Last December, the quirky RPG OFF was announced for the Switch. At the time we mentioned how Undertale and Deltarune creator Toby Fox often cited this game as a huge influence on his own work, and now in an update, it's been revealed he'll be contributing to the soundtrack of this "improved version".
Publisher Fangamer goes into detail in its latest PR about how Toby Fox got involved with this project:
Fangamer: Fangamer reached out to Alias Conrad Coldwood to reuse the original soundtrack in the new version, but ACC felt nervous about signing and proved hard to reach. He did state that he doesn't mind his music will not be reused and that he has no issues with a new soundtrack.
Mortis Ghost, the developer, asked Toby Fox if he was interested in helping on OFF's soundtrack. Both recognise that the soundtrack contributed a lot to the game's atmosphere and core memories of the fans, so it wasn't an easy challenge to deliver the same experience.
Toby ended up handling a lot of boss tracks and was also assigned... the normal battle theme. Pepper Steak, the most famous song from the original OST, is well-loved by fans with millions of listens across various platforms.
Toby Fox has also shared some details about his involvement - mentioning how the experience was quite the challenge, and revealing how he called on the Japanese composer Camellia (Beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution) to help out:
Toby Fox: "I'm gonna be honest, just feels like I got assigned to take a bullet in the back for everybody else. I looked up almost every jazz song from the 1920s, I commissioned Carlos to make an entire fake jazz song for me so I could cut it up into samples, I tried making like 6 entirely different songs, but nothing I could come up with on my own felt quite right.
In the end, I summoned Camellia to help me out by re-remixing my first track into multiple versions, and ultimately I think it will feel pretty cool as you go through the game."
You can read the full interview with Toby on the 'Off the RPG' website.
Toby also apparently did this music for free and will be uploading all of his tracks for free when the game is released this year. You can listen to 'White Meat' - the new battle theme for OFF by Toby Fox & Camellia in the video below:
If you want to find out a bit more about this upcoming release, check out our original post here on Nintendo Life:
Are you excited about Toby Fox's involvement in this "improved version" of OFF? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 15
"One of the most influential RPGs of the last 20 years"
Is it really that influential? .-. I think I've only seen a couple of obscure indie games inspired by Off.
Pss: "Last December, it was announced the QUIRKY RPG off"
Ah! Ah! he said it! he said the thing!
Not familiar with the game but can definitely see the influence it had on Undertale just watching the trailer.
@fenlix Moreso it left an imprint on the RPG space as a whole, as far as I can tell, given mostly the odder vibes and asthetics, less that it directly influenced a specific game.
Toby is an inspiration - just having so much fun doing what he wants!
Real shame about the soundtrack, especially since Pepper Steak is pretty much all I know of the game. That said, I really like White Meat too and I won't let the change stop me giving the game a go, especially with Fangamer doing a physical release.
Unfortunate that the original soundtrack couldn't be reused, but at the same time it's nice to have Toby Fox and Camellia on board for this new version - looking forward to giving OFF a try thanks to it when I can!
Hmm... the most memorable part of OFF to me was the Pepper Steak theme. The game isn't going to feel the same without its soundtrack.
I always thought indie games were less susceptible to these kinds of music rights issues but apparently not. :/ unfortunate.
Pretty much, this situation means that the original freeware RPGMaker version isn't really going to be replaced by the enhanced remake, and in the minds of many fans, the remake will have lost a lot of appeal.
I'm not a huge huge OFF fan to begin with - the game's vibes are a bit too weird and offputting for my tastes, but I did enjoy the soundtrack, especially the battle theme, so this has definitely put me off on having anything to do with the remake personally.
I absolutely love the Undertale Soundtrack, legendary.
Wait OFF has been announced for Switch? OMG!!!!!! Excellent!!!! Too bad it won't have the original OST, it certainly was a huge part of the experience...
Stop stop you don’t have to give me any more reason to play this game! I already loved the music in the trailer and honestly it’s what hooked me! I can’t wait for this!
Toby Fox AND Camellia??? Say less!
Been playing Undertale for the first time and I think the music is the most stand-out element for me so this is exciting news.
I’ve not heard of Off before but I’ll be giving it a go when it hits Switch.
This is the first time hearing about OFF coming to switch. I'll definitely be picking this one up, especially if there's a physical version through Fangamer!
I’m a fan of OFF, and this news brings me some dismay. Small wall of text incoming.
After Undertale and Deltarune, Toby Fox became like the patron saint of “quirky” indie RPGs. A single guest track from him is seen as a blessing of good fortune. But I don’t feel that bringing him in to rewrite the most substantial pieces in the OFF soundtrack was a very faithful move, and actually leaves the new soundtrack much room for failure in terms of recapturing the same mood that made OFF special.
I think Alias Conrad Coldwood’s original soundtrack for OFF is generally underrated and deserves much more recognition than it gets. Conversely, I’m a conflicted observer of Toby Fox’s music, and I think as a composer he’s a bit overrated — mainly because he’s very hit-or-miss for me, whereas others find him nigh infallible. For example, I liked the new trailer music quite a bit, but I’m not even getting a buzz from White Meat.
I understand that a gap is left after ACC ghosts on the soundtrack’s renewal, and Toby’s connections in the industry and to the game itself make him a shoo-in. It’s the former part that disappoints me, though. I still think the game would be “better OFF” with the original soundtrack intact, and judging by Toby’s offthegame interview, a part of him believes this too.
The cynical part of me complains: just as ACC’s original OST gets a chance to bask in fresh sunlight, the ball gets dropped and Toby swoops in to Fox-wash the best tracks, then absorbs the credits — as artists with “auteur-ish” reputations are prone to do. On the other hand, I still believe Toby is a competent composer who could no doubt craft a faithful soundtrack, yet could also be betrayed by his own diffidence in taking the office of OFF. It’s not the situation I was hoping for.
In short: I would be much less disappointed if Toby were simply remixing the OG OST, but I don’t feel nearly as excited to play OFF without Pepper Steak and Fake Orchestra (among others).
No puns about "Switch" and "Off"?
There should perhaps be an anti-RPG or un-RPG subgenre with this, Earthbound, Undertale, and Moon.
Also, RPGs spend so much time in regular battles that having multiple battle themes should become the genre standard. Instead, the trend has been having night themes for each town or region. That's a nice touch but not as important. Perhaps a different battle theme for each region would add more impactful variety.
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