Oxenfree II is an interesting story. You play a character named Riley, who is participating in an experiment on a neighboring island to Edward Island from the first game. Alex, the first game’s main character, also appears.
It isn’t necessary to know what happened in the first game. The gameplay is simple, and the controls are easy to learn. The graphics and music are wonderful.
I love the story in this game. It reminds me of growing up in a small town where kids had to create their own fun. It seems like every town has some ritual or place that kids do or travel to. It is a joy to play a game like this,
TLDR: Spectacular Storytelling and Wonderful Music.
Narrative
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals has an outstanding story. We follow Riley, who has taken a job as a researcher for a university. She has to set up some research equipment for them. Jacob is there to help her complete this. He is a handyman on the island.
Along the way, we learn more about Riley. We get flashes of her past and a possible future. She is putting her life back together after getting fired from a previous job. It is also revealed that her mother abandoned her at some point. We also meet Rex, who is her unborn child.
We don’t learn much about Jacob. He inherited his house and had a rough time growing up. Both characters are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be.
Three kids are connected to a cult on the island. They aren’t all that interesting. Olivia is their leader, and she has the most character development. I missed some things in my playthrough, so the other characters probably received more in the side content.
Like the first game, some ghosts harass our characters. They trick Olivia into creating a portal so they can cross over to our world. This is where the characters from the first game come in.
Riley and Jacob must set up four devices to prevent the ghosts from crossing over. Once they do this, you have to return to Edward Island from the first game to stop Olivia. Alex, from the first game, helps you as best she can.
At the end of the game, you have a choice of who to leave behind to seal the portal. You pick from Riley, Jacob, or Olivia. I chose Olivia. After this, you see Alex and her friends returning to the main island, and Riley gets offered another job at the university. It is a nice ending.
Gameplay
The gameplay is very simple and straightforward. Most of what you’re doing is choosing dialogue options and moving your character around. You need to solve some puzzles, but those are pretty simple.
These puzzles involve you using your radio to find a frequency, tuning a frequency on a machine, and finding a point for a transmitter to be lined up correctly. All of them are simple, and there are visual and sound cues to guide you to success.
Oxenfree II feels like a Lucas Arts adventure game like Monkey Island. It is an easy game that wants you to focus on the story. The player can control the story in several ways.
You can find more information about what is happening by exploring the island. You can also find more contacts for your radio. In my playthrough, I only found four contacts. There are five more that I wasn’t able to locate.
This adds to the replay value of the game. If you explore the island, you’ll find more people and more information about the island. You can also change how the other characters see Riley by picking different dialogue options.
The ending that I got was relatively happy. I might get a different ending on future playthroughs, which might change how people act. It would be nice to see how things change if I pick different dialogue options.
Overall, I like the gameplay. It is simple but engaging. The puzzles aren’t that hard, and everything is set up for you to succeed.
Visuals
The game looks very good! It is easy to tell where you’re going and how to get there. The game does have more to offer, however.
Things get a little trippy at times. You will get some tracking lines similar to those on an old VHS. This goes along with Vaporwave music. This works with the story to create an unsettling atmosphere.
Obstacles, like cliffs, doors, and ladders, are easy to see. The game will also prompt you to press a button when needed. Oxenfree II gives you all the tools that you need to succeed.
Things get creepy when interacting with the ghosts or the people they have possessed. Bright reds are used for the ghost’s spectral form and for the eyes of the person whom they’re taking control of. It is very cool looking!
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals looks great! The towns look like sleepy places where something supernatural might take place.
9.5/10. It improves on the original in many ways. I thought the chemistry between the main characters was better in the first game, but the dialogue in the second game is still spectacular. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a beautiful game!
Pros
- Great Story
- Wonderful Music
- Interesting Gameplay
- Branching Dialogue for Multiple Play Throughs
Cons
- Short
- No Action or Combat
Conclusion
The first Oxenfree is one of the games that got me into indie games. It has excellent characters, a wonderful story, and a fantastic game! In many ways, Oxenfree II improves on the original.
The sequel improves the gameplay by encouraging you to explore the island. Its characters aren’t as good, but they are still fun. The story builds on the lore from the previous game and adds more to it, making the original story better. Even though they still call the submarine’s screw a propeller.
I like this game a little more than the original. Riley and Jacob don’t have the same chemistry as Alex and her friends, but they didn’t know each other well before the game’s events. If you liked the original, then you’ll probably like this one.