OXENFREE II: Lost Signals

Meh. Good for one playthrough, maybe 2 or reboot quicksaves to see the different endings. It just feels half-baked with the premises set up in Oxenfree one. There isn't even a new game+ mode? They filled the map with such nothingness. The new Adler letters are pretty barren lore-wise. I enjoyed the new walkie-talkie mechanic but even that wasn't used to the max. Only reason I have such high playtime is 100% achievements and I would get bored, do something else, then come back to the game.

SIGH. Another situation where I wish there was a middle ground option on Steam. This is a yes, but kind of review. I feel as if this game lacked the actual creep factor that made Oxenfree one of my favorite games. The time loops segments and the glitches (especially in NG+), coupled with an amazing soundtrack made the first game phenomenal. This sequel lacks that power punch. The tears in space were cool, but give me more time loops where everything gets worse and worse. Give me existential crisis of sanities. Give me more than whatever this was. We barely even needed the radio! I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy myself. But having adored the first one, finally playing the second and not being equally wowed is disappointing.

[h1]Oxenfree II: Lost Signals[/h1] [b]Supernatural narrative adventure | ~6 hours[/b] [h2]What it's about[/h2] Riley Poverly comes back to Camena, the coastal town she grew up in and got out of, for a short piece of contract work: hike into the hills above it and plant a set of radio transmitters. Her partner for the night is Jacob, a former classmate whose easy cheerfulness doesn't entirely cover his own reasons for still being there. The job is meant to take one evening. The transmitters pick up interference that has nothing to do with the survey, and it turns out other people are out on the hills too, some of them very interested in that interference. Riley spends the night working out what's happening, what the town has been quiet about, and what she came back for in the first place. It's a sequel, and you'll get more out of it if you've played the first game, but it doesn't ask you to: the story stands on its own, and starting here takes nothing away. You spend the night walking a side-on landscape, tuning a handheld radio, climbing the occasional rope, and above all talking. Dialogue options appear as speech bubbles while everyone keeps moving, so a conversation carries on…

I really enjoyed Oxenfree II. Before playing it, I caught up on the story of the first game, and while I don't think the main mystery here is quite as interesting or fresh as it was in the original, the characters more than made up for it. What I enjoyed the most was simply talking to people. The conversations with random characters over the radio, listening to their stories and occasionally helping them, made the world feel surprisingly alive. The dialogue and character interactions were easily the highlight of the game for me. I also really liked the visual style. The art direction is simple but distinctive and fits the atmosphere perfectly. [spoiler]One moment that especially stuck with me was the final choice of who should sacrifice themselves. The game clearly pushes you towards Olivia, but because of how her character is written and how much she seems to demand it herself, I found myself really not wanting to choose her, and ws looking for a reasons why it is a bad idea. In the end, I chose to sacrifice myself instead, and that decision actually felt surprisingly personal. [/spoiler] Oxenfree II probably won't become one of my all-time favourites, but I had a genuinely gr…

Right off the top, if you enjoyed the first game you will love this one!!! I was really hoping this game would live up to what I experienced with the first Oxenfree and boy did it deliver! The animations are lively and make the characters feel real, and the voice acting is amazing. Both old and new cast alike really bring the story together to make everything feel real. I have only gotten one ending, but I loved all the callbacks to the first game, not just in the story but in the musical motifs that can be found hidden in the story. The game builds on the mechanics from its previous installment with the radio but also adds some new flavor with the walkie talkies! Having other characters to get information from, not just your companion Jacob, is really fun. Just like in the first game I found myself in love with the art, the backgrounds, and especially the music. The music for me really sets the tone for the chapter ahead and really brings to life the stakes in the more high action sections of the game. ~SPOILERS BELOW~ The first game really made me feel something, especially with the option to bring Alex's brother Michael back from the dead, but nothing will top seeing t…

Triangles are the strongest shapes, but friendships are the strongest ships. This is an excellent continuation of the first game, with meaningful improvements in every way. The story, world, and gameplay all take a step up over the first installment.