OXEN REVIEW PORTABLE
OXEN REVIEW SERIES

But even here, key events are brought low by the stodgy and sparkless pacing in between. The upside of treading old ground is that the Oxenfree 2 story gets to link back to the original in some fun ways, producing some decently surprising plot turns. For a game that strives to create an atmosphere of strangeness, what's especially strange is that it doesn't offer a fresh brand of supernatural phenomena to muddle your noggin.

OXEN REVIEW SERIES

Because, other than those, many of the ghostly tricks on display here are all too familiar from the first time round – mostly a series of illusions that make things and people go weird for a bit, then dump you back where you were. It's a shame, then, that these additions turn out to be very limited – bowing out after a scant few appearances before anyone might accuse them of becoming puzzles. Rifts that let you hop back in time briefly may get you around environmental obstacles, for instance, while new mini-games involve turning multiple dials to match sound waves.

OXEN REVIEW PORTABLE

And again, tuning your portable radio to a certain frequency can help restore normality, but now there's more besides. Once again, these are framed by delightfully creepy audiovisual effects, from bands of static at the fringes of the screen to voices from beyond comprising fragments of radio broadcasts. To stop them, you still have to plant the rest of the transmitters at key points around Camena, but now your mission intersects with various head-spinning time loops, rifts, and warps. But it's really not your fault this time, as the first transmitter you plant clashes with the plans of a new group of teenagers, who for some reason actually want to open up an interdimensional portal with reality destroying side effects. It's no surprise given that the first game's ghostly entities emerged through radio signals that the job you've been given is likely to stir up trouble again. Where the first game is a coming-of-age tale beneath its sci-fi strangeness, this is more of a dealing-with-baggage one, and it approaches all the crap youngish adults need to address in their reflective minds in a sensitive, relatable manner.It's a relief when the plot at least gets a shot in the arm not far in, then, as Oxenfree 2 reintroduces the paranormal elements from its predecessor. The lead pair are both, in their own ways, frustrating characters-Riley aloof, Jacob needy and neurotic-but they are believable as the VHS rewind effect kicks in and Riley gets tossed through time like a bin bag in a temporal tornado, we get poignant insights into her past, future, and why she is the emotionally distant oddball that she is. The smooth synthy soundtrack, pretty hand-drawn art style with its deep dark palette and paper cutout stylings, and solid (if, again, somewhat earnest) writing are a pleasant beverage, like a nightcap of bourbon in a quiet small-town bar, and kept me mostly engaged throughout its modest six-hour runtime. Oxenfree is more of a walking-and-talking sim than a straight-out walking one, and between the explosions of time-twisting sci-fi, it’s a game about ambling around the scenic pretty environments while ruminating about life. It’s a quietly engaging system, and for the most part the dialogue options acknowledge how your feelings about certain characters may shift over time, letting you respond appropriately. When other characters say things, dialogue options pop up in the form of chat bubbles above your head, which slowly fade, giving you a limited window to reply to characters (or just remain silent). Like in the original game, you explore the island along 2.5D pathways, and your main means of interaction is communication. There are still some excellent spooky moments in Oxenfree 2-crackly radio chatter from another dimension talking to you in ominous rhymes, stories of freak fires and mass burnings by mysterious local cults, and some stunning surreal sequences when you get pulled between time periods and dimensions-but I’ve already had a peek behind the curtain, and there’s something to be said for going into it blind.

I understood things that the characters didn’t, I had crucial context, and I didn’t get those little horror tingles when supernatural things started happening last time out. As someone who’s done so however, I felt it lacked that element of surprise and uncanny-valley originality. Oxenfree 2 closely intertwines with the previous game’s story, so there’s a case to be made that you should play the original Oxenfree before jumping in here. ALSO READ: On The Eve Of Baldur's Gate 3, Baldur's Gate 2 Is The Perfect Appetizer

Oxen review