Oxenfree

Genre: Graphic Adventure

Players: 1

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Review:

Oxenfree is a Graphic Adventure released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2016, then ported to mobile devices and Nintendo Switch in 2017. This game puts players in the role of Alex, one of a group of five teenagers that head to an abandoned island for a night of drinking, fun, and checking out the strange urban legends surrounding the island’s caves. However, the group soon discovers that this strange phenomenon is more than just a fun campfire tale, and soon Alex finds herself scrambling to find her friends and uncover the secrets behind the dangers they face.

Oxenfree is a game I would almost describe as a Horror title, but it generally falls short of scary and ends up being more creepy and unsettling. The strange events surrounding the island seem foreboding and at times menacing, but this game is far more interested in the psychological elements of horror than the physical. Still, players who get freaked out by creepy stuff in games may want to give Oxenfree a wide berth.

The presentation in Oxenfree is good, but you can tell the game made sacrifices to get on Nintendo Switch, which is strange because this doesn’t seem like an especially demanding game. The game uses a mix of detailed, hand-painted 2D elements and simple 3D character models viewed from a good enough distance that their simplicity doesn’t show so much, with the good animation and excellent artistic design of the game covering for this lack of detail. However, on the Nintendo Switch, the load times are noticeably long, and effects like reflections in the water are noticeably low-fidelity. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but it does mark the Nintendo Switch version of the game as a bit inferior. On the bright side, I should mention that the Nintendo Switch version of the game has touchscreen support, and this actually works very well.

However, the other major elements that have carried over well in this version of the game are the story and sound. Oxenfree’s story not only explores some fantastic psychological horror, science-fiction and fantasy elements, but also does a fantastic job of bringing to life its characters, with Alex and her friends all superbly-written and believably-voiced (though Alex’s best friend Ren’s voice actor sounds a bit too old for his character), with some excellent sound effects used for the game’s stranger events. I wasn’t especially fond of this game’s mostly-synthesized music, but it does at least do a decent job setting the tone.

The quality of the game’s writing and voice acting further enhanced by the game’s fairly unique conversation system. As characters talk, players will be given multiple options for Alex to say. Alex can say these things at any time, interrupting whatever the current speaker is saying, or she can opt not to speak, letting the choices fade away. Not only does this give conversations a natural, free-flowing cadence, but it also lends an element of urgency to conversation choices, as players have a limited time to make those choices. And these aren’t throwaway choices, either – the choices you make in these conversations will play a large part in determining how other characters feel about you, and in the end it will determine what ending you get.

When it comes to complaints, I wish the characters walked a bit faster, as traversal around the island can get a bit tedious at times. Also, it can on occasion be confusing just where you’re supposed to be going or what you’re supposed to be doing.

Overall, Oxenfree is a fantastic, creepy Graphic Adventure with some phenomenal dialogue and voice acting. There are a few areas where I think the game could be improved, but overall this is a fantastic entry in the genre, and an outstanding story well worth trying out if you’re looking for something unsettling but not over-the-top gruesome.

tl;dr – Oxenfree is a Graphic Adventure about a teenage girl and her group of friends who find themselves trapped on an abandoned island surrounded by increasingly unsettling events. The story and atmosphere in this game is excellent, and the writing, characters, and voice acting are outstanding. There are a few frustrations here to contend with, but overall this is an excellent entry in the genre that fans of Graphic Adventure games should consider a must-play.

Grade: B+

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