History VideoGame / OFF

* KillEmAll: Pretty much what happens throughout the whole game [[spoiler:due to purifying the Zones]], culminating in the official ending where all the survivors get killed [[spoiler:due to the Batter pulling the switch]].

The player enters their name and are informed that they are now in control of "The Batter," a serious and determined man in a baseball uniform and the game's main character.

The game takes place in a world ''nothing'' like what you know. The Batter encounters, only a few moments after you gained control, a white, wise and snarky cat with a CheshireCatGrin that calls himself "The Judge." The people in this world called Elsens are practically all InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals. The items merchant Zacharie wears a variety of masks who has perfected BreakingTheFourthWall, including saying that he knows he and everyone else are in a video game, and at one point telling you that the solution to a puzzle is located in one of the game's files in your computer (not that the other characters are any better; the player is repeatedly addressed directly by the name you input at the beginning). Strange creatures called Spectres are terrorizing everything in sight and mighty Guardians rule over the lands of the world, called Zones.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: The actual level cap is 50, but it's possible to beat the game around Level 15-16, easily complete it without much trouble at around level 20, completely massacre everything around 25, and yet the last attack is unlocked at level 45, with steady unlocks in the way, both for the Add-Ons and the Batter. An entire element (meat) is likely to go unused by most players, especially as there is no NewGamePlus.
* AfterTheEnd: Assuming that [[spoiler:The Room]] isn't symbolic - [[WildMassGuessing which it likely is]] - OFF takes place after the world was destroyed by some disaster; it was rebuilt by [[spoiler:the Queen and the Guardians]], who all hoped to create a new, peaceful world.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: Metal really does [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_disease accumulate inside cows]], although not in such large quantities as found in the game, and certainly not without making the cows sick. [[FridgeBrilliance Then again, if all the 'dirt' in the world is actually made of metal...]]

** The Batter and the Add-Ons make four party members, with [[spoiler: The Judge]] counting as the atypical fifth [[spoiler: during the final boss fight against the Batter.]]
* ArcWords

* ArtificialStupidity: To an extent. The ''OFF'' combat system is rather frustrating, because during the time you spend selecting moves, the opponent's cooldown will not be frozen, giving the AI a significant speed superiority over you. Because of that, it is recommended to set the combat to Auto just about always. However, the Auto system has one flaw -- the AI ''virtually never'' uses healing moves or items on damaged party members. It may happen sometimes, but only once in a blue moon. If you want a dying party member healed or a status effect removed, you'll have to deactivate Auto and do it yourself. You ''can'' rectify this by setting the "Active" option in the main status menu to "Waiting", which makes it so enemies will wait for you to choose moves, items, and which enemy to attack.

** Ultimate Homerun, the last move learned in the game (being unlocked by the Batter at Level 45). It can instantly kill [[spoiler: the Secretaries]] and even the final boss in one hit, only costs 118 CP, and with a Tuesday (which you find in [[spoiler: the purified Zone 3]]) that cost goes down even further to 59 CP... but besides the BonusBoss [[spoiler: Sugar]] and The Room (if you decide to hold off from going in it until you get Ultimate Homerun) there's nothing to use it on besides [[spoiler: the Secretaries]] at that point, and [[AbsurdlyHighLevelCap most of the enemies can be easily defeated by Level 20 anyways.]]
* AxCrazy: The Elsens from Zone 3 [[spoiler:when deprived of their sugar.]]

* BattleThemeMusic: "[[http://www.rpg-maker.fr/ost/OST/OFF/04%20-%20Peper%20Steak.mp3 Pepper Steak]]" is the regular battle theme - however, Zone 3 Area 4 and the Room have different battle themes. Every boss has a unique theme, as well.

* BGMOverride

** In the section where you run away from Enoch, the ridiculously happy ragtime [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af30ydFgD7A music]] continues to play, indicating that [[MusicalSpoiler it isn't the real boss fight yet]].
** The music of Zone 3's subways - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NqDlIMUl0g Yesterday was Better]] - continues to play over the battle with the Critic Burnt.

* BiblicalMotifs: The party members' classes are called "Savior," "Father", "Son," and "Holy Spirit", and the guardians are all named after people from the Bible. The Queen's name, Vader Eloha, means "God the Father" though in mixed languages.
* BigBad: [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] Vader Eloha is apparently the one who created the specters, who are destroying the world. [[spoiler:It is never quite confirmed if this is true, and Vader is implied to be GoodAllAlong, but either way, [[VillainProtagonist The Batter]] himself turns out to be a much greater threat, as his aim is to '[[PureIsNotGood purify]]' the dying world of all sin by [[OmnicidalManiac destroying it]]]].

* BlindIdiotTranslation: Suffers a little bit from this. Several of the most iconic parts of the game (Competences, [[spoiler: Hugo being thought to be the Batter and the Queen's son]], etc.) came about from a mistranslation of the original French game, the most egregious being Competences (as mentioned before, the reason being put under CallAHitPointASmeerp ). While a majority of the errors were fixed in later versions of the English translation, it was bad with the original 1.0 version (and even then, a few of the problems still hadn't been fixed by the 2.0 version's release).

* [[BookEnds Bookends]]: [[spoiler:The Judge gives combat instructions to the player and the Batter at the beginning. [[FinalBoss At the very end they battle as enemies.]]]]

** The Room has 3 in particular: a long stretch of hallway (which eventually turns into a staircase) before fighting [[spoiler:Queen Vader Eloha]], and two sets of empty rooms preceding the fights with [[spoiler:Hugo and either of the [[FinalBoss final bosses]].]]

* CallARabbitASmeerp: The spectres at least that resemble bedsheet ghosts are not called ghosts, instead spectres, phantoms or ectoplasms.
* ClimaxBoss: Enoch's fight is preceded by the revelation that [[spoiler:each Guardian is the "living engine" of his own zone, and that killing them turns the zone into a lifeless void. Though the player might've already figured that out by the time they meet Enoch, should they have decided to revisit Zone 1 or 2 after the deaths of the respective guardians.]]

** Downplayed. All the bosses are still susceptible to status effects, but [[EnemyScan Wide Angle]] doesn't give anything helpful beyond the boss' name and a brief description - and sometimes, not even that!
** Apparently, [[spoiler:if you choose the special ending, the Final Boss form of The Batter is not immune to Palsy, which The Judge can inflict. This leaves The Batter unable to attack.]]

* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: Killing the Elsen who can't fight back on the subway track as he calls for help, and also [[spoiler: killing Hugo]] at the end of the game.

** The Pastel Burnt has more health than any other enemy in the game, at 99,999 HP. And if you want the best defensive equipment for the Add-Ons you're going to have to fight it. [[spoiler:Although that's mainly because you're not supposed to attack the monstrous body itself, instead you have to kill [[AttackItsWeakPoint the heads that periodically]] [[BodyHorror pop up from it's mouth.]]]]

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The characters and enemies are all monochrome, and the backgrounds and settings tend to have a limited palette [[spoiler:and once purified, that's gone too]]. However, Mortis Ghost [[http://mortisghost.deviantart.com/art/Off-color-328066941 drew a picture]] showing most characters' actual colors, so it's probably a stylistic thing. The Batter seems to be the only truly monochrome character, however.

* DuelBoss: The FinalBoss fight if you side with [[spoiler:the Judge.]]
* EasterEgg: In the library in zone 2, the book that tells the legend of the Queen is very faded in places, and the second page is almost entirely illegible...except if you edit the image of the book to make it easier to read, there's a note from the translator complaining about a barking dog making it hard to translate, and speaking highly of ''VideoGame/KentuckyRouteZero''.
* ElementalPowers: The four elements of the game are: Smoke, Metal, Plastic and Meat, which are also the building-block elements of all the Zones in the game.

* EverybodysDeadDave: If you choose the official ending, [[spoiler:everyone dies.]] If you choose the special ending, [[spoiler:only the Judge, the lone Elsen in the safe room, the Secretaries and Zacharie are left alive (assuming that you kill Sugar).]]
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Batter, the Judge, and the Queen. Even Enoch is at one point referred to as "the Director". [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in that the Judge and the Queen's real names are revealed by Wide Angle (Pablo and Vader Eloha - and Zacharie mentions looking for a "Pablo" if you return to Zone 0 after meeting him).
* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:On the Evil side, we have the Queen (according to worse-case interpretations) and the guardians, who maintain a horrific CrapsackWorld running on its last legs. On the other, we have The Batter who decided to end it all.]] Who is more sympathetic depends on the player's personal interpretation.
* FaceHeelTurn[=/=]HeelFaceTurn: Depending on your opinion from the game's revelations, every [[spoiler:player]] does one or the other at the end of the game when confronted by [[spoiler:The Judge. You can either betray The Batter or help him finish his quest, but which side is less bad really is up to interpretation.]]

* FanSequel: There are numerous fanmade spinOFFs, both completed and in progress, that can be found on the [[http://tumblr.com/tagged/OFF-fangames OFF fangames tag]] on Tumblr.
** There is a non-canonical fangame titled ''[[VideoGame.HOME2013 HOME]]'' which tells the Judge's side of the story, made by [[http://thejudge.tumblr.com/ Felix]] of Website/{{Tumblr}}. The latest version can be downloaded [[http://rpgmaker.net/games/6361/ here]], though it is advised you play through and complete ''OFF'' before challenging ''Home'', as it is rife with ''OFF'' spoilers.

** Then there's ''Videogame/ContinueStopRise'', made by [[http://rpgmaker.net/games/6764/ M256]]. Unlike the other two games, it takes place in a completely new location, and is mainly about [[spoiler:Batter trying to find his place in the world now that his mission is over.]]

** Dedan, right before you fight him, says: "I'm the guardian of Zone 1! It ain't nothing without me!" - [[spoiler:his words turn out to be literal.]]

*** It also contains a faded old book about orchids with no apparent name, which was given to [[spoiler:Japhet]], creator of the Library, by [[spoiler:Hugo in Chapter 4 of the Room.]]
*** It also contains a notebook with only one page written in messy handwriting: [[spoiler:"I have run out of oxygen-"]]. This, added to the knowledge about smoke being what the Elsens breathe, makes for a pretty good hint that [[spoiler:the world you are playing is AfterTheEnd, which is confirmed by the Queen later on.]]

** One Elsen in Zone 2 is afraid to go in the next room because [[spoiler:it might suddenly cease to exist.]] Once Japhet is defeated, [[spoiler:the entire park disappears.]]
** While running away from Enoch, [[spoiler:one hallway suddenly becomes completely white.]] After Enoch is defeated, [[spoiler:the entire Zone looks like this.]]
** The villain from "Panic in Ballville" is [[spoiler:a baseball player,]] and when you fight the enemies in this section [[spoiler:they appear on the right side of the battle screen, right where the [[VillainProtagonist Batter's]] party should be.]]

** Throughout the story, the Batter is shown to be indifferent and outright dismissive of how miserable the lives of the Elsens are, [[spoiler:which hints at his [[SoftSpokenSadist true nature]].]]

** The intro screen itself looks similar to the strings you'd move a puppet with. [[spoiler: Later on you're called a "puppeteer", so you've been basically puppeteering The Batter.]]

* FreeSamplePlotCoupon: The cards required to get to advance the plot count, since most of them are gotten after boss fights. [[spoiler: The Grand Brachial and Grand Chocolatier]] also count, since the former is purchased from Zacherie [[spoiler: and the latter is gotten by beating BonusBoss Sugar]], while the others are gotten by [[spoiler: revisiting the now-purified Zones, which have some extreme layout changes and are now infested with Secretaries.]]

* GainaxEnding: Parodied. The secret ending "reveals" that [[spoiler:the whole game was planned by space apes so that they could build factories in the purified zones to fight flying brains.]] This is a reference/homage to the Franchise/SilentHill franchise, games from which often contain joke secret endings with a similar tone.

* GratuitousGreek: The Add-Ons are named Alpha, Omega and Epsilon. The Queen has three Add-Ons of her own named Delta, Sigma and Ipsilon (Upsilon).

* GuideDangIt
** Getting the secret ending.[[note]]You must get all five Grand items, defeat Sugar - you have to defeat her anyway to get one of the Grand items - and talk to Zacharie in Zone 0, then you must choose the Aries Card over the InfinityPlusOneSword.[[/note]]
** One of the puzzles in Zone 3 is unsolvable without looking at the game's Readme file. You only get told this by Zacharie, who is hidden in one of many rooms in one of the many hallways of Zone 3 Area 4. And the only way to get him to tell you is for you to get a Music Box. And the only way to get the Music Box is to find and defeat the BossInMookClothing - who puts up a very long and tedious fight mainly due to its DamageSpongeBoss nature - who is ''also'' hidden in one of the many rooms in one of the many hallways of Zone 3 Area 4. And even ''then'', you still need to find an extra sheet of paper that decodes part of the puzzle for you ([[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity although the game is kind enough to tell you that it's important]]). Yeah, that's pretty bad. On top of which, at least one download for the English translation ''[[UnintentionallyUnwinnable doesn't include the Read Me file.]]''
** There is a hidden chest in Zone 2 with a Min-Woo tunic by taking the pedalo not to the park but out into the ocean. There is no hint to where it is or that there even is anything to begin with.

* ImAHumanitarian: The Elsens of Zone 3 unwittingly eat [[spoiler:processed dead people as a dessert]] - though the Elsens producing it [[{{Squick}} are fully aware of it.]]

* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: The Elsens, save the ones wearing helmets or lab coats. The Burnts fit too, depending on the Zone - though Zone 3 has two unique ones, the Pastel and Critic Burnts.

** Likewise, the battle with [[spoiler:the Queen]] uses a black background, cluing you in that [[spoiler:she's not the final boss. Hugo's battle background is as red as the piece of ham he's clutching.]]
* IronicNurseryTune: "Grey Pencil," which plays during the scribbled section of the Room, and another one called "The Race of a Thousand Ants" plays multiple times - during the scenes with [[spoiler:Hugo]] after defeating Dedan and Japhet, when you use the Music Box, and during the final, red-colored section of the Room.

** Triggering a random encounter in the bowels of Zone 3 counts as this at least the first time, [[spoiler:due to the battle music changing to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG66j52DueQ Endless Hallway]], a Silent Hill-esque industrial remix of the regular battle theme]].
** [[spoiler: Enoch]] also gives you a big one after getting back to the [[spoiler:Zone 3 Area 4 subway]]. The fact he's ''even bigger'' when he does doesn't help in the least.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler:All three Guardians, especially Dedan and Japhet, turning JerkAss and AxCrazy respectively.]] In Chapter 4 of the Room they're all shown to be kind and have legitimate ideas and hopes for how to rebuild the world into a Utopia. [[spoiler:Dedan and Japhet]] turn completely against their citizens and plans when things do not work out while [[spoiler:Enoch]] sticks to his methods, albeit as a WellIntentionedExtremist.

* KillEmAll: Pretty much what happens through-out the whole game [[spoiler:due to purifying the Zones]], culminating in the official ending where all the survivors get killed [[spoiler:due to the Batter pulling the switch.]]
* LastNoteNightmare: Japhet's battle theme, "Minuit A Fond la Caisse" does this in the official OST, though you won't hear it in-game as it loops before that point.
* LastSecondEndingChoice: Before the FinalBoss fights, you either [[spoiler: side with the Batter in his quest to end the world and turn the switch to OFF]] or you [[spoiler:side with the Judge and defeat the Batter so as to save what little is left of existence.]] After making your choice, if you want to back out, you can switch to the other option by losing the battle.

* LoadBearingBoss: All three Guardians. [[spoiler:After you defeat them, their Zones turn bleak, empty and lifeless.]]
* LongSongShortScene: Each variation of "Burned Bodies" is over a minute long, but unless you put the game idle the only variation you're likely to hear get more than halfway through is the version that plays in Zone 3's overworld.
** "O Rosto De Um Assassino Cansado" and "Woman of Your Dreams" are a downplayed version since they play during the cutscenes before the fights against Enoch and [[spoiler: Vader Eloha]] respectively, and "Dramatic Crescendo" just barely evades this since the song plays on the roof of the second Zone, not just during the cutscene before fighting Japhet.

* MirrorBoss: A more subtle example, since the FinalBoss battles don't last very long, but [[spoiler: The Judge has substitutes for most of the skills the Batter and the Add-Ons have.]]

* MoveInTheFrozenTime: When you clear a zone, all color, life and activity ceases to exist within that Zone. Whether or not time actually stops isn't clear, but its functionally the same either way. Other than the protagonist, the only things left moving in these places are absolutely terrifying humanoid spirits called "secretaries" and a single, lone Elsen.
* MultipleEndings: Depending on whether or not you pick [[spoiler:the Batter or the Judge to side with]] in the ending choice,[[note]]Though if you lose the final battle, the game acts as if you picked the other's ending, (e.g. if you choose the special ending yet lose the fight you end up with the official ending regardless)[[/note]] and then whether or not you have the Aries Card in your inventory after the credits roll.

* NoOntologicalInertia: Played straight with [[spoiler:the Zones]]. Somehow though, [[spoiler:a sole Elsen]] survived by [[spoiler:hiding in a safe room]].
* NonstandardGameOver: During the tutorial fight, if you keep using Auto mode, the Judge will die a most annoyed death from Batter's attacks, bringing the game to an end.

** [[spoiler:The Zones after defeating the bosses.]] The colors are gone, anything readable turns gibberish, all [=NPC=]s disappear - with the exception of [[spoiler:a lone Elsen in a safe room and a mourning Judge]] in Zone 2 - the encounter rate is lower than usual, and the only enemies are the Secretaries, which are creepy doll-looking things. The music - [[http://www.rpg-maker.fr/ost/OST/OFF/05%20-%20Not%20Safe.mp3 Not Safe]] - makes this even worse, with it turning creepy and full of demonic whispering, random slamming noises and muffled cries.

** Some of Zone 3 Area 4's hallways turn black and white, after running away from Enoch and before the proper fight with him. The fact no proper explanation is given for this may or may not make it worse.
** The Room can also count - while being all dark and deprived of color, many rooms inside are empty, or turn empty depending on what you do. One Chapter of the Room fills some sections with shadows, and in one Chapter is a section resembling a very sketchy doodle design, complete with similar enemies. The music in some sections doesn't help either - one in particular has music full of nothing but strange and demonic whispering.
** The Nothingness/World Map's music is aptly named, being a strange blank state with only a few flower-like objects, and its music also contains nothing but demonic whispering, however usually you will enter and leave the area before the whispering even starts.
* OmnicidalManiac: [[spoiler: The Batter.]]

-->'''The Batter''': It's too late. [[spoiler:Everything is lost.]]
-->'''The Judge''': I know. But I prefer this to [[spoiler:your victory.]]

* SequenceBreaking: If you go to Zone 0 and manage to discover [[BonusBoss Sugar]] before going to Zone 3, you'll discover [[spoiler:sugar]] as an element before it's properly introduced. Of course, if you read the library book used as a puzzle in Zone 2 you probably already know about it anyway.

** ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'', which has a recurring baseball bat-wielding character, was cited as an inspiration for the game, so the Batter's characterization isn't surprising. [[spoiler: They even both turn into monsters.]]

** The Troquantary enemy has the competence "[[{{VideoGame/Killer7}} Paradise Smile]]".
*** The Burnts resemble [[spoiler: Ulmeyda's transformation into a Heaven Smile]].

* TheSociopath: The Batter. He has little to no displayed emotions, [[spoiler:and willingly destroys the entire world at the end of the game, if you allow it.]]
* SoundtrackDissonance: Judy Garland's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XulvnXo6BJk "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"]] plays during credits [[spoiler:after the bleak Batter or Judge endings]].

* StealthPun

* StatusEffects: All the usual ones are present such as Poison, Sleep, Silence and Paralysis, though the latter two are called Muted and Palsy.

* SurrealHorror: From the get-go for many, and really starts cranking it up by Zone 3. It's telling that ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'', ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' and ''{{VideoGame/Killer7}}'' were named as inspirations.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: [[spoiler: Before being revealed in Zone 3 that, upon examination, the Elsen was hiding a Joker under his bed,]] Elsen says:

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: If you take control of [[spoiler:The Judge]] at the very end of the game, [[spoiler:the Batter appears as a deformed monster, supposedly because the Judge has serious hallucinations (as mentioned in Zone 0).]]

* TomatoSurprise: [[spoiler: If you pick the Judge ending, then you are forced to fight Batter. However, he looks like a malformed, twisted monstrosity with an enormous mouth and hands, and blank, dead eyes. WordOfGod states that this is how Batter looks to you now, because of his actions. Whether or not he's always looked like that is up to interpretation.]]
* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:At the end of the game the player and the Batter are confronted by the Judge, and the player learns that what the Batter has been calling "purifying the zones" is actually a means of genocide. All of the zones the Batter purifies become incapable of sustaining life and if the player chooses the official ending and sides with the Batter in the final confrontation, not only does he kill off the Judge and Zone 0 but then even ends himself by shutting off the switch in the Room, which we can assume erases their world from existence altogether.]]

* UnreliableNarrator: Here and there, particularly before the battle between [[spoiler:The Batter and The Queen.]]

** Entering a purified Zone for the first time, or if you didn't already, the last part of Zone 3 clues in on that [[spoiler:the purified places have fallen into nothingness without life and the Batter's method of accomplishing the mission isn't righteous as it seems.]]
** Entering the sugar refinery in Zone 3 [[spoiler:and finding out how it's made.]] Everything just gets worse after that.

--->'''Enoch''': [[spoiler:This zone, deprived of a guardian, is now destined to disappear... and the men who live here, whether they deserve it or not, will fall into nothingness, never to return.]]

--->'''The Queen''': [[spoiler:I will not let you lay a hand on the son that has brought us into the world.]]

--->'''The Batter''': ...\\
'''The Batter''': I'm here.\\
'''Hugo''': ...\\
[[spoiler:Purification in progress...]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The birds that rescued Enoch in The Room Chapter 4 (besides Japhet, obviously) do not appear at any other point in the game nor are they ever mentioned. But considering the "I have run out of oxygen" note in one of the books in Zone 2...
* WhatTheHellHero: At the very end of the game the Judge calls out the Batter for [[spoiler:"killing woman and child,"]] and [[WhatTheHellPlayer the player]] [[spoiler:for helping him do it.]]

** The most egregious of these is [[spoiler:a white room that leads to the Grand Element of Zone 3.]] You'll be walking around in completely empty space unless you move in a specific direction for a while.

* WhamShot: The first time you [[spoiler: return to a purified zone, now barren of all color and life, except for [[DemonicSpiders The Secretaries]]]]. You know what you've done. It's too late to go back. All there is to do is go forward, to whatever the end may bring.

--> [[spoiler: ''The switch is now on [[{{NightmareFuel/OFF}} OFF]].'' ]]

''OFF'' is an [[RolePlayingGame RPG]] created in 2008 by Mortis Ghost with UsefulNotes/RPGMaker, with music created by Alias Conrad Coldwood. Originally released in French, it has since received an English translation. The player enters their name and are informed that they are now in control of "The Batter," a serious and determined man in a baseball uniform and the game's main character.

* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:The Batter.]]

** Entering [[spoiler:a purified Zone]] for the first time and realizing that maybe [[spoiler:the Batter's mission]] isn't so righteous after all.

* JustForFun/XMeetsY: Mortis Ghost himself has stated that, with ''OFF'', he wanted to make a game that was like a cross between ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'', and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy6''.

* BittersweetEnding[=/=]PyrrhicVictory: The special ending. [[spoiler:Sure, The Batter failed, but only Zone 0 is left by the end, and assuming you kill Sugar, only the Judge, Zacharie, and the lone Elsen in the safe room remain. besides the Secretaries, and who knows what the hell those things are.]]
* BlackAndGrayMorality: [[spoiler:The Batter is revealed to be the true villain]], but [[CrapsackWorld it's not like things were perfectly fine]] before [[spoiler:the two of you]] came along. Two of the zones are ruled by despots, one zone's inhabitants have become too afraid of everything to enjoy life, another's are hopelessly addicted to [[spoiler:a drug made from the ashes of the dead]] (and if it's true that they export it to the other zones, it's probably only a matter of time before the rest succumb)... and of course the whole place is infested with murderous ghosts. [[spoiler:And you never do learn whether or not the Queen was behind any of it, or had the power to fix it.]]

* BlatantLies: OFF describes itself as a "nice game for cute children". In reality, it's a deeply melancholy and incredibly disturbing surrealistic nightmare.

* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' touch the Elsens' sugar.

Fairly simple, huh? [[MindScrew Well]], [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs it]] [[SurrealHorror gets weirder]].

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The aforementioned Panic in Ballville segment.

* ClimaxBoss:
** [[spoiler:The Queen]], who manages to both clear up and further complicate the plot just with their pre-battle dialogue.
** Enoch. [[spoiler:The first battle with him, in which he is invincible, occurs right after he reveals that each Guardian is the "living engine" of his own zone, and that killing them turns the zone into a lifeless void. Though the player might've already figured that out by the time they meet Enoch, should they have decided to revisit Zone 1 or 2 after the deaths of the respective guardians.]]

* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:On the Evil side, we have the Queen and the guardians, who maintain a horrific CrapsackWorld running on its last legs. On the other, we have The Batter who decided to end it all.]] Who is more sympathetic depends on the player's personal interpretation.

** Due to how the area is designed, it's very rare that you'll find players who have fought the Arpagon enemies in the "Flesh Maze" in Zone 1. [[spoiler: The Bears]] in The Room are a more straight example.

* UnreliableNarrator: Here and there, particularly in the battle between [[spoiler: The Batter and The Queen.]]

* {{Pun}}: As is natural for [=RPGs=], many items have better versions that you find later with increased effect: the Luck Ticket provides a little HP while the Fortune Ticket provides a lot, and so on. There exists an item called an "Inspiration" that deals a little bit of damage in combat, and you find a better version of the item later, called the "Expiration".

** [[spoiler:The Zones after defeating the bosses.]] The colors are gone, anything readable turns gibberish, all [=NPC=]s disappear - with the exception of [[spoiler:a lone Elsen in a safe room and a mourning Judge]] in Zone 2 - the encounter rate is lower than usual, and the only enemies the Secretaries, which are creepy doll-looking things. The music - [[http://www.rpg-maker.fr/ost/OST/OFF/05%20-%20Not%20Safe.mp3 Not Safe]] - makes this even worse, with it turning creepy and full of demonic whispering, random slamming noises and muffled cries.

* StandardStatusEffects: All the usual ones are present such as Poison, Sleep, Silence and Paralysis, though as with anything in the game their naming isn't exactly standard - the latter two are called Muted and Palsy.

* UnfortunateNames: Discussions about the game tend to lead to a lot of {{Accidental Innuendo}}s, such as "I just beat OFF!" and "Where can I get OFF?"

** One of the puzzles in Zone 3 is unsolvable without looking at the game's Readme file. You only get told this by Zacharie, who is hidden in one of many rooms in one of the many hallways of Zone 3 Area 4. And the only way to get him to tell you is for you to get a Music Box. And the only way to get the Music Box is to find and defeat the BossInMookClothing - who puts up a very long and tedious fight mainly due to its DamageSpongeBoss nature - who is ''also'' hidden in one of the many rooms in one of the many hallways of Zone 3 Area 4. And even ''then'', you still need to find an extra sheet of paper that decodes part of the puzzle for you ([[SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity although the game is kind enough to tell you that it's important]]). Yeah, that's pretty bad. On top of which, at least one download for the English translation ''[[UnwinnableByMistake doesn't include the Read Me file.]]''

* GainaxEnding: While the official and special endings make sense on their own and tie in with the game perfectly well, if you manage to get the secret ending, [[spoiler:it is revealed the whole game was planned by space apes so that they could build factories in the purified zones to fight flying brains.]] Yeah.

* WidgetSeries: The inhabitants of this game breathe smoke, swim in liquid meat/plastic, and [[spoiler: are horribly addicted to sugar]], among other things. It should be noted that the game credits none other than Creator/Suda51 as one of its inspirations.
* WouldHurtAChild: The penultimate battle has you beating Hugo, which Wide Angle only describes as "a little boy," to death, while he can't do anything to stop you or fight back. [[ButThouMust The Flee button is nonfunctioning.]]

* {{Sampling}}: [[BattleThemeMusic Pepper Steak]] has samples from the jazz song of the same name by the Washboard Rhythm Kings.

%%* BossCorridor

%%** The game's title and its opening line.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Quite literally [[spoiler:Zone 3, where the "sugar" is made by burning corpses and is also some kind of horribly addictive drug]].

* PlayingThePlayer: [[spoiler:At the end of the game the player and the Batter are confronted by the Judge, and the player learns that what the Batter has been calling "purifying the zones" is actually a means of genocide. All of the zones the Batter purifies become incapable of sustaining life and if the player chooses the official ending and sides with the Batter in the final confrontation, not only does he kill off the Judge and Zone 0 but then even ends himself by shutting off the switch in the Room, which we can assume erases their world from existence altogether.]]