The Official Gaming Group Of British Mensa And Mensa International

We initially encountered 2016’s Oxenfree when we picked up the Switch version for a princely £4. Like most others, we were fully taken in by an atmospheric graphic adventure with an intriguing paranormal mystery impressively written and presented by indie studio Night School. Their next release was the not particularly well received Afterparty, but the lukewarm reaction to this soon persuaded them to return to the world of Oxenfree with a fully fledged sequel.

They were also bought out by Netflix during the game’s development, but don’t hold that against them as the only noticeable side effect from this is the distinct Stranger Things vibe exuded by the title screen and soundtrack. We can’t remember if such a vibe was present in the original as, unless our memory is failing us, its development preceded Netflix’s flagship show.

Oxenfree 2 focuses on a new set of characters, with you controlling Riley. Having just moved back to Oxenfree to start a job placing transmitters around the area for reasons that aren’t worth mentioning, you’re quickly introduced to your old-school walkie talkie and your work colleague for the night, Jacob. After being handed a radio with which to mess around, which will no doubt please fans of the last instalment, weird phenomena clearly related to the nearby Edwards Island, the previous title’s setting, quickly start to manifest.

In case you’re not familiar with the first game, this one contains all the same ingredients in that it mixes graphic adventure sensibilities with quasi open-world 2D platforming. Although the game frequently signposts where you’re supposed to go next, there are collectables in the form of hidden letters dotted around that you can optionally seek out.

One of the biggest problems with the earlier title was the fact that the characters frequently spoke over each other and cut each other off, largely due to the fact that there was a group of them. Now there are only two main characters, this problem has been largely eradicated as much of the interplay is between Riley and Jacob or someone on the walkie.

A new problem arises though in the way that Riley is written and, to some extent, performed. The dialogue choices only hint at what Riley will actually say, but she’s such a spiky bitch that you’ll lose count of the number of times you pick what you expect to be a friendly comment to Jacob only to have her verbally spit in his face. Considering Jacob is a neurotic mess, rather like Woody Allen without the gags, this often feels like kicking a shaking puppy. Although Riley would probably enjoy that.

The game world also doesn’t feel as though it follows its own internal logic, which makes proceedings feel less believable. Riley and Jacob make some pretty impressive leaps of logic to justify pressing on when all hell is breaking loose around them, and you’re expected to believe other plot conveniences such as the fact that the local high school radio station has kids broadcasting all night long.

The walks between story beats also begin to drag. Although Riley and Jacob interact a fair amount, there are still huge swathes of the game where you’re just plodding from A to B. The interactions you can have with an assortment of oddballs on the walkie are diverting but ultimately amount to little in the end, making the game world feel shallower than what came before.

Although we’ve seen it said that Oxenfree 2 is designed to be played by those who aren’t familiar with the original, we would absolutely dispute this. The story and happenings are heavily referential to Oxenfree, and you would lose out on a huge amount of context if you skip straight to the sequel.

One strength that does persist though is the pleasing art and audio design. Although the graphics are simple, they perfectly convey the leafy, Oregon-based fictional town in which the story plays out. Jacob aside, the voice acting is achingly average. The music, however, is masterly in its moodiness.

At this point, you’re probably starting to wonder if Oxenfree 2 is as good as its predecessor. It isn’t, but it also isn’t far off of it in terms of quality. The story, script and overall style come together to provide an enjoyable graphic adventure, albeit one that occasionally stumbles in its pacing and worldbuilding. The finale also somewhat misses the mark, and tries a little too hard to give the impression that it’s deeper than it actually is. That said, fans of the first instalment, which newbies should absolutely play first, will nevertheless find this to be a worthwhile sequel in most respects.

Pros:
Extremely atmospheric synth music // Well written dialogue // Successfully builds on its predecessor // Effective indie art style // Characters don’t talk over each other any more

Cons:
Riley is overly aggressive and not particularly likeable // Leaves a few story threads dangling // Ending isn’t amazing // Too many long and uneventful walks // Some internal logic issues

79% // Good