Oxenfree’s beautiful, haunting story begs to be replayed, but pacing issues limit its appeal.
I couldn't rush through Oxenfree. Part of that is the way the supernatural coming-of-age story is paced, which is sometimes to its detriment, but it's mostly because of small moments that gave me pause. I’d often stop and listen to the end of one of the many conversations — which are wisely blended in with regular walking around and exploring — and look at the gorgeous environments, thinking about my own teenage friendships. It’s unfortunately too slow in multiple parts, but Oxenfree’s beautifully developed relationships make it more than worthwhile.
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I didn’t think about how it would eventually come back to bite me.
Oxenfree puts you in the shoes of a teenager named Alex on her way to the local island with her childhood best friend, Ren, and brand-new step brother, Jonas. I immediately disliked the talkative Ren, mostly because his voice acting and dialogue don’t sound believable. Oxenfree is very dialogue-focused, so his part in the group’s dynamic grated on me at first. In an early conversation with Jonas, one of my dialogue options was to tell him that Ren annoyed me, and I picked it almost instantly — I didn’t think about how it would eventually come back to bite me. My choices carried through to the very end, four or so hours later.
The Spirit of Radio
While these awkward conversations don't necessarily sound like natural teenager speech, Oxenfree’s branching dialogue options make it work. Like the conversation with Jonas, there usually aren't obviously “good” or “bad” choices — some feel nicer, maybe, but most just reveal different parts of the characters’ full selves.
You get to choose who accompanies you for most of the game by making specific choices. My favorite character to spend time with was Jonas, an interesting but clearly troubled person who provides insight into Alex’s own personal trauma, but even Ren grew on me the more I got to know him. I loved listening to them dance around awkward topics and reveal personal details to each other in a way that, despite the stilted dialogue, felt pretty true to life. But there were times when, no matter what choice I made, I was going to end up hurting someone. It’s an important reminder that you can’t “win” social situations, and that kept Oxenfree’s supernatural plot points grounded in reality.
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Oxenfree’s branching dialogue options make its conversations work.
Oxenfree’s story progresses as you build and discover relationships with its interesting characters, but the clever twist is using a radio to tune into the supernatural side of things. Creepy audio crackles through the radio, and then everything changes. “Time loops” warp the environment, reset conversations, and reveal the darker parts of the characters and their world. I’d be walking through Oxenfree’s island and talking somewhat casually, only to be torn back to an earlier point in time and notice things are subtly and unsettlingly different this time. A campfire appeared where there wasn’t one before, and then a soccer ball that I had trouble kicking... And, without spoiling anything, there’s also a neat social integration that makes time loops extra intriguing.
Time and Again
The time-travel aspect of Oxenfree is fascinating enough on its own, but it’s excellent because of its effect on the characters and their dynamic. Sudden time loops add mystery and urgency to conversations, and that urgency in turn furthers the development of the characters and their relationships, which are so integral to Oxenfree’s story. Your companion might be in trouble, and how you react to that might affect how much they care for you at the end. It’s a smart touch that’s consistently effective.
However, Oxenfree’s pacing is strangely inconsistent. Long walks from area to area make sense because they leave room for important conversations, but walking often dragged on too long. I sometimes felt like I didn’t have enough to do. That might be the point, and it’s one of Oxenfree’s strengths that it’s not overloaded with pointless things... but in a game that’s focused on characters and how they interact, that sluggishness made me a little more reluctant to repeat this story than I’d have liked.
I did replay it, though, and I enjoyed experiencing it with a fresh perspective. Slow walking isn’t conducive to exploring, but it does encourage admiring the gorgeous landscapes. Alex talks a lot about her memories of the island, so walking through a beautiful forest or in an eerie, crystal-filled cave made me as fond of her childhood haunt as she was. The characters are also really small as a part of the art style, which made me feel like everything that was happening was much bigger than I was. The music adds to that feeling, often tinged with sadness, and together the art and soundtrack deepened my connection to a game all about human connections.
Switch Impressions by Marty Sliva (October 5, 2017)
The Nintendo Switch version of Oxenfree might be the very best way to play. It contains the really interesting New Game + mode that was added to all versions after launch, as well as now featuring localizations in French, German, Spanish, and Italian. It makes great use of the haptic feedback of the Joy-Con, and that helped immerse me even more into the wonderful story. There’s also both controller and touch-screen support, and Point-and-click adventure games feel great when you can actually...well...point and click on things.
The Verdict
Oxenfree is elegantly simple, using branching dialogue and a little something supernatural to develop three-dimensional characters and drive the coming-of-age story. There’s not much else to it in terms of gameplay, which is absolutely a good thing, but pacing issues in its story can make it feel sluggish between conversations. Mostly, though, it’s like walking through a stunning painting, listening to the idle chatter and revealing talks of (sometimes unnatural-sounding) teenagers.
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