It just doesn't quite match the heights of its influences. As is, this coming-of-age tale is one worth telling. And that art style and character design is held at a distance the camera is so zoomed out that the (very limited) overworld never quite feels like home.īut somehow, I'm still fascinated by all of the possibilities afforded by the swath of talking points and conclusions to uncover, however minute the changes are. Its length is disappointing, and it seems to favor quantity over quality when it comes to the all-important speech bubbles. Oxenfree exhibits a lot of potential that it doesn't always live up to. Wrap Up: Oxenfree doesn't live up to its potential, but has a story worth telling For a game that seems to want to give the player so much agency, I regularly felt powerless, unable to alter my own course. Even scoring a "good" ending didn't feel satisfying. It's just that when you land upon them, they're wrapped up fairly quickly.
Though the events leading up to them don't change too much, the endings offered do vary to a fair degree. Did they like how Alex answered? Did it upset them? Because the story follows the same general beats, it sometimes feels like these labored decisions are ultimately irrelevant. The meaning of those thought bubbles is never made overtly apparent. I tried my hardest to choose different paths the second time around, and my adventure ended up similar, with just a few notable differences.ĭialogue balloons suggest three deviating plotlines based on their color, and Alex's friends will sometimes react to something you or another person says with a thought bubble bearing someone's face on it. Despite the leeway given to shape Alex's responses, the repetitive plot points and short runtime robbed my ending of some of its effect. I say "an ending" because there are several conclusions you can land upon. That doesn't afford much time for the story to properly unfold or to really get to know the characters. You can breeze through it at an almost astonishing pace on my second time through, I was able to reach an ending in just under three hours. Its accompanying storyline, just doesn't quite match up. The scariest moments come at the expense of the player - I won't spoil them here, but there are instances that recognize your own involvement with the game in some surprising, bizarre ways.Įmploying the game's strongest quality, its look, to create these effects is perhaps Oxenfree's most important asset. These glitches, which also send things topsy-turvy or completely blur out the field of vision, intensify during creepier situations, like possessions. When Alex and her friends are knocked back in time a few moments, the screen fuzzes out like an old VHS tape to exaggerate the time skip. Oxenfree features subtly cartoon-like characters atop backdrops which only grow more stylized when manipulated by the disembodied villains inhabiting the island. The best part of the puzzles is honestly just seeing how the graphics adapt and distort under duress. The dial is severely limited for the first half of the game, and while it eventually expands, the game always nudges you in the right direction so that you'll never be stuck.The radio mechanic might be a bit of a dud, as is the manner in which repetitive time loops are manually rewound and reset. This sound-driven method is an interesting conceit, but one that boasts style over substance. To solve puzzles, Alex uses her pocket radio to access certain signals that eke out information, unlock doors and help her investigate the mystical powers at play. The way Oxenfree subjects the characters and player to these mysterious happenings is inventive. The most common conversation topic: what, exactly, is going on.
OXENFREE JONAS MOM TAPE PLAYER PLUS
For a game as chatty as this one, it's a definite plus that Alex, Jonas and the group tend to have interesting, revealing discussions instead of groan-inducing ones, even if the voice acting isn't exceptional. The characters are more earnest than the typical video game teenager, and the bulk of their conversations aren't boring or painful to sit through. Though it stars a group of teens, Oxenfree doesn't fall back on lazy, cliched "young person" speech. Regardless of whether those conversations lead somewhere, Oxenfree subjects you to a lot of talking. For every decision you make that has an impact on the narrative, there's a choice between how, precisely, you want to say "no" to someone. Yet many of Alex's dialogue choices seem to have an incremental influence on the overarching story. It feels great to be given the sheer level of control over the protagonist that Oxenfree offers.
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