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Olly Olly Oxen Free II

Oxenfree was a very good supernatural thriller game. I played it back in 2018 and even made a review of it, giving it 5/5, saying it was “80’s teen horror film-esque” and had an “unique concept”. What I remember from the game is that the story was well-written and all the events kept my interest throughout the gameplay. It has been seven long years and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals has been released. I longed for this game, but can it beat the first one?

The paranormal mystery begins

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals takes place five years after the first game. This time we have a new main character, Riley. She has a new job in her hometown, Camena, where she has to install some radio equipment. She has a colleague, Jacob, but when they install the first antenna something happens and everything changes for the worse.

Details of the story and happenings in Oxenfree II: Lost Signals are a little bit difficult to explain since everything that takes place is very paranormal-ghostly-horror-radiowavey. Hell, even the characters themselves didn’t know what’s going on. But overall, the story was exceptionally good and enjoyable. It had suspense, mystery, paranormal, and supernatural themes, all in one well-written wholeness.

Gameplay-wise everything is almost the same as in the first game, but this time the main character has a walkie-talkie and a radio. Whereas in Oxenfree, there was only a radio to use. The walkie-talkie is used to communicate with our boss who gives us orders on where to go and what to do, and with other people in the area. The radio is used very much the same way as in the first game; it is used to open portals and do other weird things that affect the surroundings. The characters can also climb and rappel down mountains, which was a good addition to the gameplay.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals has multiple endings and all your choices will calculate your fate in the end. Everything the player does in the game will affect the outcome, even things you don’t do. The gameplay is very dialogue-heavy, where the player has to answer (or not answer), and there are usually three options to choose from. Usually, the options are positive-neutral-negative, and I tried to play the game by answering positively to get a “good ending”. In the end, I think I got it.

In the Oxenfree II: Lost Signals the play area is rather big, but some areas are out of reach until you find the correct items or ways to enter there. I didn’t get lost that much, only a few times I wasn’t sure where to go.

I think Oxenfree II: Lost Signals looks good. Everything seems to be hand painted and has a nice 80’s vibe. I did like all the effects and character design. Even the audio in the game was well-designed. Kinda like 80’s synthwave that reminded me of some 80’s horror movies.

The Last Radio Wave

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was about 5 and a half hours long and it entertained me as much as the first game—maybe even more! Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a very well-made ensemble and sequel that ties to the original game. It had everything I want from a game: an engaging story and gameplay, beautiful visuals, good music, and sound effects.

This is a game I do recommend wholeheartedly.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is available on PS5 (reviewed), PS4, Nintendo Switch, macOS, iOS, Android, Windows and Netflix.

SCORE:

5/5

“Oxenfree II: Lost Signals has multiple endings and all your choices will calculate your fate in the end”

RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2023
GENRE: Adventure
DEVELOPER: Night School Studio
PUBLISHER: Netflix Inc.
PLATFORMS: PS5 (reviewed)
PS4
Nintendo Switch
macOS
iOS
Android
Windows
Netflix

 

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