OFF is a Terrible Game (With an Interesting World)

OFF is a game I wish I could've enjoyed, it'd probably be more pleasant socially for me to roll with the punches and pretend it was a game I was enamored with but I owe my viewers both new and old the honest curtesy of what I actually think. There is some value here I will concede. It had some interesting narrative tricks up it's sleeve that had me reconsidering my stance on certain characters, a strange setting, and awesome music. Yet I was still coming up short as far as having a positive opinion on the game. I wanted desperately to enjoy OFF, but the closer I looked at most of it's individual parts, the more I realized that there was practically nothing for me here. It's ending doesn't justify it's obtuse nature, and neither do any reviews for the game that I've seen.

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[bossdoor]

I appreciate all the measured and considered responses to this. If you liked the video please do so, if you didn't like it I appreciate you sticking around for as long as you have. OFF's community seems super nice, so I'd love for you to stick around and see other games that I cover. You might discover a title you never knew about before.

[hsn]

I totally agree with that overworld sprite one but the title is kinda exaggrated

[skyrimlover]

I, obviously, am very VERY bias. This has been my pfp for about 8+ years. OFF means a lot to me, and when I played it. It was a surreal escape for me back in middle school where a lor of changes were happening. And OFF just kinds clicked. I never registered its story as a thing that was finished, the game play is simple (but pretty new to me as a youngin) and the world building mystified me.

But again, 2 major point, story and gameplay aren't good. OFF is presentation only.

[goopswag]

Honestly, only thing I disagree with is the title. Off is definitely not a terrible game. Yes, gameplay is where this game falls short, it really sucks. But I think story is quite decent, at least for me. But I definitely like how it was presented. I really liked how not everything is given out to players on a silver plate, and player could piece things together by himself and come up with some theories, it really reminds me of Fnaf. Everyone was seeking for all these little bits of lore in tries to form a theory. But other than that, great video and valid criticism.

[forgottenashes]

I think where people go wrong with things like these are seeing them purely as games, when they're more akin to art pieces. Cruelty Squad, OFF, (more recently) IPad Baby all are obviously shitty games, but they never tell you "Hey we're trying to be fun and engaging!" it's moreso a "Hey here's this idea I thought of in a fever dream, make what you will of it." They're all beautiful as a sort of true abstract form of modern art to think about and come up with theories for (e.g. I found a really good point of somebody comparing the process of the batter's "purification" to chemotherapy, wiping out the negative but having no safety regards for the positive), but by god they are absolute dumpster fires as games.

[hero-o]

For me the game feels much more enjoyable to watch than actually play, cause i enjoy peoples reactions and interactions while skipping the mundane stuff.

[internetspookies]

personally i think to enjoy a game like OFF for all it’s worth, you have to be a fan of games like yume nikki, where the unforgiving puzzles and gameplay are part of the fun for you. I think the auto function proves that the battles are not meant to be the main focus, but the world and plot. You don’t Have to fight really to finish the game. it’s also pretty clear on the story, it’s just easier to see when watching a play through. it’s more an interactive art piece than a video game. as a big fan of surrealism and strange horror games, these sorts of games really appeal to me. I don’t really enjoy intense action in games unless it’s an actual fighting game you play with someone else. I’m sure other people feel the exact opposite way, and feel like the battles are the best part. different strokes for different folks and all that.

[Jake_Harley]

Did you just talk bad about my fucking hype fixation? Blows up pancakes with mind

[MutedAndReported]

I personally love this game. I understand it’s not for everyone though. The game’s flaws actually didn’t bother me that much. I like RPGs, but I was never a fan of overly complex design and strategy, so I can appreciate if it’s kept quite simple. In fact, I usually even switch the mode of battle so I don’t have to think fast when my action bar fills up. I agree with the part about the overworld sprites, some of them look really ugly, especially the Judge. Poor Pablo looks like he has a tic-tac with a “:D” face for a head… However I do actually like how the rest of the overworld looks, the blocky simplicity and striking colors are something I just feel as a part of the game’s atmosphere. The puzzles never felt too complex or frustrating for me either.

I can definitely see where you’re coming from with your points about the game, even if I personally disagree with most of them, so I can certainly respect your opinion.

[happinessstudios]

Alright you explain your reasons alright. But damn that title is so clickbait, like my god no offense but that just shamefull :/

[noicejam]

thanks for putting subtitles, i feel like not enough content creators apply them and its a real help to me

[the_new_messah]

next video: why yiik is the best video game ever


ok, in all seriousness, i hate this video. yes, i also hated the battle and puzzle, but did you try look into character or story?? you did not mention the story at all. off has place in my heart, and is understandable if you dont like it, but it no gameplay focused. it more story than game.

[spookyblue]

Eh I get it, not everyone is going like OFF.
It isn't perfect, not all indie games is going to be perfect.

Heck, even Omori or OneShot isn't perfect but still good for what they are.

I'm cool with that, so long as they don't act like an asshole about the game, like ranting or hating it for no reason to get under people's skin.

And when I saw the title, I was afraid that you were gonna be one of those shitty people.. but I understand your points.

BTW, did you know that Papyrus's original design was based on Dedan?

[WitherVideos]

I cant believe it you’re not agreeing with all my opinions I should probably dislike this haha

[frdsgfsfdghfgfdgjgfj]

One thing I think is remarkable in OFF is its position for the world it takes place in, and the life in it. It states that it's more desirable for it to not exist than otherwise. This kind of pessimism taken to absolute is very uncommon in rpgs of the same ilk from what I've seen

[Kemonosaur]

Unpopular opinion for sure here. OFF was one of those games a friend recommended to me during high school along with TF2. I absolutely had an obsession with both for entirely different reasons and for me, sometimes in a game the story will be more appealing as opposed to the gameplay and vice versa. That was OFF for me. I'm a sucker for dark and vague media and stories, as well as surrealism and oddness. Despite the gameplay not being a main focal point (to me it was very enjoyable, but wish there was more variety), it didn't minimize my enjoyment. As an illustrator and fan of Akira Yamaoka's industrial and atmospheric music the artwork, design, sound fx, and soundtrack had me sold. The dark themes pretty much solidified my love for this game even if was a short game overall. I'm glad to this day there's still a small community who still adore this game (myself included). It's certainly not for everyone, but that's totally ok! It's not bad to try things out of your usual range, it's always worth a shot. Next time when dealing with similar titles, I'd keep that in mind and understand that it might not be tailored for you. Perhaps look at it from a different perspective and see how there are positives in other areas.

[germstix]

The steam/switch release apparently aims to improve on many of the weaker parts of the game, including the battle system. I personally love this game but I'm hoping that whatever the developers implement will make the game a bit more bearable to play.

[phantommoon]

As a huge OFF fan, I have to disagree with some of your points here. While I do agree that the battle system is too easy and that the overall gameplay isn't the main focus, in my opinion, that's not what Mortis Ghost (creator of OFF) wanted to accomplish here. Take Yume Nikki for example. Both OFF and Yume Nikki are games in which gameplay isn't the center focus. They both focus on narrative symbolism that makes the player decide what to do and how to view the story. They do NOT have clear stories that are laid out for you. Yes, there is implied parts of their stories, but the main focus is how each player EXPERIENCES the game. OFF and Yume Nikki are exactly that. They're exploration games with dark symbolic themes that one can experience and enjoy. Another thing about your review that felt OFF was the fact that it seemed like you rushed through the game. OFF is not a game to speed run or rush through. It's clearly an experience based on the narration and symbolic themes that are present throughout the characters and story. You miss the entire point of OFF by rushing through it's elements and not seeing the fine detail for the bigger picture. Games like OFF are intended for you to think deeply on and not rely on common sense. Yume Nikki does the EXACT SAME THING. Hell, even OMORI does this and it's fairly obvious it took inspiration from OFF like how Toby Fox did when creating concept art for UnderTale. I feel that you may have not liked OFF because 1. It has no obvious story 2. You prefer gameplay over story. As you can see in UnderTale, it takes a lot of those symbolic narrative points and combines it with the quirky and emotional themes of Earthbound.

In summary, OFF isn't a game where you focus on combat and gameplay elements. You need to focus deeper on what the creator lays out for you and how you want to interpret that story. There's so many different details left out for players that help you figure out the main meaning of the game, like how Yume Nikki does with each dream world. One last similarly between those two: they both have explorative worlds you go through that help you see what the game could truly be about. I can tell you now, if you dislike OFF, you won't like Yume Nikki or other games that rely on heavy symbolism in order to understand the story. It doesn't get rid of OFF's flaws for sure. They could have done better with those aspects, such as making each spell or item more useful with strategy. They also could have done better with battle scaling in terms of making some enemies more powerful or weaker than they were. Overall, some of your points were understandable, but I do believe that you missed the point of OFF entirely, as its a game based on player analysis and not what the game gives you. It's show, not tell.

[doubleaabattery]

Feels like you just dont like abstract media man ngl

[wandereringshadow]

OFF Is like Omori. The Combat is lackluster, but the story and world itself is toptier.