Radios, ghosts, and coming-of-age. Oxenfree is a narrative indie title with elements of a walking simulator, a puzzle game, and a choose-your-own-adventure that follows a group of high school friends and acquaintances as they take a ferry to an island for a weekend party, and end up uncovering the island's mysterious secrets.
Dialogue is a near constant throughout the game, as much of the primary narrative - and backstory - is given to us through the many conversations the characters have. One of the primary gameplay elements is the option to choose what Alex, the protagonist, says during these conversations. The other element is the radio.
The radio-scanning mechanic is something pretty unique to this game. It's used to progress the plot, unlock doors, and gather bits of optional lore scattered throughout the game. Sometimes finding the key points on the scanner can be a bit tedious, especially when you feel like you're supposed to be in a high-stakes situation. For me, I had a bug that caused my controller to vibrate constantly unless I re-opened the scanner and turned through a few channels, and then put it away.
Every other mechanic in this game isn't as interesting. In fact, the movement often seems sluggish and cumbersome, which makes some sections a bore.
Narratively, this game is solid. It's not the greatest narrative I've been told through a video game, but it was intriguing, and the writing and voice acting was done well enough that I got invested in the characters and what they were going through. It's a thoughtful coming-of-age story with elements of mystery and the supernatural, which is a mixture I really want to explore more of.
The music was atmospheric at most, and didn't stand out to me too much, though I did enjoy what I heard.
Overall, Oxenfree was a middling game for me. It wasn't great, but it also wasn't bad. If you have a weekend with not much to do, give this game a shot. It's definitely worth trying!
Dialogue is a near constant throughout the game, as much of the primary narrative - and backstory - is given to us through the many conversations the characters have. One of the primary gameplay elements is the option to choose what Alex, the protagonist, says during these conversations. The other element is the radio.
The radio-scanning mechanic is something pretty unique to this game. It's used to progress the plot, unlock doors, and gather bits of optional lore scattered throughout the game. Sometimes finding the key points on the scanner can be a bit tedious, especially when you feel like you're supposed to be in a high-stakes situation. For me, I had a bug that caused my controller to vibrate constantly unless I re-opened the scanner and turned through a few channels, and then put it away.
Every other mechanic in this game isn't as interesting. In fact, the movement often seems sluggish and cumbersome, which makes some sections a bore.
Narratively, this game is solid. It's not the greatest narrative I've been told through a video game, but it was intriguing, and the writing and voice acting was done well enough that I got invested in the characters and what they were going through. It's a thoughtful coming-of-age story with elements of mystery and the supernatural, which is a mixture I really want to explore more of.
The music was atmospheric at most, and didn't stand out to me too much, though I did enjoy what I heard.
Overall, Oxenfree was a middling game for me. It wasn't great, but it also wasn't bad. If you have a weekend with not much to do, give this game a shot. It's definitely worth trying!