History NightmareFuel / OFF

* In the English translation, the description of the meat element reads: "Because without meat, people would have nothing to eat. They would die of starvation, one after another." However, in the original French, the second sentence reads: "Ils se devoraient", or "[[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty They would eat each other.]]" Either this is one hell of an idiom, or just another layer of how screwed up Elsen life is. It also serves as sinister foreshadowing for Zone 3.
** French here, the full sentence is "Ils se dévoraient les uns les autres." It's not an idiom, and does mean "they would eat each other".

* Just before the fight with the Queen, you find out that Hugo, the sickly-looking child you've been seeing in cutscenes, is the son of the Batter and the Queen, as well as their creator. You defeat her, and proceed through some corridors until you reach him. [[WouldHurtAChild And then you're forced into a battle with him.]] The flee button doesn't work and using Wide Angle lists his description as "a little boy." He doesn't use a single move or fight back at all, and only coughs weakly when you hit him.

Don't be fooled by its simple graphics, ''OFF'' has enough creep factor to make [[ComicStrip/TheFarSide Anatidaephobia]] genuinely plausible.

* Finding [[BonusBoss Sugar]]. After finding the Grand Finale in purified Zone 1, you can return to the number room in Zone 0 to find a set of stairs leading down. If you follow them, you enter a cellar where the music becomes ominous and foreboding. Enter the next room and you will see piles of sugar across the room and [[MadWomanInTheAttic Sugar]] standing at the opposite end of the room, and it soon becomes apparent that there's [[CloudCuckoolander something very wrong with her]], from her mannerisms and the way she speaks.

* After you finish your fight with Japhet, you're treated to the game's first example of CerebusSyndrome in the works: instead of Japhet's body simply disappearing like Dedan's did, you're treated to a sprite of Japhet's mangled body lying at the Batter's feet, blood and feathers scattered everywhere.

** Fighting a Burnt Elsen (pictured) for the first time after discovering the truth about sugar is perhaps one of the most potent {{Jump Scare}}s in the game.
*** It's not just his appearance, but the fact that he doesn't attack you back at all [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption and you are forced]] [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption to kill him]]. [[ButThouMust Even trying to run away from the fight is impossible.]]

* Finding [[BonusBoss Sugar]]. After finding the Grand Finale in purified Zone 1, you can return to the number room in Zone 0 to find a set of stairs leading down, if you follow them, you enter a cellar where the music becomes ominous and foreboding, enter the next room and you will see piles of sugar across the room and [[MadWomanInTheAttic Sugar]] standing at the opposite end of the room, it soon comes apparent that there's [[CloudCuckoolander something very wrong with her]], from her mannerisms and the way she speaks.

--->'''Zacharie''': I guess it's better like that.

** Not to mention the fate of the Judge's brother, Valerie. He attempted to eat Japhet, but didn't chew enough...so Japhet controls him from the inside, and proceeds to horrifically burst out of his body for the boss fight, with Valerie's empty body hanging around his neck.

*** It's not just his appearance but the fact that he doesn't attack you back at all [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption and you are forced]] [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption to kill him]]. [[ButThouMust Even trying to run away from the fight is impossible.]]

* The final walk through the long, identical halls of Zone 3's final area is bone-chilling. After discovering the truth of sugar, you're now avoiding Elsen like mad, and trying not to draw their attention on the field else they'll come right for you. The music of the treatment rooms has been replaced with nothing but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXYDvsQU1Mc the drone of a dying light bulb]]. Once you figure out the path forward, you come to an incredibly long hall, suitably referred to as the "Endless Hallway", with nothing in it but the one poster on the wall. There's plenty like them throughout Zone 3, instructions from the director on how to do one's job. They were all vaguely aggressive, but this is the first one headed by "executive suite's note," so you know it's important. What does it say?

* The most disturbing thing about the Secretaries is that, whatever the hell they are, their presence indicates that the Zone is pure. Battles still say "Purification in progress..." but they are still an improvement in the Batter's eyes.

[[folder:Meta / Other]]
* Who told the Batter what to do all along his journey? You did. Who solved all the puzzles? You did. Who made the Batter kill the Queen and Hugo (excluding the use of Auto-Battle)? You did. In the official ending, who chose to side with the Batter and help him finish what he began? You did. Who chose to pull the final switch and end all existence? '''''You did.'''''
** But did you really? Who or what prevented you from fleeing from certain battles? Who insisted on "purifying" those who didn't fight back? Who is the puppeteer and who is the marionette? Do you play the game or does it play you?
** Didn't side with the Batter? Don't worry. You never really win, no matter what side you're on.
* [[SarcasmMode Fun fact,]] some of the spectres, like the Gilles de Raises and the Von Gacys, are named after real-life serial killers.
** Von Gacys themselves are pretty disturbing. While most spectres look more goofy than anything, Von Gacys resemble [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/offgame/images/3/3f/Von-gacy.png/revision/latest?cb=20130421073011 mutated bears with deranged expressions and tentacles coming out of their heads]].
[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/help_10.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption You can't help him.]]]]

[[/folder]]

* The entire Zone serves as the game's WhamEpisode. The cutesy ghosts that you've been fighting all game are shown murdering an Elsen in cold blood, the relaxed Elsen in this zone are revealed to be addicted to "sugar" and go AxCrazy if they don't eat it, "sugar" turns out to be [[ImAHumanitarian made of dead bodies]], and in the last area of the zone, the battle music is suddenly replaced by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3dM9vK1Xc a horrifying remix of the normal battle theme]] that draws inspiration from the infamous [[VideoGame/SilentHill1 "My Heaven"]].

** French here, "Ils se dévoraient" is not an idiom, but can have two meanings: either "They would eat each other" or "They would eat themselves" (there's not enough context around the sentence to be sure which one is intended here). The two options are just as messed up, though.

*** It's not just his appearance but the fact that he doesn't fight you at all [[ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption and you are forced to kill him]]. [[ButThouMust Even trying to run away from the fight, the Batter will refuse.]]
----> '''HELP'''

* After beating the first Zone, most players move on to the next one, as is the game's intention. Later on, you're encouraged to visit them again to find out what's different, but you could have done so the entire time. The entire world has turned gray, with not a single NPC in sight. The background music gets replaced by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K_xO8JltXc ominous music filled with whispering and sometimes the noise of someone slamming their fists frantically accompanied by muffled cries]]. The enemies are also replaced by [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/offgame/images/2/26/Secretary_Concept_Art.png/revision/latest?cb=20130527155452 demonic dolls called Secretaries]], [[BGMOverride and the music continues playing during the battles]].

* The entire Zone serves as the game's WhamEpisode. The cutesy ghosts that you've been fighting all game are shown murdering an Elsen in cold blood, the relaxed Elsen in this zone are revealed to be addicted to "sugar" and go AxCrazy if they don't eat it, "sugar" turns out to be [[ImAHumanitarian made of dead bodies]], and in the last area of the zone, the battle music is suddenly replaced by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY3dM9vK1Xc a horrifying remix of the normal battle theme]] that draws inspiration from the infamous [[VideoGame/SilentHill "My Heaven"]].

** Specifically about the music, the really unsettling thing is that while most of the whispers[[note]]They are also in the Silencio track[[/note]] are unintelligible, some of them sound like "[[BewilderingPunishment What have they done to deserve this?]]" and "[[WhatTheHellHero Why did you kill them?]]"

* Just before the fight with the Queen, you find out that Hugo, the sickly-looking child you've been seeing in cutscenes, is the son of the Batter and the Queen, as well as their creator. You defeat her, and proceed through some corridors until you reach him. And then you're forced into a battle with him, and you help the Batter kill a child who doesn't fight back at all.

* In the final battle, if you go with the Judge's ending, you're forced to fight the Batter. After the screen transition, you see that [[HumanoidAbomination '''the Batter becomes a hulking monster out of nowhere.''']] The horrifying part is that Mortis Ghost confirmed that this is supposed to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone reflect how you (the player) see him now that you're fully aware of all the horrible things you two have done together.]]

* In the final battle, if you go with the Judge's ending, you're forced to fight the Batter. After the screen transition, you see that [[HumanoidAbomination ''the Batter becomes a hulking monster out of nowhere.'']] The horrifying part is that Mortis Ghost confirmed that this is supposed to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone reflect how you (the player) see him now that you're fully aware of all the horrible things you two have done together.]]

* In the final battle, if you go with the Judge's ending, you're forced to fight the Batter. After the screen transition, you see that ''the Batter becomes a hulking monster out of nowhere.'' The horrifying part is that Mortis Ghost confirmed that this is supposed to [[HumanoidAbomination reflect how you (the player) see him now that you're fully aware of all the horrible things you two have done together.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:'''H E L P''']]

* ''OFF'' would not be as disturbing as it is without the incredible soundtrack. A good example of this is during the 'endless hallway' in Zone 3, especially during battles. Then, of course, there is the music that plays when you return to purified zones. Truly chilling stuff.
* Zone 3 is horrifying in general. The cutesy ghosts that you've been fighting all game are shown murdering an Elsen in cold blood, the relaxed Elsen in this zone are revealed to be addicted to "sugar" and go AxCrazy if they don't eat it, it turns out to be [[ImAHumanitarian made of dead bodies]], the music is suddenly replaced by a horrifying remix of the normal battle theme that draws inspiration from the infamous [[VideoGame/SilentHill "My Heaven"]].
** The noise the sugar-deprived Elsens in Zone 3 make.

* The final walk through the long, identical halls of Zone 3's final area is bone-chilling. After discovering the truth of sugar, you're now avoiding Elsen like mad, and trying not to draw their attention on the field else they'll come right for you. The music of the treatment rooms has been replaced with nothing but the drone of a dying light bulb. Once you figure out the path forward, you come to an incredibly long hall, suitably referred to as the "Endless Hallway", with nothing in it but the one poster on the wall. There's plenty like them throughout Zone 3, instructions from the director on how to do one's job. They were all vaguely aggressive, but this is the first one headed by "executive suite's note," so you know it's important. What does it say?

** Also from the Zone 3 hallways: how about narrowly escaping the AdvancingBossOfDoom only to turn a corner and find that everything's gone white, and the music playing is little more than ''whispers''.
*** The fact that the game doesn't even explain what happened to the hallway makes it much more disturbing. (Although you can piece it together yourself.)
* Everything about Enoch at all. You walk into a room after miles and miles of silent nothingness to find a giant with a SlasherSmile who looks 100% ready to eat you. Then there's what he's been doing to his Zone.
** There's also the JumpScare he gives you when you arrive at the tram station. You're just walking around, looking for something to do about this huge guy who you simply couldn't hurt, and just as you enter the room, he comes bursting out of the floor, even bigger than before, and [[UnstoppableRage ''pissed off'']].

* After beating the first Zone, most players move on to the next one, as is the game's intention. Later on, you're encouraged to visit them again to find out what's different, but you could have done so the entire time. The entire world has turned gray, with not a single NPC in sight. The background music gets replaced by ominous music filled with whispering and sometimes the noise of someone slamming their fists frantically accompanied by muffled cries. The enemies are also replaced by demonic dolls called Secretaries, [[BGMOverride and the music continues playing during the battles]].
** Specifically about the music, the really unsettling thing is that while most of the whispers[[note]]They are also in the Silencio track[[/note]] is barely understandable, a few of the things they say is "[[BewilderingPunishment What have they done to deserve this?]]" and "[[WhatTheHellHero Why did you kill them?]]"

* The [[ZeroEffortBoss "fight"]] with Hugo is extremely unnerving. After all you are helping the Batter kill a small child who doesn't fight back at all.
** Hugo isn't the Batter`s son, Hugo created both him and The Queen, though due to a translation error, many people playing in English will think that Hugo is their child. It's still nightmarish, though, as the Batter is essentially killing his '''''creator'''''.
* After you finish your fight with Japhet, you're treated to the game's first example of CerebusSyndrome in the works: instead of Japhet's body simply disappearing like Dedan's did, you're treated to a sprite of Japhet's mangled body lying at the Batter's feet, blood and feathers scattered everywhere.
** Not to mention the fate of the Judge's brother, Valerie. He attempted to eat Japhet, but didn't chew enough...so Japhet controls him from the inside, and proceeds to horrifically burst out of his body for the boss fight, with Valerie's empty body hanging around his neck.

* Who told the Batter what to do all along his journey? You did. Who solved all the puzzles? You. Who made the Batter kill the Queen and Hugo (excluding the use of Auto-Battle)? You did. In the official ending, who chose to side with the Batter and help him finish what he began? You did. Who chose to pull the final switch and end all existence? '''''You did.'''''

* The secretaries, the enemies you fight in purified zones, are just... [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/offgame/images/2/26/Secretary_Concept_Art.png/revision/latest?cb=20130527155452 oh god, what the hell?]]
** Even worse is the possibility that they're the Elsen that mysteriously disappeared with the zones' purification.
*** Or that all the Elsen were killed or... ''something''... by these things. It explains why that one Elsen is still alive.
** What's most creepy about them is that, whatever the hell they are, their presence indicates that the Zone is pure. Battles still say "Purification in progress..." but they are still an improvement in the Batter's eyes.
* [[SarcasmMode Fun fact,]] some of the spectres are named after real-life serial killers.
* Someone brought up how during the timed mission in Zone 2 one Elsen is freaking out because he got locked out of a safe house, and that person who locked him out just happened to be the last Elsen alive at the end of the game. It brings up a terrifying thought: what if the Secretaries are Elsen who died? Given that the sole survivor after Zone 2 was purified was presumably alone through the entire purification process it could make sense.
* In the English translation, the description of the meat element reads: "Because without meat, people would have nothing to eat. They would die of starvation, one after another." However, in the original French, the second sentence reads: "Ils se devoraient", or "[[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty They would eat each other.]]" Either this is one hell of an idiom, or just another layer of how screwed up Elsen life is.
** Also serves as sinister foreshadowing for Zone 3.
** For that matter: without smoke, everyone will suffocate. Without meat, everyone will starve. Both of these elements are produced in Zone 1 and exported to the other Zones. Zone 1 is the first Zone to be purified. No more smoke, and no more meat.

-->'''YOU MUST NOT BE HERE.'''[[labelnote:*]]'''YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE. YOU MUST NOT BE HERE.'''[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:*]]There's a couple more posters halfway down the hall saying this. And then four or five more. And then they cover the entire wall next to the door at the end of the hall.[[/labelnote]]

* The final walk through the long, identical halls of Zone 3's final area is bone-chilling. After discovering the truth of sugar, you're now avoiding Elsen like mad, and trying not to draw their attention on the field else they'll come right for you. The music of the treatment rooms has been replaced with nothing but the drone of a dying light bulb. Once you figure out the path forward, you come to an incredibly long hall, suitably referred to as the "Endless Hallway", with nothing in it but the one poster on the wall. There's plenty like them throughout Zone 3, instructions from the director on how to do one's job. They were all vaguely aggressive, but this is the first one headed by "executive suite's note", so you know it's important. What does it say?

* The final walk through the long, identical halls of Zone 3's final area is bone-chilling. After discovering the truth of sugar, you're now avoiding Elsen like mad, and trying not to draw their attention on the field else they'll come right for you. The music of the treatment rooms has been replaced with nothing but the drone of a dying light bulb. Once you figure out the path forward, you come to an incredibly long hall, suitably referred to as the "Endless Hallway", with nothing in it but the one poster on the wall. There's plenty like them throughout Zone 3, instructions from the director on how to do one's job. They were all vaguely aggressive, but this is the first one in all-caps. What does it say?