![]() It’s actually a pretty genius gameplay idea since it encourages you to get engaged in the conversations. ![]() At any time while other characters are talking, you can interrupt them with whichever choice you make, or you can choose to say nothing at all if you wish. The general thrust of the game is to walk to wherever you need to go, talking to the characters, and picking from one of three suggested dialogue choices during the conversations. The only puzzles that have to be solved involve taking out your pocket radio and tuning in to the right frequency (which is signaled when the tuner goes red and you hear a deep booming noise). Oxenfree is a narrative adventure game that, while visually resembling the likes of Monkey Island and Broken Sword with its zoomed out camera, doesn’t feature much in the way of complex puzzles or inventory management. They begin to explore the island in search of their friends, but it slowly becomes apparent that something is not right, and that whatever is responsible for this has plans in mind… ![]() However, when Alex uses her pocket radio to tune in to a strange signal deep within the island’s caves, she and Jonas are separated from everyone else. She and Jonas are invited out to the mysterious Edwards Island for a night of teenage debauchery, alongside her stupid, but ultimately harmless childhood friend Ren, the bitter Clarissa (who was Michael’s girlfriend prior to his death), and the quiet, sensible Nona. ![]() Oxenfree has you playing as Alex, a teenager who’s recently had to deal with both the death of her brother, Michael, and the gaining of a new step-brother, Jonas. And in general, despite a few faults here and there, it’s a well written, enjoyably unsettling adventure game that fans of the genre and horror should definitely check out. With all that in mind, it’s actually a miracle that Oxenfree manages to pull off such a feat without falling to pieces. At the same time, the game also has to be convincingly spooky and have the main characters come off as believable people, as opposed to the kind of unrealistic ‘totally radical’ caricatures that plague countless other media. Not only do all the conversations have to flow naturally from whatever choices you pick, but they have to be done while people are talking (whereas most games tend to make you wait until they’re done talking) and still have to seem natural. It may not sound like it, but the idea of making a game full of real-time dialogue choices, with a horror setting populated with a cast of teenagers, is one fraught with difficulties. Not only would the game focus on a blend of teen horror and supernatural mystery (a blending of genres not often explored in adventure games), but the main focus in terms of gameplay would be based around the player’s ability to respond to other characters’ dialogue in real time. That Telltale connection is particularly relevant, since a pair of ex-Telltale developers then decided to create a narrative adventure game of their own, but with an interesting twist. This is largely thanks to the success of games such as the time-travelling Life is Strange and the horrific Until Dawn, and particularly the vast majority of Telltale Games’ work ( The Walking Dead, Batman: The Telltale Series, Tales from the Borderlands). It's the lack of challenge and underutilised radio mechanic that make it harder to recommend as an adventure game.Over the last few years, there’s been an increase in the popularity and the general creation of narrative adventure games – adventure games where the focus is not on puzzle solving, but on the choices you make that then change the story. Great characters and an outstanding dialogue system make Oxenfree an easy recommendation for fans of interactive storytelling. Difference is, Dontnod made a game that had a smart gameplay mechanic along with a compelling story. Oxenfree gets a lot right that Life is Strange got wrong (you'd never catch Oxenfree's teens dirtying their mouths with dire-logue like “go fuck your selfie”). There was little chance we'd get through this review without bringing up the other character-driven, teen-focused, photo-snapping adventure game. One dark moment involving Clarissa should remind us of Life is Strange's best moments, but here feels like it's just used for shock value.Īh, Life is Strange. It's also not above some cheap narrative fake-outs, which make it harder to get invested in everyone's fate. There are further rewards for searching the island later in the game, but traversal is slow and the island too small to satisfy any explorer's itch. Because even with character relationships giving it replay value, this is still very short. Just when we're getting to know these characters, it steamrolls towards a conclusion that feels rushed. ![]() It feels like we only got the first two acts of a great story. ![]()
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