, a precursor before Toby Fox took a more direct examination of videogames with UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE, while OFF is a lot more open ended on how it interprets things. From the seemingly disconnected, but very purposeful narrative to how it handles it's playable character and the game world around it, it definitely has a lot to provide. With a very unique aesthetic vision, its simplicity becomes much less of a deterrent when you consider it's just a small free RPGmaker game that was spread around in the 2010s. It's original lackluster difficulty was also not a problem, considering the appeal of the game was never a deep combat system, but rather the very uncanny journey we go thorugh as we complete each stage and the obscure revelations we can find from how sparse the information is. What made the original OFF phenomenal was how much there was to potentially dissect with this obscure little gem Mortis Ghost posted years ago in the internet. This re-release was made with a much bigger team and it seems to have been a step in making a fully realized version for everyone to enjoy. Console releases, an official translation, a much improved combat system, new content, better user interface, this remake had it almost everything. The elephant in the room is obvious to any fan of the original game: Alias Conrad Coldwood did not lend his soundtrack to the remake. Some people are upset that he didn't come back to this rerelease and they still feel that the new soundtrack, despite its excellence, is not as good as Alias's original work. And to be fair, I feel the same. The soundtrack of the remaster is very good, let no one say otherwise, but an unavoidable fact is that the entire soundtrack feels like it's from a group of people who were inpsired by Alias, which causes it a difference in how the songs themselves feel. The artists sound like talented musicians who heard Alias's original work and made music inspired by the experience he provided them. Alias's original music sounds like the perfect in between disconcerting, alien and troubling sounds that are still registered like music because of how talented he is in making those absurdly offwordly beats work as a soundtrack. The new team makes music that sounds "too much like music". Alias's music made you feel like everything was slightly misaligned. misplaced. and yet, it still had a cohesive vision. Even so, don't let this deter you from playing this version. The new and improved battle system made playing through regular battles engaging and the visual designs and battle background are still as esotheric as ever. The way critical hits work is one of my favorite additions to it. When a character gets a critical hit, their ATB bar charges faster and whatever action they take next will be improved. Attacks deal more damage, healing heals more and even scanning enemies give more information. Enemies also now properly show who is about to act, adding for more strategy in regular battles. A lot of bosses have added gimmicks to their battles, making them feel more meaningful than the original release. This game, not too unlike Doki Doki Literature Club+ was made with the original fans in mind, but it's also enjoyable for those who are new to the series. Overall, absolute unit of a recommendation, granted you're not put off by puzzles that may require some lateral thinking. But even if you're not used to, it's good for the brain, so give it a try ;)
• Recommended Posted November 28, 2025 on Steam great game, but the hour-long sex scene between the batter and zacharie right before the final battle felt a little unnecessary