Summary: 4.0/5.0
Oxenfree is a beautiful and relentlessly eerie game. Enriched by a unique art style, fantastic soundtrack, and well-executed audio-visual effects this is an engaging, story-driven supernatural/horror/mystery/thriller/adventure game you won't want to miss. A group of teenagers set out to "drink and be stupid" at an overnight party on the beach of a local island. As the night unfolds, it becomes clear that something on the island is playing games with them, and there are plenty of secrets to uncover. While it may start as a horror movie cliche (and the protagonist even calls it out), Oxenfree reveals a gripping narrative about loss and friendship, all while letting you make choices that will impact your relationships with your friends, and even their very existence.
“You played with the radio, a triangle came out, the triangle talked, hung out a little, then drowned us but not, and now we’re here.”
“Okay, at this point if we stay we’re just idiots, right? We’re the horror movie morons the audience screams at to leave.”
warning: light spoilers below
characters
You play as Alex, who is meeting her new step-brother Jonas for the first time before embarking on their trip to Edwards Island with Ren, Alex's best friend from childhood. You'll also meet up with Nona, Ren's crush, and Clarissa, Nona's friend and the former girlfriend of Alex's deceased brother, Michael. The supernatural nightmare that takes place is broken up by serene memories of Alex with her brother, which help cultivate a better understanding of everyone's history.
The characters in this game really drive the narrative. When the gang gets split up, I actually did want to trek through the woods, despite what may be out there, to comfort my best friend as he struggles with the compounded psychological terror of the supernatural events and his magic brownies, which he refused to share.
Dialogue
The continuous dialogue options let me customize Alex's personality and make meaningful decisions about her relationships with her friends. There were several times where I was frustrated that choosing a response too quickly cut off what someone else was saying, but for the most part, the execution of the dialogue was very well done. The dialogue is both interesting and believable for the characters presented, and even the annoying characters are tolerable to hear out. The game also avoids the feeling of watching the game instead of playing it by spreading out the dialogue as you explore the island or walk to your next destination. If you jump over a gap, your friends will stop whatever they're saying to tell you you're crazy before finishing their thought.
gameplay & Mechanics
This is not a skill-based game. If you're looking for something with combat or quick time events, this isn't it. You mostly walk and talk yourself through the story. The primary mechanic is your radio, which you can turn on and tune anywhere on the island. Certain hot spots will reveal anomalies or tear the fabric of space and time so you can talk to ghosts. You know, typical teen rebellion stuff.
Of course, the ghosts don't always just want to talk, and when they do talk it's usually through one of your companions as a conduit, which turns them into a babbling red-eyed rag doll. These ghosts also play games, which are probably the most technically difficult parts of the game, though they mostly come down to dialogue choices.
narrative
Oxenfree is all about the story. It's about Alex's story, the story of her family and friends, and the story of the island. The game delivers this story in a variety of ways-- radio broadcasts, memory sequences, dialogue, and letters.
The replayability of this game is remarkable. Once I finished my first playthrough, the first option on the main menu was to "Continue Timeline." You have to play this game at least twice to truly resolve the main conflict. At first I was wary about replaying the game right away, but I was really impressed by how much was different the next time I played. I changed dialogue choices and deliberately ruin relationships just for the fun of it, searched for collectibles I'd missed the first time around, and enjoyed experiencing the story with all its minute differences.
conclusion
Oxenfree was a short game, and absolutely worth at least two playthroughs. The environment is beautifully designed and delightful to explore. The soundtrack is haunting and perfectly suited to Alex's quest. There were a few bugs, but none of them completely interrupted the game. The characters and story are compelling and the mystery of the island is fun to unravel. The mystery even extends beyond the game, with players decoding tweets and finding hidden messages in the game's music. If you're looking for something with layers of mysteries to solve, in and out of the game, Oxenfree should definitely be on your list.
