11/29/2019
Free Game Friday 11/29/19: OFF
An RPG maker project from a collaborative of Belgian gamers calling themselves "Unproductive Fun Time", OFF is a very bizarre experience from the get-go. The player themself plays a role in the plot (with characters breaking the fourth wall to address them directly and acknowledge their existence), though the story follows an enigmatic character known as "The Batter", who constantly speaks of his "holy duty" to purify the world. The gameplay itself is fairly standard Final Fantasy style RPG fare (even copying that franchise's Active Time Battle system for its combat), but the art direction is what truly makes it unique. The environments are relatively simple ones comprised largely of flat colors and simple shapes, while the characters seem to be stylized pencil drawings scanned into a computer. Plot scenes are largely stock images with text altered to fit the story's strange narrative, while the music is a collection of eerie ambient rhythms that underline the strange mood. Not quite horror, not quite comedy, but undeniably enthralling, OFF is a game that defies description; it must be experienced to see all it has to offer.
