Oxenfree

Alex is taking her new stepbrother Jonas to a party happening on a decommissioned military island. What she, Jonas, and fellow teens Ren, Clarissa and Nona expect to be a fairly harmless night of drinking, skimming stones and playing ‘truth or slap’ quickly devolves into a terrifying fight to escape as they unwittingly tune into what seems to be a ghostly presence on the island…

What I’ve just described sounds like an incredibly cliche plot of any teen horror movie, but truthfully, Oxenfree doesn’t feel cliche in the slightest. Admittedly, some of the opening setup feels quite trope-y, as Alex interacts with popular girl Clarissa who is incredibly bitchy to her for what seems like no reason, although we quite quickly learn what this reason is, and it sets up for some deeper back story that will play into the choices you can make throughout the game.

Just some teens chilling on a deserted island, what could possibly go wrong?

The game itself is pretty straightforward to play, working as a simple point and click in which you can direct Alex to walk around the island and interact with things where needed. You also have a radio at all times, which can be used to trigger supernatural events to happen, but you can also tune into it whenever you like and slide the dial across to hear a selection of random music and conversations, which in itself feels incredibly eerie.

Teen relationships are the heart of the story, and you can influence them with Alex’s dialogue choices, with selections you make potentially causing a character’s head to appear in a thought bubble over the character whose opinion you have changed. I initially took this to mean the character’s opinion of you had improved in some way but I think it’s actually only a signifier that you’ve caused a relationship to change in some way, whether for better or worse.

Think about what you say – it matters

The island is split into multiple areas but you will always be directed where to go which is also quite helpful as my only real complaint about the game is that it can take a while for characters to walk through certain areas so it would have been even more frustrating if you didn’t know where you were going.

Oxenfree has many strengths for me. I thought the voice acting was great. All of the teens feel like unique characters, and they talk and act like teens in a well-written, naturalistic way. Although Alex isn’t the ‘leader’ of the group, per se, since you play as her and the characters frequently ask you what to do you feel like you are in charge. You have to make choices such as where to go, who to prioritise, who to take with you and more, which also continually increases your own investment in the game as you feel ever more responsible for making sure that everyone survives and makes it off the island. This emotional investment is continually built upon, as even when the creepiest events are going on, you’re still witnessing normal teen bickering and the development of various relationships. And course, you can choose to play the game however you like, making Alex play it safe or take risks, be diplomatic or speak her mind, and so on.

Alex was pretty sure that triangle hadn’t been there this morning…

Oxenfree is a horror game, but it feels more like an old school horror, from the use of the radio to the exploration of old places to hunt for clues. It’s still about survival, but it’s more of a mystery thriller than a ‘run from the monsters’ kind of game. Even so, it feels genuinely scary and unnerving at times. Of course, the island setting offers the opportunity for many gorgeous set pieces, from beaches, to ghostly towns and old manors, which really help build the creepy atmosphere. Between this and the group teen dynamic it could make for a really interesting film. Either way, it’s an absolutely brilliant game and I would strongly implore anyone who enjoys choice-based games to give it a go.

Available at an incredibly low price on multiple platforms, you can get lost in this beautiful, story rich game now. With multiple endings as well, the value for money is high! I’m currently playing Night School Studio’s Afterparty, another intriguing supernatural game, and I’m excited to see what else they will bring us. If it’s as good as Oxenfree, we’re all in for a treat!