Play it on: Cell
Present aim: Cease these rattling youngsters
Oxenfree is considered one of my favourite video games ever. Its compelling mixture of naturalistic, banter-y dialogue and spooky podcast-like storyline clicked strongly for me, solely drawing me into its mysterious narrative. Peculiar radio indicators, ghostly apparitions, and time and house not behaving correctly, all skilled via the attitude of some smart-mouthed teenagers taking one final jaunt earlier than beginning faculty. I couldn’t advocate it to sufficient folks.
Then in 2023, a sequel got here out, and I didn’t play it. I didn’t need to play it. I feel as a result of I used to be simply afraid it couldn’t recapture that second, and that second had been good. Additionally, as a result of developer Night time Faculty’s intervening sport, 2019’s Afterparty, didn’t work for me in any respect. However I’ve stopped being such an enormous foolish, and pushed by the need to play one thing narratively robust whereas on a brief trip this vacation, however solely geared up with my Android pill, I remembered Oxenfree II comes as a part of an lively Netflix sub. And it’s nice! It’s actually nice! It makes extra errors than the unique, bits of the story not fairly including up correctly (maybe due to selections I made, it actually fails to clarify why the 2 fundamental characters are so antagonized by teenager Olivia), nevertheless it’s as soon as once more a triumph of beautiful vocal performances and an intriguing (if frustratingly unbelievable—radios don’t work like that!) storyline. I’m very near the top, and stay up for lastly discovering out the way it all wraps up. — John Walker