In a piece of news I certainly didn't see coming in the waning hours of 2024, today it was announced that indie cult classic game OFF is getting released on Steam and Nintendo Switch next year in a new and "improved" version, including a physical edition.
For those unfamiliar, OFF is an RPG that first released in 2008 from Belgian studio Unproductive Fun Time. It was made in RPG Maker, originally released in French, and has never received an official English translation, though multiple fan translations have sprung up over the years. It's also never been available on typical, popular PC storefronts such as Steam or itch.io, but instead has circulated over the years as a direct download, gaining a cult following due to how utterly weird, unsettling, and at times inscrutable it can be.
OFF puts the player in control of a mysterious baseball player-looking figure known as the Batter, who is instructed by a talking cat calling itself the Judge to travel through four Zones and kill ghostly creatures known as Spectres. The Zones themselves are haunting, upsetting places run by cruel leaders, composed of strange elements such as smoke, metal, plastic, meat, and sugar, and populated by confused and often suffering individuals who seem to be tormented by the Spectres. However, as the game progresses, the player is encouraged to question the actions of the Batter and themselves as a player, with multiple endings possible depending on the player's decisions.
Despite never hitting the mainstream, OFF has served as an inspiration for a number of other hit RPGs, most notably Undertale (and most notably Undertale's absolute creepiest, freakiest stuff). The game is coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2025 both digitally and as a physical edition via Fangamer.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
