When making a great sequel, you have to be able to capture the magic that made the original title so special and beloved, all while adding something new that can hook in players and keep the gameplay loop fresh.
Oxenfree 2 Lost Signals is a testament to the hard work put in by Night School Studio to create a brand new supernatural experience that surpasses the first game in many ways. Although the Netflix-owned game studio had its work cut out for them when creating a follow-up to 2016’s Oxenfree, it’s safe to say that Oxenfree 2 is near-perfect.
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But what makes Oxenfree 2 the perfect sequel? Going even further, what makes it a fantastic individual game? Well, let’s return to the fictional town of Camena, Oregon to solve that mystery.
Radio Ga Ga- Another Time bending story on an even bigger scale.
Oxenfree 2 takes place roughly five years after the first, with players taking control of new protagonist and former Camena resident Riley. Riley has returned to Camena due to a job offer and some personal reasons that become clearer as the game goes on.
Once again, the plot involves battling against the clock to solve another supernatural mystery related to the mysterious radio signals from Oxenfree. I don’t plan on spoiling the story of the game here, just know it gets very timey-whimy, very quickly.
With the whole town of Camena to explore and not just Edwards Island, the mystery of the radio signals feels like it’s much more important overall. From the start of the game we find out from our new companion and work colleague Jacob that the weird radio signals are no longer bound to Edwards Island, but appear to be bleeding onto the mainland.
These signals soon cause a portal to open up above Edwards Island with Riley and Jacob being the only ones who have the opportunity to close it. On top of this, our dynamic duo finds out very quickly that there is a mysterious “cult” in Camena who wish to keep the “door” open for unknown purposes.
With the strange radio signals, a mysterious “cult”, tears in time opening up and a lost dog, you have a true Twilight-zone esc mystery that would make Jordan Peele blush. The plot of Oxenfree 2 works to make the game a short but sweet story-driven experience with the title clocking in at around under ten hours.
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Without spoiling things Oxenfree 2 does also touch on some sensitive topics such as grief and playing through scenarios that might cause emotional or mental discomfort. However, the game handles these scenarios in a very careful and honest way. There is even a content warning on the game’s title menu that explains what sort of topics the game’s story addresses as to not trigger players. I feel that this is a very earnest feature by Night School Studio and shows a development team who cares about those who play its game.
Ghosts In The Machine- Oxenfree 2’s Memorable Cast Of Characters and Gameplay hit the spot.
In my opinion what makes Oxenfree 2 really shine is its dialogue-focused gameplay. Like the first Oxenfree dialogue plays an important part in the story with the way you interact and approach other characters shaping how they treat you at key parts in the game. The big difference this time in my opinion is that Oxenfree 2’s dialogue options and conversations feel a lot more natural.
Oxenfree had some of the most conversational dialogue in gaming, with the ability to interrupt characters cutting them off mid sentence and with there being no “good” or “bad” options but rather just realistic responses. The way Oxenfree 2 builds upon this system is through one simple and effective way; By making the main character an adult.
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Through this decision, the interactions between Riley and Jacob already feel more organic. Initially starting as awkward acquaintances due to the pair knowing each other from high school, as the night progresses (and through my dialogue choices) they begin to build a friendship. Although I did love Alex and her friends, I always felt like Oxenfree’s dialogue suffered from a bit too much teenage angst.
On the character side of things, Oxenfree 2’s cast provides a phenomenal expansion to the characters present in the previous title. Rather than having four or five characters to interact with Oxenfree 2 sticks to keeping with the two-partner dynamic that worked great in the first game. This time Riley and Jacob have access to a walkie-talkie that, (weird ghost shenanigans permitting), allows them to talk to others, who are also experiencing some strange occurrences due to the signals.
These characters include; Evelyn, part of the research team who hired Riley and Jacob to investigate, Nick a fisherman who is experiencing some rocky seas off the coast and Shelly a park ranger who is receiving reports of weird wildlife activity. These other characters serve to flesh out the world of Oxenfree 2, with the ability to check in with them at various points throughout the game, resulting in interesting side missions away from the main story.
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Another gameplay addition that puts Oxenfree 2 above its predecessor is the time tear mechanic. Although used sparingly through the game these tears in the fabric of reality are a great puzzle mechanic that also adds to the sequel’s greater sense of scale. In Oxenfree you were thrown about in time at the leisure of trapped souls, however in the case of the sequel you are able to willingly travel backwards in time to solve puzzles.
What’s New in Camena?- Why is Oxenfree 2’s setting so important?
In Oxenfree, the main character Alex and her group of high school pals spent the game traversing Edwards Island all while trying to figure out the source of the mysterious radio signals (spoiler: It’s ghosts…kind of). Jumping into Oxenfree 2, I wondered how they would expand upon the setting. Would they have us return to Edwards Island? Would it be set somewhere entirely new? Well for fans of the original, we finally get a chance to explore the town of Camena.
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The map for Oxenfree 2 feels so much more expansive than the original giving the player the chance to explore the town of Camena in any way they choose, with very few areas being locked off from the start of the game. The decision to go with Camena as the main setting for the game feels like a reward for those who played the original as well as presenting new players with an interesting location.
Camena itself feels like a character, with the eerie atmosphere and environmental storytelling building the world setting for the player. Through conversations between characters, tuning into frequencies with your radio and hidden letters to collect around the map, Night School Studio has done an incredible job when fleshing out the history of the town.
Camena is basically empty the whole time you play through the game, with Riley, and Jacob being the only consistent characters on screen. This emptiness lends itself to the isolated nature of the story, as it feels like it’s all on you to solve this mystery and prevent whatever supernatural event is happening.
Choosing Camena as the main setting of Oxenfree 2 is a master stoke by Night School Studio and bridges the gap perfectly between both games. The middle American town aesthetic combined with the mystery and supernatural aspects transforms Camena from the familiar to the unfamiliar.
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The creative choice to set Oxenfree 2 over one night, (like the previous game), creates a sense of urgency behind the player’s choices. Oxenfree 2 is also very pretty to look at with the sharp and simple character designs combined with an almost painted background art style. When combined theses visually create something very unique. One last thing of note is that Oxenfree 2 is also available on Netflix for users with an active Netflix subscription with no further ads, in-game purchases, or additional fees.
Overall Oxenfree 2 is a fantastic follow-up to one of the best graphic adventure games ever made. It takes all the best parts of the original and builds upon it, providing a near-perfect gaming experience where it feels like each one of your choices has consequences. The characters are all charming, the setting is atmospheric, and the game is also very pretty to look at. If the first Oxenfree is about accepting the loss of innocence Oxenfree 2 is all about growing up.
10/10
Oxenfree 2 Lost Signals was played on PC and reviewed on a code supplied by Honest PR
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