OFF is a puzzle-driven RPG where the usual is nowhere to be found. Taking control of a spirit purifying Sportsman simply known as “The Batter”, you, the player, are also included in the story in a literal sense as well.
Right off the Bat, no pun intended, you are asked to identify your name to him, and another character, a deranged-looking cat that can only be referred to as “The Judge”. You are then directed to the most informative and hands-on tutorial that will get you sucked into this bizarre and indescribable experience involving turn-based combat, very strange, flat colored environments, numeric puzzles, and some satisfying dungeon crawling.
Join Niche Gamer as we explore this addition to the ever-growing concept of deconstructing the RPG with this rather OFF-putting experience.
OFF
Developer: Mortis Ghost, Fangamer
Publisher: Fangamer
Platforms: Windows PC, Nintendo
Switch (reviewed)
Release Date: August 15, 2025
Price: $14.99
After passing the tutorial zone, only known as Zone 0, you find yourself in the geniusly named Zone 1. Taking control, or rather, observing the Batter as the story so insists, you explore a mining site where the inhabitants all act very strangely and yet somehow very descriptive of their occupation. They go into a very deep diatribe of how the process of mining and also meat extraction works when butchering cows.
I had no idea what on earth this had to do with anything, but felt very compelled to follow along, mixed with the very surreal music and visuals during this section. Even past this part of the game, things only get weirder.
A post office area thats run by a monster man who threatens to kill you even though you are doing a good service for him, which is having the batter kill evil spirits in classic turn-based combat.
Exploration felt right out of the Earthbound games, using unorthodox thinking to solve puzzles and to progress. The building has over 10,000 floors, on which you can enter a number in the elevator to go to any of those floors, but only a few of them are necessary. Having to find the floor to progress deeper involves critical thinking using the many NPCs in the accessible areas that leave vague hints.�
The puzzles shouldnt take most players long, but expect to set a precedent as to how things are going to be as you progress further in. The puzzles are numerous. Almost every other room is a mind-thumping puzzle to enjoy.
While the puzzles are numerous, some tend to feel rather tedious and promote the need for external sources, like snapping images to keep the hints fresh and readily available. Those puzzles tended to be rather boorish as they broke up the pace of progression, whereas a more practical puzzle that requires critical thinking is typically more appreciated.
Between puzzles and exploration, expect to do a lot of combat with the use of our intrepid Batter friend. His move kit is very ranged, almost like a main hero from a Dragon Quest game.
He’s able to heal the party as well as deal powerful blows with his bats. Aside from him, the party members you get are, well, kinda disappointing. These Entities, simply known as “Add-ons,” Join the batter on his quest to purify evil spirits.
All of them look like oversized Circles. Thats it. The first time one of them joins is fairly early, which felt like a funny quirk to experience in a game. Its combat abilities are quite fun to use as well, such as a poison attack that seems to always make its mark.
Once I got another to join, I was kinda disappointed as Im only going to be getting circles as my party members. Though this was very disappointing, they all served a vital role in combat with varying skills known as “Competences” to use in battle.
Combat itself is pretty much your average run-of-the-mill turn-based combat system. Kind of similar to Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle, but with “Wait” toggled on. Each character gets an active time bar, but once its their turn, time stops, giving you all the time you need to decide on your current active character’s action.
Whats cool, though, about combat is more about what kind of foes you face. In one instance, you will be fighting deformed head-shaped office drones, and in another breath, you will be fighting a giant monster-sized whale. The context of how some of these foes, or leading up to them, always feels like the mentioned Earthbound or Undertale games.
OFF is very abstract every step of the way and is guaranteed to leave an impression. Though at times the puzzles could feel more like a chore, having to keep visual aids to help you do them, they always felt very satisfying to complete once you cracked the code.
Combat, while nothing to be excited about, does its job well, though I would have liked some more going on in this department, as it felt a little barebones. Even selecting equipment felt way too linear, and there was never a moment that made me feel like I needed to be in the game’s menu for more than 10 seconds.
RPGs are best when you find yourself spending minutes upon minutes theorizing or deciding how to prepare your characters before continuing forward.
Granted, this game being a turn-based RPG isnt necessarily the point of its enjoyment; its more about the memorable, strange, but curious experience itself. OFF strikes out, however, with its poor party member designs. At least it’s very short.
OFF was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2 using a code provided by Fangamer. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. OFF is now available for Windows PC (via STEAM) and Nintendo Switch.
