Oxenfree

A young group of teens decide to spend a night on a nearby island, however rebelliously innocent this may at first appear, all is not well beneath the surface as tensions arise from the various traumas that each character bears. Grief is very much poignant in their relations and sours a number of friendships. As they explore the island & are thrown into a supernatural event their dramas unfold, as each character is exposed to the stress of the situation. Oxenfree is not only a horror game but also fits into the genre of character drama. By isolating the characters & placing them in a situation where they face an existential crisis, is a staple of literature and film & is used to good effect here as well. The tensions between the characters are shown early on in the game, however the reasons for this are only slowly revealed. The narrative is forced to carry two stories, one for the present events and another that reveals a past tragedy that shapes the present.This slows the pace & the game suffers, making some players bored. This slowness is ameliorated somewhat by the brilliant characterization. From the superb voice acting to the dialogue trees that form as responses each character is unique in their speech The environments themselves are actually 2.5D & can be moved around using the keyboard. Alex also uses her radio to solve various puzzles by tuning into different frequencies. Finding out the correct frequency to progress, is the primary puzzle mechanic. A map is available to navigate around the island & Alex will scrawl objective notes on it to help the player recall where they are meant to go. Crossing the areas look they will take some time, because walking is quite slow. Despite it’s slow pacing it is a masterwork of character interaction and dialogue and cleverly espouses its themes of concealment, entrapment & the desire to be set free & escape A full version of this review can be found at https://virtualvisions.home.blog/2019/03/29/oxenfree-pc/

Unique and interesting game. Worth your while if you are interested in story-based games, especially where your decisions and responses affect the outcome. This does allow some replay value if you replay to the end. However, I did not play through a second time. Completed in about 6 hours, which is about right for this game. Completionists may find longer gameplay to get some of the achievements. Gameplay mechanics, the few that exist, are very simple and easy. Although the tutorial indicates moving the mouse left/right to change radio frequency, I was pleased to find that your mouse wheel also works and was easier. For me, navigating the map area was a bit of a challenge and I think the map could have been more detailed to indicate the paths to take to move from one area to another. Often, I wasn’t sure if I was going the right way. Based on other reviews, I was expecting large amounts of the game to just be walking, but I found that while you do walk around quite a bit there is often dialogue or interactions with the environment (i.e. trying radio frequencies) to keep it interesting. I found the main story interesting, but the interactions between the characters (teenagers) less so. The dialogue is strongly geared toward teens and just wasn’t appealing to me (50-year-old gamer). I think the game could have been much better with adult characters and more mature topics/dialogue. It seems to me they used stereotypical teenage “issues” to build the interactions. However, these interactions didn’t make sense when combined with the main story line. I would expect the characters to be freaking out and scared, not discussing dating, divorce, or other topics, so that aspect fell flat for me.

Oxenfree is really a indie game gem when it comes to story telling! As someone who is very story driven when it comes to game I really fell in love with Oxenfree! I didnt think I would get that intellectually/emotionally involved with the characters and the story! The game feels well rounded and however you choose to play your game (you get to pick the answers and make some decisions in game that will affect your journey) it really feels like a singular experience! My only complain is that you barely have time to read all the answers before your ability to chose one disappear. English is my second language and it felt really challenging sometimes, an added 5-10 seconds to decide would have made the experience flawless!

This point and click Adventure Horror game tells a great story. But beware this is a game you need to play more than once to get the full experience (I can not say more without spoiling too much). However it is totally worth it to play it more often. For the price you get an amazing game, don't get turn away from the teenager setting in the first 30 minutes, after that the story kicks in and takes you away!

Because i did not do a lot of research before buying the game i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed Oxenfree. I had no real idea of what to expect. The main points that sold me on a 4 star rating are as follows: - Nice art! -Very good dialogue (although sometimes characters would talk over each other) -it was a very absorbing story (especially with the drama playing out between the characters) - It was unique from any other game I've played -the foreboding feeling that builds up it something definitely worth relishing and not found in many games i have played, -dynamic characters (if only a few) -good music -multiple play through is a plus as well Some Bad Qualities: -walking around the island could be drawn out but it also builds tension at times. -The plot path seems pretty direct except for a few crucial options. That's it though. no other qualms. I see myself playing this at least two more times. It was very engrossing and best played at night with a pair of good headphones. Lose yourself in this world and you will get a lot out of it. It goes on sale somewhat often but you get your moneys worth at about 15$ I don't scare easy (i laugh at Paranormal activity movies) but i got pretty caught up in this game, i was worried about the outcome of all of the great characters. Hint: Play with the radio a lot