OXENFREE PC/XBONE review

[EvilBoris]

So I grabbed this rather pretty looking game just the other day and finally gave it a crack this evening.

It seems to be an adventure game, half traditional point and click, half modern Telltale style game. I've not come across any puzzles as such so far, it's just all conversations between the characters. It kind of feels like 2D version of Life is Strange at the moment.

It seems to be a teen thriller style plot, a group of yoofs go to have a party on a secluded island and then things start to get really weird. It's creepy and intriguing and has a vaguely "Lost" feel to the mystery that is happening around the characters.

The game itself is beautiful
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l4Gze1d5JF4/maxresdefault.jpg


and it has appropriately pleasant /creepy music to go with it.

The stand out thing so far is the excellent voice acting and the vocal interaction between the characters which seems very flowing and natural, despite you being given dialogue options to choose from.

[Golgo]

Came in here expecting to read about Jeff Minter's new secret game. Disappointed.

[QualityChimp]

I thought Oxenfree would be a follow on to Oli Oli...

[ItsThere]

Picked this up recently on Switch in the sale but it didn't grip me right away.

Does it take a while to get going or did everyone else give up?

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah, it takes a while to get going. It took a bit for it to click for me and I'd largely put that down to being 2D rather than 3D. Because there is quite a bit of talking, the locked 2D view means there isn't much for your eye to explore while that dialogue plays out. So I found myself getting restless. Whereas something in 3D, like Gone Home or Rapture, there is plenty to look at while you essentially listen to radio dialogue.

But stick with it - the story builds and it's a good game. It just takes time to get into that story.