Alias Conrad Coldwood - Off (2008)

 

Composer: Alias Conrad Coldwood
Console: PC, Indie Late 2000s
Game Release Date: 2008-06-05
Bootleg Release Date: n/a
Runtime: 1:16:53, 37 Tracks

Well I am about a day late but here we are anyways! Going forward I will try to get a post out either Sunday night or Monday morning. Today’s soundtrack is of the game Off. Of all the games I have posted about here (the vaporgame albums included) this is the most popular soundtrack. Off has a bit of a cult following and is not as obscure as the rest of the games on the list. Currently it is sitting at 256 ratings on RYM. This soundtrack was officially released for free by the composer and game designer Alias Conrad Coldwood on his website. It was released in FLAC and v0 MP3, both of which I will link below.  

Off (stylized as OFF) is a free indie RPG released by the Unproductive Fun Time (Martin Georis and Alias Conrad Coldwood) team back in the summer of 2008. In it you play as The Battler on a quest to purify the world. From there you play as him as you go throughout the zones, collecting party members, leveling up, speaking with the bizarre inhabitants and more. It may appear not very story heavy but towards the end things get really good. 

Even though it was released way prior I still consider Off as a part of the 'avant-garde RPGs' and in the same category as Lisa, Hylics and Undertale. The game is actually quite liked in the Undertale fandom and although I don't know if Toby Fox was inspired by it both games have a few similarities. Here's an aside of a really cool hypothetical crossover of Off and Undertale. See here.

The game is made in RPGMaker although it goes far beyond the usual aesthetics and appearance of the engine. The only thing even remotely similar is that you can very much tell the gameplay is of RPGMaker. Off eschews the usual settings and plot points of most RPGs in favor of its bizarre fervor. I am trying to tiptoe around explaining the plot in any detail because if you haven't played it, I would rather not spoil it. This is a game worth playing.

That said, I have never played Off. I have watched a full LP though. I enjoyed it. I probably would have enjoyed it had I played it but at the time I wasn't playing many RPGs so ehn. I didn't miss anything although if I ever do, I run I wish to explore the purified regions more thoroughly than the LPer did. My favourite thing from the game had to have been the Sugar boss fight. If they ever make a sequel or follow-up I would love to know more about her character. 

The game was designed and created by two individuals. Martin Georis and Alias Conrad Coldwood. Alias also is the one who composed the music for the game. As of 2020 he is still most known for this soundtrack, but he has done other things. This includes a 2013 LP called Crying Girls and a 2013 compilation called Wastes. He still has a YouTube channel and uploaded a video 3 months ago to it. As for Mortis Ghost, he is still active on Twitter and has an active Patreon. 

The music is a blend of dark ambient, field recordings, industrial music and lots of musique concrète. The most known track from this release must be "Pepper Steak". It's become an iconic battle theme. I personally enjoy "Endless Hallways" much more. Or rather, the last part of it. During the end of the game the last part of "Endless Hallways", where the industrial instrumentation kicks in is its own battle theme. I really think that that should have been its own track but anyways. The tracks are very mysterious sounding and often minimalistic. "Empty Warehouse" is a beautiful simple track. It's just a recording of someone playing with water while a new age-style plays on. Strange instruments get added as the track progresses. 

The tracks here sound great even out of the context of the game so even if you haven't played this at least check out the OST. 
Download: http://gaarabis.free.fr
Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78bTMh1jwKI