Oxenfree 2 PC Review 8//10 "...this is a big winner for me and almost surpasses the first game" 🔭 @nightschoolers #GameDev #IndieGame

The original Oxenfree came completely out of nowhere for me. I picked it up on a whim and was glued to it for the whole eight hours or so it took me to complete it. So news of a sequel was more than welcome for me, as I couldn’t wait to get back to deepest, darkest, haunted-est Oregon.

The mechanics of the game are almost identical to the first. Explore a semi-rural area using point-and-click mechanics or the keyboard, and try to get to the bottom of the weird happenings in town that might just lead to disaster. 

This time the setting is the town of Camena, overlooking Edwards Island, where the first game took place. The protagonists are two thirtysomethings named Riley and Jacob; Riley has returned to the town after a tumultuous life outside, while Jacob is a loner who never left. In a way I actually prefer them to the original cast; their beautifully written and performed dialogue seems more realistic coming from older characters, unlike the teenagers in the first game who sometimes sounded a bit old for their ages. Also, there’s only two of them, meaning the developing relationship between the two takes all of your focus, rather than having multiple interactions to keep an eye on.

And it’s the dialogue that really makes the Oxenfree games shine. The voice actors do a brilliant job of portraying two damaged people learning to open up, if that’s what you choose to do; you control Riley, and your choices dictate whether she talks honestly about her past and mistakes, or just shuts down every attempt by Jacob to form a relationship. 

There are other characters too, such as a (different) band of teenagers using cult trappings to communicate with strange forces, a lone park ranger trying to make sense of everything, and an old fisherman out on his boat. You mostly connect with these people through your walkie-talkie – although the teenagers do show up - and through more dialogue you can open and complete side quests. There are three main endings to the game depending on your choices, and the side quests reveal elements of the story and character background.

As well as your walkie-talkie, you pick up a radio which enables you to interact with the environment in weirder ways that will be familiar to those who played the first game. You’ll find that you can solve puzzles like accessing blocked-off areas by moving through time, or finding the right frequencies to interfere with events on-screen. The puzzles aren’t rocket science but they add an extra challenge element that keeps this from being too much of a walking simulator.

The graphics and sound deserve a mention too. Camena is realised in an almost painted style, and some of the trails you explore are lovingly detailed, which adds to the emotional weight of the dialogue and your choices. The soundtrack is mainly ambient-ish electronica, but the use of the radio and some of the transmissions you can pick up just by dialling back and forth through the frequencies really adds a sense of unease and even dread. This is definitely one to play with headphones in, and I used subtitles to make sure I didn’t miss any of the conversations.

SUMMARY

Overall, this is a big winner for me and almost surpasses the first game. Minor gripes are the frequent backtracking and occasional annoying character (stand up, Olivia), but overall this is an excellent experience and one I’ll go back to. 

But I really recommend playing the original first, or at least catching up with the plot, to make sure you’re in a good place to get the most out of Camena.