As someone who discovered indie games a little later, having taken a bit of a hiatus from PC gaming, I was not familiar with OFF prior to a definitive version being announced for consoles. A quirky, minimalist, turn-based RPG, OFF will feel familiar to fans of Undertale and Earthbound (the Magicant portion in particular). I can appreciate how OFF inspired indie RPGs and other titles since its original release in 2008, but its value seems to derive more from its historical significance than its gameplay or narrative.

After naming your unseen player observer, you are introduced to the primary character you control, the Batter. On screen, outside and inside of combat, the Batter does the talking and of course the swinging. You can eventually acquire three other entities to join you in combat, and these take the form of circles referred to as Add-ons that each have their own abilities. They serve no other purpose than to aid you in battle, however. Fortunately, a kooky cast populates the different areas of the game, and the brisk, linear adventure doesn't wear out its welcome.

Your objective is to purify the handful of zones the world is divided into by ridding them of spirits, which range from funny-looking ghosts to more grotesque monstrosities. Along the way, you encounter puzzles that frequently take the form of inputting numbers into a telephone keypad-like setup. In many situations, what you see isn't always what you get, and so it's important to talk to everyone and be aware of small details and changes in your surroundings. An arrow here or an innocuous box there and you'll have the hints you need to progress. One neat example of this is one Lost Woods-type place where you can reorient a building's entrance by taking the path around it and to the left, which pops you back out to the right of the building, except its entrance now takes you to a different floor or wing.

The turn-based battle system is fairly standard, with meters beside your foes and under your characters that indicate when each member will be able to make their move. The Batter has a number of healing moves and bat swings, but the new abilities he unlocks are generally just more powerful versions of earlier ones. The Add-ons have slightly more interesting moves, like inflicting status effects, bestowing buffs, or hitting for a random amount of damage. Experience points allow your party members to level up, and currency earned from battles can be spent to acquire better gear. Intrepid explorers are rewarded with more potent equipment that helps with some of the tougher battles, but as someone who has played his fair share of RPGs the last 30 years, I never needed to grind or backtrack to achieve the first of OFF's multiple endings.

I'm not able to speak to how OFF compares to its 2008 release, but according to the press materials, it features “an all-new battle system, balancing improvements, as well as new areas and hidden bosses from the game’s creator, Mortis Ghost.” I was honestly expecting a more challenging experience overall, but the hurdles I encountered were much more from the puzzles and story than the combat, so fans of those elements will be better served here. I would imagine that anyone who played and enjoyed the original release would get a kick out of revisiting the 2025 edition to see the changes firsthand.

OFF is among the curios of independently developed video games that appears to have had a noticeable impact on the indie landscape. It's worth playing as a reminder of how far smaller, more unique RPGs have come in the last two decades, but its gameplay and story aren't captivating enough to warrant a full recommendation. While I respect how its niche-ness is part of its identity, you really need to value that aspect prior to diving in. My overall impression is that I'm happy to have experienced it and glad to have another piece of video game history on the Switch eShop. But once I've turned it OFF, I'm ready for something with more meat on the bone.